Over 2000t of material including boulders and slurry slipped onto the A83 at 'Rest and Be Thankful' – the route's highest point between Ardgartan and Cairndow – following heavy rain over the weekend, resulting in a lengthy diversion for drivers.

This comes after a previous landslide blocked the road in early August and also follows a fatal incident at Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire last month when a passenger train hit a landslip.

Commenting on the latest incident at Rest and Be Thankful, Argyll & Bute Council leader Aileen Morton said: “This weekend's landslip has resulted in further disruption for many residents and businesses but this has been going for over a decade now.

“The Scottish Government has committed to finding a permanent solution to this ongoing issue but what is needed now is a date for that permanent solution to start.

There is huge disappointment and anger locally that the area has yet again been let down by the lack of progress,” she added.

Debris clearance is currently being undertaken on the A83 by maintenance contractor BEAR Scotland, which had pre-emptively closed the road on Saturday ahead of Sunday's landslide. A local diversion route which was also affected by falling material was able to reopen to traffic on Tuesday.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Recent events are a sharp reminder of the need to adapt our transport network to the effects of severe weather. Climate change will increase the intensity and frequency of storms and flooding.”

In terms of a more permanent solution at Rest and Be Thankful, the spokesman said:

“As confirmed at a recent taskforce meeting at the end of August, stakeholders and interested parties will be consulted on the options being considered as part of the appraisal process in the coming months.”

Eleven options are on the table, covering a variety of potential approaches to improving the resilience of the A83, including rerouting the road and building new structures.

Also this week an interim report from Network Rail into the impact of extreme weather on railway resilience has been published, following last month's derailment at Stonehaven.

The report highlights a need for increased focus on deploying technology to predict failures, investment in better forecasting and strengthened rules for reporting and responding to adverse weather on the network.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We owe it to those who lost their lives, were injured, and were affected by this incident to learn and act on every possible lesson to ensure this is never repeated.”

(Photograph: BEAR Scotland)