RAIL passengers travelling on the Waterloo-Exeter line that passes through parts of Dorset are warned a section of track will be closed to allow a major engineering project to take place.

The line will be closed between Crewkerne and Exeter from this Saturday (Sept15) until Sunday, September 23 and a bus replacement service will be in operation.

It's to allow Network Rail engineers to work on a £9.5 million scheme to protect a flood-prone stretch of railway in the Axe Valley.

Two 40m long underground structures, each made up of 14 culvert sections, will be installed on sites at Axe Farm and Broom Lane near Axminster, reducing the flooding risk.

This nine-day programme of work will see the track removed and embankments excavated at both sites, with around 9,000 tonnes of earth set to be removed before the flood defences are installed.

The work began in May and is due for completion in December – but the line needs to be closed to allow this specific part of the project to be carried out.

Details of the revised timetables and bus replacement services can be found at southwesternrailway.com