Engineers battled against the elements as they successfully installed the first section of a new sea defence wall in Devon.

Engineers have fitted the first new panels of the Dawlish sea defence, despite Storm Ciara hitting the UK on the day of the operation.

The sea wall in Dawlish, will be 2.5m higher than the existing structure and have a curved edge which is designed to send waves back towards the sea, softening their impact on the wall itself.

It will protect the South West Rail line, which connects 50 towns across Devon and Cornwall with the rest of the country. Strong winds and high seas washed away the line in February 2014, affecting up to 80m of track in total. It took 300 Network Rail engineers eight weeks to repair the damage.

South West Rail Resilience Programme senior programme manager David Lovell said: “Despite challenging conditions, our team managed to get the first pre-cast wall panels in place last weekend.

“This is an important landmark in the Dawlish sea wall project, taking us one step further to protecting this iconic section of railway and the coastal footpath for generations to come.”

Over 100 panels will make up the new wall, which is set for completion in the summer. The work will also include a new track drainage system, and new lighting, seating and surfacing work on the promenade.

In September, Lovell said the new wall would protect the rail line for the next 100 years.

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