Landslide disrupts rail Newcastle-Carlisle rail services

Engineers have been working to clear the landslide from the rail line near Hexham

A 70-tonne landslide has brought further disruption to rail services in the North East and Cumbria.

Rubble on the line near Hexham has affected trains between Newcastle and Carlisle.

Services are running between Carlisle and Hexham and Newcastle and Prudhoe with replacement buses running around the area affected by the landslide.

It follows the cancellation of rail services this month between Carlisle and Glasgow due to storm damage.

Network Rail tweeted: "Hexham - due to a landslip, lines are currently blocked. Our engineers are working to remove around 70 tonnes of rubble blocking the line."

With services on the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and Carlisle cancelled until February, passengers face taking a replacement bus service or a diverted train via Dumfries, adding 90 minutes to their journey, until repairs are completed.

Storm Frank caused significant damage to the Lamington Viaduct near Lockerbie and repairs are expected to last until the end of January, with the first trains back on the line on 1 February.

The storm damaged a viaduct-supporting pier, leaving the structure unstable, and engineers plan to continue investigations until the end of next week before starting repairs.