Over the winter months there have been deposits of shingle within Portgordon Harbour with a build up against the inner spur and the east pier to their full height. This shingle bank continues to increase and has now blocked the entrance to the inner harbour.

The shingle build up in the harbour is naturally occurring and is a function of high tides, wave action and wind direction and speed. The recent prolonged period of strong northerly and north easterly winds have been unusual this winter and large amounts of shingle has been deposited all along the Moray coast.

The coastguard has been notified of this issue so they can produce a Notice to Mariners that the entrance/access to Portgordon Harbour is blocked, preventing access/egress by vessels.

Specialist civil engineers have checked, by calculation, that the inner Spur will be able to withstand the pressure of banked shingle over its full height and do not have concerns in regards to this affecting the structural stability of the inner spur.

Crown Estate Scotland will also continue to monitor the situation in terms of any Health and Safety issues which may arise.

Removal of shingle can only be undertaken with a licence in place from Marine Scotland which Crown Estate Scotland are currently exploring.