MOTORISTS travelling between Helensburgh and the rest of Argyll are being advised to leave extra time for their journeys after the A83 was closed at the Rest and Be Thankful.

Trunk road maintenance company BEAR Scotland says the Old Military Road diversion route will remain in operation throughout Wednesday and into Thursday morning due to high levels of hillside saturation and forecast rainfall - and there could be further disruption to come towards the end of the week.

Road users will be convoyed along the diversion route, with an amber weather warning now in place 2pm today until midnight due to Storm Dudley.

A morning inspection on Thursday will determine whether the A83 can be safely reopened.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland's North West representative, said: "We are witnessing very high flows in the hillside watercourses this morning.

"With high ground saturation being experienced as a result of recent rainfall we’ve taken the decision along with Transport Scotland to maintain traffic on the Old Military Road throughout today and overnight tonight as a safety precaution.

“We have teams closely monitoring conditions in the area as well as the hillside above the A83, and we’ll assess the situation tomorrow morning with a view to re-opening the trunk road as quickly as possible if conditions permit.

“Looking ahead, we’re expecting further periods of heavy rain and snow to move through the area over the latter part of the week, and our teams will remain on high alert to respond to any changes at the Rest.

“As ever, we thank the local community and all road users for their patience while we continue with our work at the Rest.”

Adverse weather is also expected over the coming days, with Storm Eunice due to hit later in the week.

Real time journey information is available at @trafficscotland on Twitter or form www.trafficscotland.org.