Drivers in Argyll face a 60-mile diversion at the A83's Rest and Be Thankful due to fears of another landslide with heavy rain forecast.

The Old Military Road (OMR) has been used as an alternative route since Saturday after the main road was hit by an avalanche of debris and was shut.

Road management and maintenance organisation Bear Scotland has announced the OMR will close tonight at 9pm due to safety concerns.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning across the country for thunderstorms.

Last Tuesday, landslips caused 6,000 of tonnes of debris to fall on the A83 and boulders as big as cars were reported to have come down.

The road has been hit by many landslips

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative said: “With weather warnings for thunderstorms in place overnight across much of the country we have taken the difficult decision to close the local diversion route again from 9pm due to the restrictions in being able to safely monitor the hillside. 

“The warnings indicate that localised heavy downpours could sporadically occur overnight which could have an impact on the loose debris present in the channels above the road. 

"We therefore have decided to close the route for safety overnight and implement the standard diversion route via the A83, A82, A85 and A819.

“We’ll assess the route at first light tomorrow and hope to open the Old Military Road in the early morning following all safety checks.

“Teams have worked tirelessly since Tuesday’s landslip to clear the debris and complete full assessments and safety checks of the area. 

"The event caused significant damage to the embankments above and below the carriageway, with sections of the road undermined in places due to the volume of water and debris which came down in the landslip.  Designs are being finalised and, in parallel, work has begun on the preparatory stages.

“Safety remains our top priority and we’ll do all we can to reopen the main A83 as quickly as we can.

“As ever we thank the local community and road users for their patience while we address the situation at the Rest.  Argyll remains very much open for business and we ask road users to plan their journey in advance by checking Traffic Scotland for the real-time travel information.”

All traffic will be diverted from 9pm on to the standard diversion route via the A83, A82, A85 and A819.

Safety assessments will take place at first light tomorrow morning to determine if it is safe to reopen the local diversion route.

Workers inspect a landslide in the area

The local diversion route closed overnight on Monday as a precaution due to forecast heavy rain but reopened at around 7am this morning (Tuesday) following the green light from safety assessments.

A massive effort from a 42-strong team and a helicopter helped clear away the massive boulders which caused disruption last week- including one weighing 100 tonnes.

Teams also worked to clear around 2,000 tonnes of material from the OMR, which has previously been used as a diversion when the A83 has been blocked, with a protective bund constructed along its edge.

Road management and maintenance organisation Bear Scotland gave the green light for the OMR to reopen to traffic shortly after 9.15am on Saturday.

It has been operating a 24-hour convoy system as a local diversion for the Rest And Be Thankful.

Tonight's diversions on both the eastbound and westbound routes are around 60-miles long.

Find out more here.