Hopes are rising that a permanent solution may be found to the chronic problems afflicting the A83 trunk road at the Rest and Be Thankful pass, after a visit by a UK Government minister.

Scotland Office minister Iain Stewart MP, who was hosted by the local Campaign for the Rest Group during the visit, said that he believed there was a possibility of using the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund and Shared Prosperity Fund to finance a solution.

Speaking at the Rest and Be Thankful he said: “It’s going to be a big project and difficult to reach a solution but I hope my visit here today will help us along the way.”

Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron, who also took part in the visit, said: “The responsibility for sorting out the Rest and Be Thankful is devolved and rests with the Scottish Government at Holyrood, but I am delighted that Iain Stewart is offering to help find a solution.

“The UK Government is already a partner in the Argyll and Bute Rural Growth Deal and, in order for the deal to achieve its full potential, we need to tackle the chronic unreliability of the A83.

“As Iain Stewart said, it will be a big project, and that’s why it would be a big step forward for both governments and local partners here in Argyll and Bute to work together to make progress.”