'Significant' landslide forces closure of Rest and Be Thankful

A trunk road through Argyll has been closed by a "significant landslide" for the second time in six weeks.

The A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful was covered in earth and debris as 75mm (3in) of rain fell in 24 hours.

Road operator Bear Scotland said the A83 and the nearby old military road would remain closed on Sunday night.

It added that the landslide had continued through the day and engineers were unable to conclude safety assessments.

The route only reopened on Monday following a 10,000 tonne landslide at the beginning of August.

About 1,000 tonne of debris is thought to have moved down the hillside on Sunday morning, according to Bear Scotland.

The roads firm said it happened at the same place as the earlier landslide.

Much of it was "caught" in temporary mitigation measures including a pit and a rockfall barrier.

Eddie Ross, the road operator's north west representative, said: "This is another major landslide event and the on-going nature of it and the continued heavy rain has meant we are unable to conclude a full safety assessment."

He said the roads have been closed because a "safety-first approach" was required.

The closures mean motorists will have to follow a 59-mile (95km) diversion.

A Met Office yellow warning for rain is in place across parts of the west of Scotland until midnight on Sunday.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said 75mm (3in) of rain fell in 24 hours at the Rest and Be Thankful over the weekend.

There were similar levels of rainfall across the country and a series of flood warnings and alerts were in place.

Sepa duty flood manager Mark Franklin said Scotland had been "battered" by another weekend of wet weather and there had been flooding in the west, central, north of and south of Scotland.

"Whilst Sunday sees an improving picture for central and southern Scotland, we'll see continued heavy rainfall across the day for the north west," he added.

"This is likely to result in further localised flooding of land and roads, as well as some transport disruption before improving on Monday.

"People living, working and travelling in these areas are advised to ensure they have signed up to Floodline and are prepared to take action to protect property."