The recent storms have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to Arbroath’s harbour with sections of the famous marina lying in tatters.
A huge chunk of the inner harbour wall surrounding MacKay’s Boatyard has been destroyed after heavy wind and rain saw the North Sea breach the site’s perimeter.
Massive waves battered against the ancient walls during high tide between Friday and Saturday.
The harbour wall stands at around 15ft on the coastal side but the extreme weather whipped the sea up over the barrier with force, crashing into the partition surrounding MacKay’s.
Piles of seaweed, sand and other associated sea debris were also cast up on to the harbour and surrounding shoreline, some of which went as far inland as an area of grass verging on the main A92 Ladyloan road into the town.
Harbourmaster Bruce Fleming said the “extreme weather” was part and parcel of harbour life but was glad there were no injuries.
He said: “When you get extreme tidal conditions the waves come over the breakwater, that’s why we have a storm barrier, and at the weekend it was quite extreme.
“We have started work on repairing it and that should be completed by next week.
“The breakwater and waves come over every so often; it’s something we deal with. You wouldn’t want to be walking around the harbour during these times but it seems as if the worst of it could be over.”
Steps leading up to the Signal Tower Museum were also smashed and parts of the monoblock walkway throughout the marina have also been torn up.
Workers arrived on Tuesday morning to begin the repairs using a small digger to lift the heavy pieces of masonry that have been dislodged by the wild weather.
Although MacKay’s yard has only been in operation for around 50 years, the harbour has been in place for centuries.
The wall surrounding MacKay’s formed part of the original harbour wall and Mr Fleming said the rebuild may have to be formed further back towards land to avoid similar damage in future.
A council spokesperson said: “We are currently assessing and reviewing the impact of the recent storms and will shortly be issuing a tender for repairs to the harbour infrastructure.”