Work began on Monday to shift hundreds of tonnes of stones and rubble which were displaced during the notorious floods of 2005.

It is being undertaken by local demolition contractor Alan Beattie who assumed responsibility for the Ettrick Water landmark, which is vital for the passage of salmon back to their spawning grounds, when he and his daughter, Euphemia, formed an ad hoc company and purchased the nearby former Kendal fish farm last year for the princely sum of £1.

“I hope this will silence the cynics who said I had no intention of fulfilling my obligations,” said Mr Beattie, who has engaged the services of George Walker, a groundworks expert from Kelso, to help him carry out the work.

That is a reference to the deal he struck with previous fish farm owners Marine Harvest whose plans to rear smolt at the site was scuppered amid fears it would compromise the integrity of the wild salmon on which the economy of the River Tweed system depends.

The Norwegian-based company decided to sell because explicit in ownership of the 30-acre site was the maintenance and repair of the upstream cauld.

Mr Beattie told The Wee Paper: “When I bought the site last year I made a promise to Marine Harvest boss Alan Sutherland that I would repair the cauld which has a huge 30-metre breach on its north side. I had hoped to do the work before the autumn run of salmon last year, but the water levels were too high.

“I am now in a position to fulfil my promise.”

The restoration involves driving steel piles to the same height as the rest of the cauld and placing the gravel and rock behind them. The rubble will then be compacted before a convoy of wagons delivers and pours ready-mixed concrete. “The concrete is arriving on Monday and the job should be completed by the end of next week,” said Mr Beattie.

He revealed he was in negotiations with Philiphaugh laird Sir Michael Strang Steel with a view to the latter assuming control of the restored cauld, built during the 1870s, and maximising its potential as a visitor attraction.

“Sir Michael deserves a lot of credit for what is happening, especially in his dealings with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency which was naturally concerned about the impact of the work on the ecology of the river,” he said. Mr Beattie, who is carrying out the work in the gold-painted JCB he purchased recently for £50,000, said he and his daughter were considering putting the entire fish farm site, which is allocated for housing in the Local Plan, on the open market.

“There are two fine homes already there which bring in steady rental income and room for at least another 12 houses,” he added.