TRAVELLERS heading between the Helensburgh and Lomond area and the rest of Argyll face major disruption to their journeys because of a landslip on the A83.

The road has been blocked east of the Rest and Be Thankful since around 5.30pm on Tuesday.

Motorists face a lengthy detour between Tarbet and Inveraray, via the A82, A85 and A819, or by taking Western Ferries between Gourock and Dunoon and the A815 via Strachur and St Catherines.

It's the latest in a long line of closures at the notorious landslip hotspot in Glen Croe.

READ MORE: A83 landslip mitigation work due to resume in September

The landslide happened after a day of persistent and heavy rain across much of Scotland – and comes just weeks after three 'catch pits' were installed in the area to try and prevent more mud, rocks and trees sliding on to the trunk road.

Traffic Scotland tweeted that the route is "CLOSED and will be for some time", and said the diversionary route on the other side of the glen – known as the 'Old Military Road' – had also been affected by the landslip.

The next phase of mitigation work by trunk roads maintenance company BEAR Scotland is due to begin in September.

Earlier this year, transport secretary Michael Matheson pledged a further £1.9 million of government cash on landslip mitigation measures in the area.

READ MORE: Transport secretary pledges £1.9m for new anti-landslip work on A83

That took the total spent by the Scottish Government on maintenance, landslip mitigation and diversion improvements to £79.2m since 2007.

The last major landslide on the road, at the end of January this year, prompted Argyll and Bute Council leader Aileen Morton to issue a demand for "no more faffing about" in efforts to find a permanent solution to the problem.

As this article was published it was not clear when the road might reopen.

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