South west rail disruption continues after flooding

Flooding on the Liskeard to Looe line in Cornwall closed services on Thursday

Rail services in south west England continue to face disruption on Friday due to heavy rainfall and flooding.

Passengers faced cancellations and delays to services throughout Thursday.

South Western Railway (SWR) said services between Yeovil Junction and Exeter would not go ahead due to a landslip near Crewkerne.

It also said some disruption was "expected until the end of the day" due to trains and crews being left at the wrong final destination on Thursday. However, many affected rail services are expected to reopen throughout the day.

The heavy rainfall left the SWR branch line between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall closed on Thursday due to flooding on the line.

There were also delays between Newton Abbot and Plymouth after heavy flooding at Totnes.

A SWR spokesperson said: "The sheer amount of rain falling on already wet and waterlogged areas, so close after Storm Henk earlier this week, meant that in many locations we were unable to run trains as it would not have been safe to do so.

"We would urge everyone to check before they travel to see whether their train is running as planned."

The operator apologised for the "second major disruption to journeys on our network this week" following Storm Henk.

Clyst Saint Mary in Exeter has seen flooding across its fields

Great Western Railway (GWR) said people should travel "as early as possible" due to significant disruption caused by floods blocking direct services to South Wales, Devon and Cornwall from Paddington.

It said an additional, serious, non-flooding incident near Reading on Thursday had also caused knock-on disruption.

A spokesperson said: "We’re really sorry for the disruption customers are experiencing, especially those caught up yesterday evening.

"This is unfortunately having a significant impact today.”

The River Exe near Cowley Bridge was flooded, but the rail track was not affected

Devon County Council said although the rainfall was less than recent storms, the saturated grounds could "cause further flooding and surface water issues".

It said it was concerned some areas would "see road surface temperatures drop below freezing" in the early hours of Friday, and that it had sent gritters out overnight to salt routes around Honiton, Ivybridge, Newton Abbot, Okehampton and Tiverton.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for highway management, said cold weather was "moving in".

“There has been no let-up with the wet weather and with even more rain falling while river levels are still high and fields are waterlogged, it won't take much to cause more surface water issues on our network.

"With standing water and water run-off on the roads, it will make it an extremely difficult task for our gritting teams and could make ice extremely likely.

"Please drive according to conditions and take extra care.”