Thirty miles of railway featuring key Kent stations will be shut for eight days from Saturday.

The line from Dover Priory to Faversham via Canterbury East will be closed for landslip prevention work.

This is for eight days until Saturday, February 18, and during the school half-term holiday.

It means no services at all on this line but they will resume in the morning on Sunday, February 19, Southeastern says.

The other stations affected are Adisham, Aylesham, Bekesbourne, Kearsney, Selling, Shepherds Well and Snowdon.

Rail replacement buses will run between Faversham and Dover Priory (calling at Canterbury East only), Faversham and Canterbury East via Selling (minibus shuttle) and Canterbury East and Dover Priory (calling at all stations).

On Sunday, February 12, trains will also not stop at Bromley South due to additional engineering work. Replacement buses will run between Beckenham Junction and Orpington via Bromley South.

Southeastern first warned of the line closure last December.

Network Rail engineers are carrying out a £3m project to stabilise cuttings and embankments along the line to help prevent landslips and delays.

This is part of the wider £1.25bn South East Upgrade to improve the railway across East Sussex, Kent and South East London.

A Southeastern spokesman said: "Reliability of the line will be improved as the reduced risk of landslips will help prevent speed restrictions and delays."

The work will involve removing thousands of tonnes of earth from sections of cuttings to reduce the steepness of the slopes leading down to the track, and installing rock netting to prevent rocks and earth from falling onto trains.

Cuttings are where the tracks are cut deep into hillsides, and embankments were conversely built to carry the tracks across valleys, reducing the gradients trains have to face on their journeys.

The line opened in 1860 when civil engineers knew much less about how steep to make their slopes and what materials to build embankments from.

A 30-metre reinforced concrete wall will also be installed at the bottom of the cutting at Selling Tunnel, one of the most at-risk sites for landslips, which will help protect and keep the railway safe.

Sections of collapsed drainage will be completely rebuilt to stop flooding damaging the track and signalling equipment, which will minimise delays.

Alongside this work, stations along the line will be deep cleaned.

Further information including frequently asked questions and details of alternative arrangements can be found on our website at Faversham-to-Dover-Priory-line-closure.