Angus Council has approved a £200k package of measures to protect an area of shoreline at Elliot in Arbroath from further erosion.

The works have been instructed to contain waste materials previously dumped on the site from the now defunct Dowrie Bitumen Works. Over the years quantities of the waste materials have been revealed as the shoreline receded.

The council's Infrastructure Services Committee awarded the £149k contract to extend the existing rock armour coastal protection to Dundee Plant Ltd., subject to access agreements with Network Rail.

The council's Infrastructure Services vice-convener said that while the waste materials were not hazardous they had been an unwelcome and unsightly addition to the beach area.

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"The beach is an important part of Arbroath's attractions so I am delighted that we've been able to identify a means of containing the existing materials and protecting the shoreline from any further erosion," said councillor Fairweather.

"The rock armour has been used to good effect elsewhere so I'm confident that the proposed doubling in length of the existing revetment will stop further erosion and that in turn will greatly improve the appearance of the area."

The Dowrie Works site was established in 1890 to produce bitumen products and historic maps show that as the site expanded the beach was used as a refuse tip for waste materials.

Site ownership was transferred to Angus District Council in 1977 and funding was obtained to improve the appearance of the site and in later years a 100m stretch of rock armour was installed to contain bitumen materials which had been revealed.

Angus Council is to extend the existing rock armour by a further 100m to the north-east. The boundary between the top of the beach and the site will be re-profiled and a fabric membrane will be placed under the rock armour to prevent erosion of residual waste materials. The total project costs including engineering administration and licensing is estimated at £200,000.

(GK/BMcc)