The UK Government has revealed plans to boost rail resilience in the South West with an extra £10 million.

The funding will be used to help better protect the line from Exeter to Newton Abbot via Dawlish, which was significantly damaged by extreme weather in the winter of 2014.

With a section of sea wall washed away and a major landslip on the cliffs at Teignmouth, the lines closure is estimated to have cost £1 billion for the South West economy.

Network Rail, which will use the funding to carry out further planning on how to improve the route's resilience, has identified three areas where action is needed to prevent the main Exeter to Plymouth railway line being blocked by further extreme weather.

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Proposals include:

• The risk of landslip from the steep cliffs between Teignmouth and Parson’s Tunnel which would block the main Exeter to Plymouth railway line

• Rock falls from the cliffs above the Parson’s Tunnel north entrance

• Flooding from the sea of the railway and the road at Marine Parade between Dawlish station and Kennaway Tunnel

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "It is vital that we do all we can to prepare our transport system for extreme weather.

"Never has the impact of nature been better demonstrated than at Dawlish and it is important that we make our railways strong enough to weather any storm. The further funding we have today announced will help to make sure that this vital link remains open."

(LM/CD)