The rail line at Dawlish should reopen on Friday, April 4 – well ahead of the scheduled mid-month – Network Rail has announced.

It has been closed since storms breached the line early last month, leaving the track hanging in mid-air.

Newton Abbot MP Anne Marie Morris has Tweeted her delight at the news. The MP has highlighted in Parliament the serious difficulties caused by the devastation.

Dawlish residents have praised the hard work by Network Rail engineers in repairing the line, setting up a Facebook page to the 'Orange Army'.