A crucial Highland road artery linking Fort William and Inverness will remain closed at the weekend following a serious rock fall.

Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) staff are working to secure an unstable cliff face above the A82 near Invermoriston on the western side of Loch Ness, and helicopters may have to assist.

Two large boulders measuring around eight foot by eight foot weighing approximately six tonnes each fell on the road on Thursday.

Some drivers were faced with a 120 mile detour by way of Spean Bridge then crossing to the A9, although local traffic had the option of using the B862 which runs up the east side of Loch Ness.

Initial indications are that an old oak tree fell on to a boulder field and triggered the rock fall. FCS's Steep Ground Harvesting

team are continuing to investigate the cause as they work out how best to stabilise the slope.

Alex McLeod, who is managing the programme along the A82 said:

"Together with Geo-rope, our technical advisors, we are coordinating efforts to clear debris, assess and make safe the hillside and we will continue to work with our colleagues in Bear Scotland and Police Scotland to complete the necessary work as quickly as possible."

Iain McDonald, trunk road maintenance company BEAR Scotland's North West Unit Network Manager, said although the road was now clear of debris, there were still concerns about the slope.

"Public safety remains the ultimate concern and we are therefore advising that the A82 remains closed as operations progress, "

he said.

Mr McLeod added: "We are looking into what underlying causes may be behind this incident but it illustrates once again the urgency behind our long-term programme. Felling the mature trees along the A82 and cleaning and scaling the rock face will significantly reduce the likelihood of these types of incidents in the future. We'd like to thank all local residents and road users for their continued patience and understanding."

Felling on the section of hillside affected was due to start in September.

Earlier this week it was announced that the Caledonian Canal would be closed to vessels between Loch Ness and Loch Oich until th eend of April following damage by high water levels.