DRIVERS are warned that traffic along the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful will be diverted due to a weather warning for heavy rain.

A Met Office yellow alert is in place for heavy rainfall across most of Argyll and Bute until 10pm on Thursday, August 22.

In response to the forecast, road maintenance firm BEAR Scotland will be diverting traffic at the Rest and Be Thankful onto the Old Military Road (OMR) from 7pm on Wednesday as a precautionary measure.

A decision will be made about returning traffic to the A83 trunk road on the morning of Thursday, August 22.

There is a rainfall warning currently in place which is predicting between 75mm and 10mm of rain in 24 hours.

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The diversion aims to maintain traffic flow along the route and protect road users.

BEAR Scotland's north west representative, Ian Stewart, said: “The safety of road users is a top priority for BEAR Scotland and we closely monitor conditions at the Rest and Be Thankful on a daily basis.

“The forecast for heavy rain will significantly increase saturation levels on the hillside, therefore we've decided to open the Old Military Road as a proactive safety measure.

"The use of this route maintains access to the A83 corridor for the travelling public, keeping Argyll very much open for business with minimal delays of around 20 minutes.

“Subject to the weather improving, we plan to inspect the hillside thoroughly overnight and on Thursday morning and this will inform a decision to return traffic to the A83.”

Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland’s website and via X @trafficscotland.

Ferry options are also available: www.western-ferries.co.uk.