Heavy Surf

Gale Force Winds

Storm Surge

Storm Babet

Storm Babet hit the east coast of Scotland hard, and St Andrews did not escape. In common with coastal communities along the East Coast, Storm Babet has caused significant damage to St Andrews Harbour. Late Sunday evening (29/10/23), we lost the north west slipway and suffered further damage to the east gate. Due to the loss of the slipway, the west end of the small car park is undermined. More importantly, the cliff face that supports the path down from the cathedral is damaged and, without further protection, could suffer further erosion as the slipway will no longer take the brunt of the waves.

With our gates being rendered inoperable we cannot clear storm driven beach material from our navigation channel, as a result, we have closed the harbour in line with Maritime Agency requirements. Although it may be unwise to do so, vessels can still come and go at their own risk.

As is stated on several signs around the harbour, we would again advise the general public to avoid the waterfront in stormy weather.  The simple act of taking photos or going for a walk during high winds and rain may seem harmless but can be extremely dangerous.

As part of our ongoing efforts to maintain and improve the harbour, we are now exploring additional funding to support both emergency and long-term repair work which we estimate costing over £1.5m. We are also engaged with the Scottish Government, statutory bodies and professional services to plan these remedial works but expect further storms will exacerbate the issue before any works can be carried out.

We are pleased to confirm that the Trust has now secured permission to clear the main channel of the harbour by mechanical means to allow vessels to return to fishing. However, this may have to take every fortnight to open the channel due to the need for really low tides. We appreciate this is a frustrating time for all and will continue to keep the fishermen posted as the situation develops. In the meantime, an aerial survey has been undetaken and an analysis of the results has been taken to identify the repairs required.

We have been authorised by Historic Environment Scotland to carry out interim repairs to the upper pier tops and to the pier surface to facilitate the reopening of the pier in the near future. However, these will be temporary repairs, and full  restoration work (which may mean a future closure of the pier) will be required using approved materials when the planned marine archaeological surveys are completed and costed.

Quotations have been received for the repair of the harbour gates, and funding to pay for this work is being sought urgently. It is expected that the cost of long- term repairs to the damage caused over the last two weeks could now exceed £1.5M.

We will continue to post any significant updates on the St Andrews Harbour Trust website and Facebook page

St Andrews Harbour Trust is currently working with the Scottish Government, Statutory Bodies and Professional Services to develop a plan to put remedial work in place in due course.