Land slip closes Brough of Deerness path

Orkney Islands Council is advising members of the public that the path to the Brough of Deerness has had to be closed following “a significant slip of land”.

The damage to the section of path, which has been covered by a large volume of rocks and soil, was discovered today by an OIC member of staff carrying out routine maintenance checks on paths in the area.

According to the council, the path around Mull Head is still accessible. Signage is being erected at the point where the Brough of Deerness path branches off from the main circular Mull Head route.

OIC engineers are due to assess the extent of the damage and safety of that section of path, in the coming days. The council has indicated that more information on possible reopening will be made available in due course once the extent of the damage is determined.

OIC’s planning manager of development and marine planning, Susan Shearer said: “At this point in time our priority is people’s safety.

“We’d ask folk to bear in mind that we don’t know the cause of the land slide yet, so we’d urge people to observe the signage and keep well away from the area, and not be tempted to try and get a closer look.”