A BUCHAN woman is living in fear after blocked drainage caused a severe landslip beside her Boddam home.
Sheila Priest, of the village's Harbour Street, has criticised Aberdeenshire Council for failing to maintain the drainage system around the area in which she lives.
The land adjacent to Mrs Priest's house has severely eroded, leading to fears over
the dangers this will pose for herself and others in the community.
A council spokeswomen told the Buchanie that its officers had been out to investigate the situation and that a works order to install additional drainage measures were now in place.
But Mrs Priest said it was too little, too late and that the drainage problem was of great concern to her.
She told the Buchanie that although the land is private, the council should still take responsibility.
Concerned: Local councillor Stephen Smith examines the area of landslip
She said: "It's an ongoing concern for us and something that I am really worried about. I see a lot of children who walk along the top of the landslide and feel they are really in danger. It is worse now beacause of the weather and the drains. That is our main concern, this is an old part of Boddam and something should have been done about the drainage before it got this bad.
"I am pleased to hear that the council are installing additional drainage measures, but I think it is unfair that they would say a private landowner is responsible for costs of the damage - If the drains had been ok then this would not have happened."
Councillor Stephen Smith commented: "It's clearly a worrying situation for nearby residents that this landslip has happened. Unfortunately, Scottish Water - who are responsible for the sewerage in the area - have told me that they do not accept liability for any damage caused when the sewers became overwhelmed due to torrential rain.
"However, I'm pleased that the council have now said they will look at additional drainage measures for this area and I hope that something can be done soon."
A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said: "We were contacted and made aware of the concerns of the stability of the land following a landslip. Council officers went out and investigated the situation. A works order has been issued to install additional drainage measures on the road to help avoid a repeat occurrence. However, the land where the landslip took place is private land and therefore it is the responsibility of the land owner to take action to stabilise it."
It is believed that Boddam Estates is the landowner, but confirmation of this was still awaited as the Buchan Observer went to press.
