A hidden World War 2 bunker has resurfaced after a storm caused shifting sands on an Aberdeenshire beach.
Alan Neave, 66, was out walking his dog when he found the concrete structure had appeared overnight on Blackdog beach on 21 March.
The bunker stands as one of the few survivors of the nearly 28,000 which were built to house automatic gun positions to ward off German attack, when Blackdog - which sits north of Aberdeen - played a key role in the area's defences during the war.
Speaking to the Record, he said: "It's only appeared in the last couple of weeks. We were quite surprised it just came out of the blue one day.
"I went over to investigate it and looked inside, it looked like it was designed as a military observation post. I posted it to the local group and no one can remember ever seeing it, even a lot of the elderly who've stayed about this area for most of their lives.
"We think it must have been on top of the dunes at some point. We're finding that the sand dunes are eroding quite fast depending on storms that hit the beaches."
The huts were built as temporary structures between 1940 and 1941, and nicknamed 'pill boxes' due to their similarity to medicine boxes at the time.
Alan, who is also the chairman of the local residents' association, is no stranger to historical finds, having previously found a shipwreck while walking his dog last November, and an old mine on the same beach in January.
He added: "I contacted Aberdeen Maritime Museum about the shipwreck but three months later it was swallowed up by the sands again.
"Other people said they had seen the shipwreck, it seems to appear and disappear with the sands.
"In January I found an old mine that came out of the ground. The MOD came out to make sure it was safe.
"Blackdog beach is one of the most interesting beaches in Scotland, every time there is a storm we find something new."
Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service archaeologist Bruce Mann said: “The sand dunes along this part of the Scottish coastline are particularly dynamic and as such pillboxes and other WWII remains are often uncovered and covered following storms.
“This latest example at Blackdog Beach is one which hasn’t been seen for some considerable time, and offers a fascinating insight into how the coastal defences were built during the war.
“They are an important part of our history, but with rising sea levels and stronger storms, we are going to sadly lose more and more of these types of remains.”
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