Kicking up a sandstorm in Thurso
THE new owner of a popular Thurso restaurant fears that the recent sandstorms in the Esplanade area could ruin his business.
Stevie Dickson who recently took over the Pavilion Restaurant facing Thurso beach has suffered from incursions of sand that have already cost him hundreds of pounds and despite council workers clearing tons of sand in January the problem is still a major issue.
"I took over the business on November the first and not long after we had to close for ten days because of the sand. It bust the boiler in the kitchen and we had to get a new filter for it."
Mr Dickson's manager Eddie McGrory had worked under the previous owner and said: "I have never, ever seen anything like this in my lifetime."
Mr McGrory said there was a woman who had lived in the area for 56 years who likewise had never witnessed the sandstorms of the last few months.
The Caithness Courier managed to trace the woman's daughter who wished to be unnamed but confirmed the story. "My mother remembers a big storm that came over from America in the 50s and there was not a grain of sand that came up here.
"Something's changed to make this happen suddenly and I don't know what it is."
The woman pointed out that there was even a new sandy beach which had appeared near Scrabster on what was formerly a pebble shoreline.
"People round here think it might be something to do with new pier getting built at Scrabster. They're saying that it's changed the currents and the tide isn't coming in like it used to but at an angle."
While not directly blaming the work on developments at Scrabster Harbour she believes there has been "a definite change" in tidal patterns leading to the huge build-up of sand now breaching the top of the Esplanade wall.
The owner and manager at the Pavilion Restaurant also confirm that the bank of sand against the wall is a recent phenomenon that "must be addressed immediately".
Thurso councillor Matthew Reiss said that a senior council official is looking into the matter, including possible impacts from the proposed Ola Pier works at Scrabster and the previous work there.
A £17.6 million project saw the new Jubilee Quay completed in June 2013 and a redevelopment of the St Ola Pier to create a modern deep-water harbour infrastructure is getting underway.
Councillor Reiss said: "A community payback officer has been working with residents and clearing elderly folks’ gardens. The council has a legal duty to keep roads and drains clear and this is ongoing.
"I have suggested we skim off the top few feet of sand piled up by the esplanade and move it west to where the cliffs are currently eroding by the abandoned Coastguard buildings."
The unnamed resident said: "This has cost us a lot of money and worry between getting the rones cleaned, clearing it from the garden and that's not to mention the sand getting into cars and damaging locks."
With sand piling up in her front garden she eventually took the decision to concrete over the entire area at "some expense".
She also confirmed that the current spate of bad weather has seen the sand scattered throughout the area again.
"This is a crescent full of retired people and I am the only one who works. These people are unable to clean their own gardens so it’s just a lot of expense for people."
Mr Dickson from the Pavilion also said that the locks of his car and the restaurant were damaged and cost him a "considerable amount of money" to get fixed.
A council van was working in the area to clear sand last Sunday and reported to be dumping "wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow" of it from the area over the Esplanade wall.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) had been concerned over "contaminated" sand being dumped back on the beach but are not taking any active role in the problem. A Sepa spokeswoman said it is "not something that is within" the agency's remit.
Councillor Reiss said the council wants to find out who owns the beach, which was sold by the local authority in the 1960s.
Ken Parnell, the harbour-master at Thurso felt it was unlikely that the Scrabster development work is the major cause of the problem. "The new ferry pier has been there a few years now and this sand problem is more recent. Maybe we've had extra-dry winds or something."
The Courier contacted the Highland Council last Thursday after the unnamed woman said no action was being taken.
The following day [Friday] council workers appeared at the beach front clearing roads and drains for two hours. A Community Payback Team followed this up by clearing residents' gardens on Monday morning.