Council chiefs have warned a big bill is on the horizon for the replacement of Arbroath harbour gates.
They say the barriers at the inner harbour are still operational, but are coming to the end of their life.
And it has triggered fears the Angus port could face a multi-million pound renewal bill similar to St Andrews after its gates were wrecked by Storm Babet.
The Arbroath gates control access to the inner harbour which once housed the town’s fishing fleet.
But in recent times it has been filled with pleasure craft from around the UK and abroad.
It follows the successful development of inner harbour pontoons to create a tourist marina.
And the year-round influx generates millions of pounds for the town.
Harbour audit
Concerns over the state of the harbour gates were raised during an Angus communities committee discussion of a recent harbour safety inspection.
The council owns and operates the harbour.
Arbroath councillor Brenda Durno said: “I noticed the repair work being done at St Andrew on the harbour gates.
“The survey at Arbroath was maybe taken before the last storm and I just wonder if there’s any update?
“The bill at St Andrews looks like it will be rather high and I wonder if ours will be the same.”
Council infrastructure director Graeme Dailly said that while the situation is okay at present, the Arbroath gates will not last forever.
“The results of the audit on the whole are positive and credit goes to harbourmaster Bruce Fleming and his team,” he said.
“The gates to the inner harbour do have a life expectancy and they are nearing the end of that.
“However, they are operational and functioning.
“Repairs have been required and there is an issue we are trying to overcome at the moment.
“But at this point in time we haven’t identified that they will need immediate replacement.
“We will need to have a plan for doing so and it will be a significant expenditure.”
The gates at St Andrews harbour were recently removed as part of a £3m repair project.
The slipway was also washed away during Storm Babet and the pier also had to be closed.
Harbour history
A wooden pier had been built at Arbroath by 1194.
The first harbour, known as the Abbot’s Harbour, was built in 1394 by Abbot John Gedy.
It stood until 1706 when it was destroyed in a gale.
Another harbour was constructed around 1734 and enlarged in 1839.
It was completed with the opening of the wet dock in 1877.
By the 1900s Arbroath had become one of the larger fishing ports in Scotland.
It is still used by commercial fishermen and sea-trip operators, but the bulk of the craft arriving in Arbroath are bound for the 59-berth marina.
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