Portland's 'old railway' walking route closed due to cracks

The foot-deep 'slumps' can be seen in the coastal path known as the 'old railway' on the east side of the island near East Weares and the Old Shooting Range.

Once a railway used to transport stone from the quarry, this walk is a picturesque route along Portland's coast.

The affected section has now been closed and a marked diversion has been put in place until this section can be repaired.

Portland resident Tina Lacey was walking along the path with her dog Max when she noticed the cracks.

Three days later on Tuesday, March 5, she returned to find the cracks had become significantly larger.

She said: "They are pretty bad, I did consider heading back due to the size of the cracks, it does look like that whole section might go.

Tina says the cracks have become larger since she last looked three days prior (Image: Tina Lacey)

"These are quite deep as you can see. I have been walking along there for a few years and the change over the last week is crazy.

"I wasn't expecting that much change. In three days it has moved a lot. It has to be the rain, you can see water running down the cliffside there. There have been slips on the west cliffs and there is a lot of movement down there."Tina with her dog Max (Image: Tina Lacey)

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: "Following a site visit from one of our rangers yesterday (March 6), we can confirm there have been a couple of foot-deep slumps on this section of the footpath.

"As a result, this part of the path has been temporarily closed until repairs can be made.

"Signs have already gone up to inform walkers, and a marked diversion will be in place later today."

Deep cracks have formed on parts of the path (Image: Tina Lacey)

Local historian Stuart Morris said: "The route through East Weares is now a popular walk. It must be repaired, a slight widening on the upper side would not be too difficult or expensive."

This past February was the wettest on record for south England, with Weymouth experiencing three times as much rainfall as average.

This rain has caused a significant increase in landslips across the Dorset coast.

A landslip on the west side of Portland 'ate into' the coastal path on Sunday, February 25.

This follows a recent landslip at Bowleaze Cove in Weymouth and another captured on video at Lulworth Cove along the Jurassic Coast.