THREE castles and an historic church have been closed to visitors indefinitely in a bid to fight the effects of climate change.

Historical Environment Scotland (HES) says it is introducing new measures to save some of East Lothian’s most historic sites.

Tantallon Castle, Dirleton Castle, Seton Collegiate Church and Hailes Castle are all to close for an unspecified period of time as new tactile condition surveys are to be conducted.

Both Tantallon Castle and Dirleton Castle have already faced closures due to the unsafe conditions to visitors since last summer and this is set to continue under new plans.

HES has confirmed that the risk of falling masonry has been accelerated by climate change and that vital maintenance will see the sites closed indefinitely.

Dr David Mitchell, director of conservation at HES, said: “The safety of staff, visitors and contractors is our top priority and access restrictions at four sites will unfortunately be necessary.

“Our routine inspections are increasingly revealing the deterioration of building fabric at high level.

“While our changing climate is not the sole reason for deterioration, it has certainly accelerated it and brought the issue to a head.

“Historic properties are inherently fragile by their nature, often ruinous and standing at exposed locations. We face a constant battle against time and the elements.”

HES admitted it remained a massive challenge to save the historic sites.

“We are taking proactive action now to assess the nature and scale of the immediate challenge and to explore a range of solutions and options,” Dr Mitchell said.

“It is inevitable our approach to protecting historic buildings will have to change; we need to reimagine how we manage these historic and much-loved places.”

Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, said: “I’m disappointed to see the sites in East Lothian closed for a period of time but understand the reason why.

“The closure of the sites, along with the cancellation of the airshow, will have an impact on the tourism industry in East Lothian.

“I will be undertaking a tour of East Lothians tourist attractions in the next few months to see what support I can bring to them.”

Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, added: “Clearly, it’s disappointing that these important local sites look set to be closed or subject to restricted access for some time.

“They are important contributors to our local heritage, tourism and the economy, attracting thousands of visitors each year. However, the safety of staff and the public must be the priority and closures are understandable if remedial works have to be completed to make the buildings safe.

“That said, nobody will want to see these sites closed to the public any longer than absolutely necessary.

“Therefore, if it’s determined that additional resources are required to complete the work, I’ll be calling for the Scottish Government to step in and provide more funding.”

Local businesses have also been affected due to the closures, with guests being left disappointed to find the sites closed or choosing not to visit at all.

Christopher Hansen, co-owner of The Open Arms Hotel in Dirleton, said: “We do have a lot of people ask if the castle is open; I’m not sure it’s put people off coming to stay but sometimes people aren’t aware that it’s closed.

“I don’t think it’s had an impact on losing business but certainly caused people disappointment.

“You’ve got to take health and safety seriously but they should have been making sure that properties were of a safe upkeep that they could be used.”