A beach access road has closed for three days as investigations into a series of landslides begin.

Parts of Folkestone, including the route to The Warren, were plagued by ground movements earlier this year.

In April, huge cracks appeared in the promenade at the beauty spot, affecting rail services between the town and Dover.

The road leading down to the area also split open, while nearby paths and other beaches have been hit by landslips.

In November 2022, heavy rainfall also sent debris tumbling from the tracks onto the nearby path.

Now, the access road to the beach will be closed for three days to allow Network Rail to find a “permanent solution”.

A spokesman said: “We need to carry out some earthwork investigations on the Martello access road which will give us the information that we need for us to be able to design a permanent solution to stabilise the cutting.”

A cutting is an excavation made in soil or rock to create a level path for a railway line through uneven terrain.

They continued: “There is a risk to the general stability of the cutting in this area and we need to make sure that we remove any risk that there may be to the safety of the users of the access road.

“A cutting failure occurred in November 2022 after a period of heavy rainfall which deposited material across the road that is frequently used by members of the public to access the nature reserves and public footpaths.

“This work will help us obtain the required data to support the permanent solution to give long term sustainability to the cutting to prevent future failures and to keep the surrounding lineside neighbours and the users of the road safe.”

The line runs between Folkestone and Dover.

Network Rail added: “The ground investigation works will enable our team to understand the soil properties of the current ground conditions and identify any geological issues that might be present before we carry out any stabilisation works later in the year.

“The equipment that we will be using may result in periods of noise disturbances whilst the machinery is in operation which regrettably is unavoidable.

“We sincerely apologise for any disturbance or inconvenience that these works may cause.

“Our colleagues working on site are briefed on working responsibly in the local community and our teams will be considerate, polite, and courteous at all times.

“Following these investigations, we will be carrying out the stabilisation works later in the year.

“We would like to thank you in advance for your support and kind co-operation while we carry out these essential investigations and for the future stabilisation works to keep the railway and everyone safe.”

The railway at The Warren has suffered from ground movements for decades.

A 1915 landslide, which became known as the Great Fall, was so severe that it caused the railway line to shift 50m towards the sea as a section of the chalk cliffs collapsed after weeks of heavy rain.