Work will be taking place "around the clock" on the new £37.4m rockfall shelter between Dawlish and Holcombe over the Christmas period, Network Rail has announced.

A gantry crane will reportedly be used to lift in pre-cast concrete sections of the 209m structure north of Parson's Tunnel.

Piled foundations for a new accessible footbridge will also be installed at Dawlish railway station.

CGI mock-up of design (Network Rail)

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "We'll be working around the clock from approx. 5pm on Saturday 24 December to 7am on Tuesday 27 December in Dawlish and near Holcombe this Christmas.

"We're starting work a few hours earlier than planned as train services will be finishing earlier than usual, due to industrial action.

"We'd like to say sorry for any noise or disruption our work may cause over Christmas – thank you to all our neighbours for your patience."

What is the progress of other projects at the railway?

Work on the first section of the sea wall at Dawlish from Kennaway Tunnel at Boat Cove along Marine Parade to the Colonnade breakwater (on Dawlish Town Beach) was completed in July 2020.

The second section of the sea wall is from the Colonnade breakwater to the Coastguard breakwater. Work began in November 2020.

Work on a new link bridge connecting the two sections of the new sea wall began in June 2022 and is expected to be complete by around the end of January.

Netting and fencing work on the cliffs between Dawlish and Holcombe to protect the railway from falling debris will start in spring 2023.

A new accessible footbridge with lifts at Dawlish railway station is due to open next summer after work began in September.