Clean-up underway at Stonehaven beachfront following damage from high tide

A clean-up operation is underway in Stonehaven after the costal town was battered with high waves and strong winds over the weekend.

A significant amount of shingle and other debris has been washed up onto the promenade, leading to damage to properties.

Aberdeenshire Council are urging people to avoid the harbour and other costal routes while debris is cleared from pathways and roads.

The harbour remains closed to the public today, as well as the boardwalk which sustained damage.

Irene has lived in Stonehaven for 55 years and recently moved to a block of flats along the beachfront, which suffered damage to their garden wall from the force of the sea.

She said luckily there was no water in the house but explained this winter's weather has been "the worst year" she's witnessed.

Customers evacuated

Moira is the owner of Scallywags - a soft-play centre on the beachfront - says she worries every time there is a warning for bad weather.

She said: "On Saturday, we had to close early. Sunday, we had to close early. We actually had to get people to leave via the back door, it got really dangerous up here on the front.

"We will potentially have to close early again today as well if the tide gets too high again."

Moira first got the keys to the business in September and said luckily, they haven't been flooded.

At the moment, there are temporary flood barriers in place to protect businesses along the seafront.

Moira continued: "We've managed to keep it away with just sandbags and these barriers do really help but at the moment they're not in place.

"There's an ask to get them screwed into the ground so that they don't get pushed back every time so it's not impacting people's ability to walk to the business."

Council teams have been on site clearing the damage since Monday morning.

Bad weather becoming "the norm"

Rhonda Scott has lived in Stonehaven for four years, and fears the town being hit with bad weather is becoming "the norm."

She said: "When we moved here first, we were very careful not to look at property in the flood area.

"But since we've moved here, there's more and more days like this.

"I think this is pretty bad, I mean down by the boardwalk, I often take the dog up there and it's just gone."

An Aberdeenshire Council spokesperson said: "As a result of the high tides and strong onshore winds over the last 48 hours, a significant amount of wave overtopping occurred along the coast at Stonehaven, from the Harbour northwards to Cowie.

“In the interests of public safety, the Harbour area was closed and remains closed. Roads around the esplanade were also closed over the past two days.

“Clear up of significant quantities of shingle and other debris is underway and will continue for the next day or so. During that time, we will carry out inspections to ascertain any damage to infrastructure around the harbour and along the promenade.

“Members of public should avoid areas of the harbour and surrounding coastal roads until at least Wednesday this week to allow teams to remove debris and ensure a return to safe conditions."