Residents fear being cut off by second landslide

There was a second landslide on the Glenshesk Road during Storm Bert

There are concerns that a group of neighbours living in the Glens of Antrim could soon be cut off from nearby towns because of two separate landslides on their road.

The latest landslide on Glenshesk Road happened on Saturday, when a roadside verge was washed away during Storm Bert, exposing a cliff edge along the tarmac.

The road, which runs between the town of Ballycastle and the village of Armoy, has already been partially closed for eight months because of a previous landslide.

In March, a large section of the road broke away and slid down the side of a steep valley, leaving some residents facing 20-minute detours.

The Department for Infrastructure told BBC News NI that it is currently developing a "detailed design solution" for the road.

'We'll need a helicopter soon'

More than a dozen homes are positioned between the two landslide sites

Kevin McCaughan, who lives between the two landslide sites, told BBC News NI there are about 19 houses in the same position.

He said families were already moving vehicles away from their homes due to fears the new landslide could deepen and extend, leading to a full road closure.

"If it went, we’d be cut of from both sides," he said, explaining there are no backroads which would allow alternative access to their homes.

"We left Mum's car down at the other side of the landslide in case we got cut off."

The 26-year-old software developer works part-time on his mother's farm.

"We have livestock at the other side of the valley but we're lucky - we can access them by quad," he said, adding that his neighbours were not so fortunate.

Since the first landslide at the end of March, some farmers have had to travel through Ballycastle in order to reach their livestock.

Mr McCaughan said a regular "three-minute journey" to check on sheep and cows had turned into a 20-minute detour - meaning a 40-minute round trip.

"That could be a couple of times a day."

He added that farmers whose children attend school in Armoy have been experiencing even more travel disruption because of the existing diversion on their school run.

Then on Saturday morning, one of his neighbours discovered the new landslide.

An earlier landslide in 1998 destroyed a nearby section of the same road

"He joked that we'll need a helicopter soon," Mr McCaughan said.

He was perhaps speaking from experience as it would not be the first time the area has been cut off from the outside world.

In November 1998, an RAF Chinook helicopter was deployed to airlift animal feed to Glenshesk farmers who had been left stranded by a major landslide.

During Saturday's storm, local residents placed traffic cones along the edge of the road to warn other drivers about the hazard.

They said staff from the Roads Service visited the site over the weekend and on Sunday afternoon it remained coned off.

But there is concern and frustration in the area because of the length of time it is taking to begin repairs at the first landslide site.

'Swift action is needed'

Sinn Féin assembly member Philip McGuigan told BBC News NI he has contacted the Roads Service to express his concerns over the stability of the remaining road.

Mr McGuigan said he had been assured that the new landslide was "well sign-posted" but he acknowledged it still posed a danger.

"The worry is that the road could subside when somebody is actually driving on it," he told BBC News NI.

He added that the first landslide was "a major ongoing issue" in the area and he had submitted an assembly question about it as recently as last Monday.

He said he had been "looking for an update so people would be kept informed" about the progress of the road repairs.

The assembly member said residents were aware that the first landslide would not be a quick fix but he also acknowledged that if the second section of the road has to be shut, several families would be stranded.

Mr McGuigan said "swift action is needed" and he plans to raise the issue in Northern Ireland Assembly again on Monday.

When contacted about the latest landslide, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) told BBC News NI that the Roads Service was dealing with the issue.

The Department for Infrastructure said it is currently developing a "detailed design solution" for the Glenshesk Road embankment failure.

"It is anticipated the design process for the remedial works will be completed in early 2025, with construction works implemented immediately, subject to funding and favourable weather conditions," a spokesperson added.