Drone footage reveals railway damage after landslip in Surrey

• ITV Meridian's Ciaran Fitzpatrick reports from Brookwood

Drone footage has revealed the extent of the damage a huge landslip, near Brookwood in Surrey, has left behind due to heavy rainfall.

Urgent safety work has started ahead of repairs, after cracks of up to 45 metres long were found in an embankment between Basingstoke and Woking.

Tens of thousands of rail passengers have been affected as fewer trains are running on that stretch for the rest of the week.

Strikes are also taking place, causing even more disruption for commuters.

Network rail engineers are busy installing 170, 10metre steel piles to reinforce the bank.

Trains are now manually signalled through, driving past at 20mph on only two of the four track lines.

The route director of Network Rail Wessex says he "realises there is never a good time to close the railway, but maintaining the safety for our colleagues and customers is our top priority".

Matt Pocock added: "It's imperative we act now, to reinforce this bank and prevent a potentially much more damaging landslip from coming onto the railway."

As disruption extends to large parts of Hampshire and Surrey, Network rail advise to check before travelling.

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