It's a vital lifeline snaking through one of Scotland’s most scenic landscapes.

But after multiple landslides hit the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll last week, motorists were once again facing closures, mass disruption and a colossal 60-mile detour.

Now angry locals have threatened to blockade the Scottish Parliament if transport bosses don’t plough cash into permanently fixing the troubled A83 from Tarbet to Campbeltown.

Councillor Donald Kelly of the Argyll First group said the road’s ongoing problems had been apparent for almost a decade and risked ruining the rural economy.

He is calling on motorists to band together and blockade the roads around Holyrood to give MSPs a taste of what those using the route have had to suffer.

He said: "It's no use saying they are going to tinker with this and that, we want a permanent solution – like a flyover or a tunnel – and if we don't get this we will move to the next stage.

“We will need to take further action and that may include blockading the Scottish Parliament. People have said they are willing to take action and, if needs be, that action will be taken.

“Everybody is up in arms, the community has got to the end of its tether, so we would be calling on anyone who is willing to travel, to blockade the parliament.

“I feel we have got to bring this to a head. It might seem a bit extreme, but so be it. Folk are totally disillusioned in the area now.”

The stretch of the A83 just south of the Rest and Be Thankful junction has been hit by numerous landslides in recent years. Last week, around 2,500 tonnes of debris crashed down the slope above the road during heavy rain.

Mr Kelly said the blockade – which will be carried out in a “controlled and sensible manner” – was necessary to force action.

He said transport bosses had ploughed cash into Edinburgh’s scandal-hit tram system and the £1.35 billion Queensferry Crossing, but refused to spend money ensuring landslides no longer blight the A83.

Plans for a tunnel or flyover have previously been mooted, but Mr Kelly said building a protective roof over part of the road may be the cheapest option.

The Tory councillor said: "It's just one section of road that is impacting on the lives of the people of Argyll and Bute. We need it to get to hospital visits. It's vital to the tourism industry, for the wood lorries and the wind power industry.

"The impact on hauliers is bad, as everything that comes in here, from the newspapers to the bread – all the basic staples – uses that road.

"It's a vital artery, the traffic needs to flow, but they are strangling it. How committed are the Scottish Government to rural areas? It just seems to be lip service they give to rural communities.”

Mr Kelly, who is from Campbeltown, said 10,000 people and 400 businesses had now signed a petition calling for action, adding: "This has been going on since 2010, when a big boulder came off the hillside, but all we have seen in the last eight years is a piecemeal approach of sticking plaster solutions.

"Someone could have been killed in the latest landslide, that's the worst it's been – and there could be more.”

Councillor Roddy McCuish, roads spokesman for Argyll and Bute Council, called for extra funding to “ensure a permanent solution is put in place to keep the A83 and Argyll and Bute open for business”.

The Old Military Road at the Rest and Be Thankful reopened yesterday morning, but BEAR Scotland – which is responsible for maintaining the route – said repair work was ongoing on the A83.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said a dedicated taskforce would meet on November 15 to consider further options.

He said: "We are very aware of the importance of the A83 to this region and £66 million has been spent on the maintenance of this route since 2007.

“This includes over £9.6m towards landslide mitigation works and the local diversion route at the Rest and Be Thankful.

"Work has already begun on a further £2m worth of mitigation measures, including additional road side catch-pits, to help improve the resilience of the A83 and to help keep Argyll open for business."