Work to clear a dangerous build-up of sand at a Fife seafront has finally begun, three months after it was reported.
The situation at Anstruther’s East Shore was branded a disaster waiting to happen as sand piled up to the same height as a wall, disguising a 30-foot drop on the other side.
Locals had called for Fife Council to step in amid fears children unfamiliar with the area could plunge over the edge.
Anstruther Community Council member Kelly Scott said: “As a foster mother I have to carry out risk assessments and, as an area where children play, the sand has turned East Shore into a disaster waiting to happen.
“The sand now invites children to run up to the edge, and if they are visitors to the area, they won’t know to stop.
“It’s also a hazard for dogs who will just run blindly on, and we had a dog run over a similar wall at the golf course a few years ago”.
She said the community council had been raising the issue since March when the lockdown meant Fife Council stopped its routine sand clearance in the area.
Local councillors Linda Holt and Bill Porteous also pressed the roads department for action but were told only emergency work was being carried out.
Ms Holt said: “This is the biggest build-up of sand anyone has seen at East Shore, and we’d thought we could get spades out and clear it ourselves.
“Unfortunately there’s just too much and it needs a small digger. It’s a real blessing there’s been no accident to date.”
Fife Council said it had now begun the work and hoped to have it almost finished this weekend.
Roads maintenance service manager Bill Liddle said: “Work to clear the build-up of sand at Anstruther East Shore has started and we hope to have cleared almost all of the sand from the affected area by the weekend.
“We’re also aware of a build-up of sand along the beachfront at Elie so we’ll be clearing that too.”