Castle rock misses Edinburgh drivers 25 | 09 | 2010

MOTORISTS AT THE foot of Edinburgh Castle were fortunate to escape injury after heavy rain dislodged 'brick-sized' pieces of rock from the Castle rock face. Chunks of debris narrowly missed drivers and their cars on Johnston Terrace. The area was immediately cordoned off.

Historic Scotland is now carrying out an investigation into the safety of the Castle's rock face and the road could remain closed for at least two weeks. Edinburgh City Councillors have called on Historic Scotland to "seriously consider" safety measures that would prevent debris from falling again.

Last year Historic Scotland looked into covering the rock face in wire mesh, but it was met with opposition, but today Tory councillor Joanna Mowat admitted a solution needed to be reached before a passer-by was injured or property was badly damaged.

"We'll have to discuss maintaining the wall because it is clearly not safe," she stated. "I appreciate the castle is a historical landmark and while something like wire mesh is not attractive, the safety of pedestrians is paramount." Historic Scotland immediately responded.

"The rock is monitored on an ongoing basis," a spokeswoman explained. "The torrential rain appears to have dislodged a small piece from the south face of the castle rock. Catchment fencing has been put in place and a specialist geo-technical engineer will inspect the rock surface. This will be followed by a detailed inspection of the area by the Historic Scotland rope squad as a precautionary measure."