Unusually high spring tides contributed to the damage, lifting cobble setts and leaving them strewn about the beach.

John Riby, Scarborough Council's head of technical services, confirmed the damage was caused by heavy seas which battered much of the east coast, including Scarborough.

“We have made temporary repairs to make the area safe and prevent it getting worse,” he said.

“We plan to carry out permanent repairs as soon as the sea calms off and we receive delivery of the new cobble setts.”

Heavy rainfall last Friday also left roads in the Filey area under many inches of water.

Police closed off the road between Killerby and the Boak End roundabout near Lebberston due to flooding.

The A165 Scarborough to Bridlington road was also nearly impassable, with the stretch south of the Filey service station turning into a river.

Fortunately, there was no serious flooding reported in Filey.

Meanwhile, further movement of the landslip next to the old Filey Road above Cayton Bay, revealed in last week’s Mercury, has led to the immediate permanent closure of the road to all traffic north of Cayton Bay.

About 200m of the old A165 has been closed to safeguard highway users where the coastal slope is most vulnerable to failure, although access to some properties and land will be maintained.

The diversion is via the new A165 Scarborough South Cliff to Cayton Bay diversion and the Osgodby Hill/North Cayton Bay roundabout. There is also an alternative route via Osgodby Lane, Cayton village and Mill Lane.

The old A165 will remain open to pedestrian and bridle traffic for the forseeable future.

The county council has undertaken a land stability assessment and has confirmed that the sandy clay scarp face is now within a few metres of the highway. There are numerous landslips along the cliffs in the area, including the nearby Knipe Point.

Hertford and Cayton county councillor John Blackburn said: “It really is very fortunate we built the Scarborough to Lebberston diversion when we did. One of the factors why the new road scheme received priority funding was associated with the long-term sustainability of the old A165 route.

“However, it was not anticipated that the route would have to be restricted or closed this soon.”

The 121 bus, used by many people living in the Filey area, had already stopped using the old road at the beginning of this week.

It is hoped the impact on other road users will be minimal given the low volume of traffic using the route prior to its closure.