Stainforth landslip rail line to be closed until September

Network Rail said Hatfield Colliery was working to remove the spoil heap

Stabilising work on a slipped spoil heap that closed a railway line may not be finished until September, according to Network Rail.

About one million cubic metres of collapsed mining spoil at Hatfield Colliery has to be removed.

The landslip at Stainforth, South Yorkshire, pushed the track upwards forcing the line to shut.

Work was to be finished by July but bad weather and difficult conditions mean the re-opening could be delayed.

Phil Verster, route managing director, said: "This site is incredibly complex and, if not properly managed, potentially dangerous."

He said he appreciated the importance of restoring a direct rail service to Cleethorpes, Scunthorpe, Goole and other places affected by the slip, and engineering works were being revised in order to keep as many services running as possible.

The slip is affecting First TransPennine Express rail services between Doncaster, Scunthorpe and Cleethorpes and Northern Rail services between Doncaster, Goole and Hull.

About 150 replacement buses a day have replaced those services and an amended timetable will run until the track is repaired.