Residents annoyed at plans to hold rail plans

Les said abandoning plans to secure cliffs "just seems ridiculous"

Residents of a Devon town have expressed disappointment at a government decision to hold the final part of plans to secure a key stretch of Devon and Cornwall's main rail route.

On Tuesday the government announced it was holding work to secure cliffs from Parson's tunnel near Dawlish to Teignmouth.

Ministers said they had "already invested significantly in securing the cliffs and making the coastline more resilient".

One Dawlish resident said the decision "just seems crazy" with another saying "it's a tragedy".

Severe storm damage severed the line at Dawlish in 2014, leading to its closure for eight weeks.

Temporary repairs followed, including a new seawall at Dawlish and a rock shelter to protect the track from cliff falls north of Parson's Tunnel.

The fifth and final stage was to secure the cliffs from Parson's Tunnel to Teignmouth, and this has now been put on hold.

Les, 62, said: "I think it's ridiculous with the money that they spent just to actually abandon it now, it just seems ridiculous.

"My wife now relies on the train to get to work at Digby and if anything happened to the railway she wouldn't be able to get to work along with a lot of other people.

"With all the work that they've actually done to stop now just seems crazy."

The government said it would "keep this scheme under review as the preliminary works complete and for funding at future fiscal events".

Madeline, who lives in Dawlish, told BBC Radio Devon it did not seem "very sensible to make it so vulnerable".

The 48-year-old said: "I think it's very bad for the area, the line is sort of an artery which is running the whole way to Cornwall, this whole area is very dependent on it.

"I also think the whole reason that it's trying to sort of create safety against the sea, so if we do have any storms it gets knocked down - I think that can end up being a lot more expensive."

Fiona Bonet-Ramirez said the route was "the most beautiful part of train line" in the UK

Fiona Bonet-Ramirez from Newton Abbot uses the service to get to work and said the pause was "a real shame".

She said: "It is the most beautiful part of train line I think in the whole country - anyone would agree with that.

"It's a tragedy... I think it's a bad decision because you have the impact on the local people but also the impact maybe on tourism."

'Follow it through'

Dawlish resident Alan Rabbage, 55, said it did not make sense for the government not to complete the works.

He said: "To be honest with you I'm not surprised because that seems to be sign of the times.

"I believe it's the fourth or fifth stage now they've spent all this money - why not follow it through and finish it in my opinion."