Walkers, climbers and skiers (not to mention local residents) heading to Fort William in early December should note that the A82 south of the town will close for the weekend of 9-12 December, from 10pm Friday until 6am on the Monday. Travellers from the south should use the alternative route via the A9 and A86.

The closure is a precautionary measure while work is carried out to remove a potentially unstable rock. The date has been agreed following detailed discussions between Forestry Commission Scotland, Transport Scotland and consulting engineers and contractors.

Mike Green, Forestry Commission Scotland's project manager said:

'This [closure] will provide enough time for a protective covering to be placed on the road below the rock, the rock to be released from the hill-side in a controlled manner, then broken up and taken away.'

'We appreciate that closing the road over the weekend is going to inconvenience a lot of people, so we will be working every minute of every hour to remove and clear up the rock and open the road again.'

Full details of the closure will be publicised online by Transport Scotland as well as the Forestry Commission, and information signage will be located at all main routes into the area over the weeks leading up to the closure to make sure that as many regular road users as possible are aware of the closure. For more information about Forestry Commission Scotland's current operation to remove the rock – and the longer term programme of tree felling in the area over the next three years - visit their website.