Residents living beneath an Aberdeenshire cliff have been advised to prepare for evacuation over landslip fears.
The recent wet and wintry weather has raised concerns for the stability of the Bervie Braes in Stonehaven.
With snow melt and more rain forecast over the next few days, groundwater levels are expected to rise further.
On Thursday Aberdeenshire Council announced that it had issued documents to people living in the area which gives advice on how to prepare to leave their properties at short notice.
Aberdeenshire Council’s Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Iain Gabriel said: “This advice is not given out lightly but reflects our genuine concern about the stability of the slope and the potential for a landslip occurring.
“The council will continue to monitor the overall position and further information will be issued in due course. Residents should try not to be alarmed but at the same time remain mindful of the risks which exist.”
Around 65 properties are located below the Braes where landslips have been common for many years.
A £5.7million scheme to stabilise the ground – which is on private land - has been approved by the council, though it says funding would be required from the Scottish Government to carry out the work.
The process known as ‘soil nailing’ is similar to the process being carried out in the village of Pennan which also experiences landslips.
Last updated: 05 February 2010, 21:08 GMT
The links provided allow you to bookmark this page into your favourite social media website. For users with JavaScript disabled copy and paste the URL from the address bar into your chosen social bookmarking site.