OREANDA-NEWS. Persistent rain caused 140 tonnes of earth to slide onto the West Line near Hexham in Northumberland on Tuesday afternoon, with normal service resuming this morning (7 January) at 6am.

But a second landslip around a mile to the east of the first occurred at around 07.30, causing the line to be closed again. With rain continuing to fall, the earth is still moving, making it unsafe for the clean-up job to get underway.

As a result, passengers are being advised that the West Line will be closed between Hexham and Prudhoe for several weeks to allow the area to be safely assessed and restored.

The line will remain open for Northern Rail passengers travelling between Carlisle and Hexham and between Prudhoe and Newcastle, with shuttle buses in operation between Hexham and Prudhoe.

Rob McIntosh, route managing director for Network Rail, said: "The safety of passengers, local people and the workforce is our priority and the area will need to be fully assessed and any repairs carried out before the line can reopen and services can return to normal. Our teams worked tirelessly to clear 140 tonnes of earth and debris from the line earlier in the week but due to the continuing rain fall a second landslip has followed nearby. We will continue to work alongside Northern Rail to keep passengers up-to-date on our progress."