THE man responsible for the region’s highways has admitted a vital valley road may have to be re-routed because of erosion.

The B7009 links the Ettrick Valley with Selkirk.

And is used every day by hundreds of drivers.

But continual erosion to river banks less than a mile south of Selkirk is becoming a worry for the local authority.

Footpaths at the Skers have already been lost to erosion.

And it is only a matter of time before the banking beneath the carriageway starts crumbling.

Councillor Gordon Edgar heads up the roads department at Newtown St Boswells. He said: “The footpaths are away and the erosion is creeping closer to the road.

“Checks have been made and currently everything is safe, but there may come a time that the road will need to be rebuilt.” Earlier this month it was announced that the Scottish Government is backing flood defences for the town to the tune of over £25 million.

Work on building walls, upstream storage, new bridges and embankments is due to start later this year.

For some in the town, the Skers should have been included in the defence work.

Local activist Dougie Purves said: “It seems to me that the erosion at the Skers should have been considered when the flood defence plans were being drawn up.

“The banking is slowly being eroded away.” The Skers are a series of butments along the bank of the Ettrick Water between the town’s main road bridge and Murray’s Cauld.

The area beneath Howden has been popular with both walkers and swimmers.

But over the past few decades the stone structures have been broken up by floods.

Mr Purves added: “It is a pity that the Skers aren’t going to be repaired.”