Hole closes rail line after storm damage

A train line in Devon will be closed following the discovery of a large hole in the aftermath of Storm Ingrid.

Great Western Railway (GWR) said it planned to close the route between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot from 19:00 GMT on Wednesday until 07:00 on Thursday.

It follows the discovery of a sinkhole measuring 8m (26ft) x 3.5m (11.5ft) near the railway between Dawlish and Teignmouth.

It comes as flooding, travel disruption and school closures caused by Storm Chandra continue on Wednesday, after the third named storm of the year lashed the region with heavy wind and rain on Tuesday.

GWR said its teams were "on the ground around the clock" to assess the impact of flooding from the storm before all train lines could reopen.

It said buses would run between Newton Abbot and Exeter St Davids, and Plymouth and Tiverton Parkway, during the closure.

Storm Ingrid lashed Devon and Cornwall on Saturday, followed by Storm Chandra on Tuesday, which brought heavy rain and widespread flooding across the region, forcing the closure of several rail lines.

Network Rail and GWR said disruption would continue for several days and advised passengers to not attempt to travel on routes between Exeter St Davids to Barnstaple and Okehampton, Liskeard to Looe and Par to Newquay.

Services will continue to run between London and Exeter St Davids, and Newton Abbot and Penzance.

Buses will run between Newton Abbot and Exeter St Davids, and Plymouth and Tiverton Parkway.

Primary schools, Rockbeare, Ottery St Mary, Tipton St John and Honiton in Devon are also temporarily closed following the storms.

Richard Foord, Liberal Democrat MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, raised concerns about the South West's flood defences during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons.

Foord told Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy his part of Devon was "submerged and needs better flood defences".

Lammy, who was standing in for Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs, said: "We are investing a record £10.5bn into flood defences to protect 890,000 homes.

"The flood defences are inherited of course from the party opposite which was shameful."

Rebecca Smith, MP for South West Devon, raised concerns in the Commons on Tuesday over funding for urgent repair work to the rail line between Devon and Cornwall.

The Conservative said the damage caused by Storm Ingrid had "once again exposed the vulnerability" of the rail line which is "vital for the local economy".

Smith asked if contingency funding could be guaranteed for any urgent or unplanned resilience work needed in the future.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said: "All departments across government have had their budgets set to include contingency, to include known pressures.

"All individual departments must recognise that unexpected pressures will come along, they need to prepare for them and make sure they have robust plans to respond when things occur."

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