Dislodged slabs cause railway walkway closure

The slabs were dislodged after a recent storm

A walkway alongside a coastal railway line has been closed after about 20 large stone slabs were dislodged during Storm Ciarán.

The pathway is part of the old sea wall at Dawlish, Devon.

Network Rail said it hoped to have the wall repaired by the end of January and estimated the cost to be £150,000.

Train driver Mark Hallas said he had "never seen it in such a poor state".

Network Rail says the repairs are set to be completed by the end of January

He said: "I think it's a real shame, I've been coming here since I was about six years old, I'm 61 now and I've never seen it in such a poor state.

"It's a real shame I hope they can repair it as soon as they can."

A spokesperson for Network Rail said the repairs were "challenging" as materials had to be brought by train - when passenger trains were not running.

The rail line connects the south-west of England with the rest of the country.

In May, further down the line, an £80m sea wall opened.

In 2014, a part of the sea wall and railway line collapsed during storms.