A railway line will remain closed until the end of February due to cracks in a sea wall.

A high tide caused cracks in the wall, which has affected the railway line between Dover and Folkestone.

There is no service on Southeastern west-bound between Dover Priory and Folkestone Central.

Cracks were first discovered on Christmas Eve but engineers have found two or three sinkholes along the wall with further damage caused over the past few days.

Network Rail say "major work" will be required to repair the damage and rebuild the sea wall.

Engineers are inspecting to fully assess the extent of the damage.

Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke says he has requested a meeting with Network Rail on the site.

He has also asked for assurances from the Department for Transport that repairs will be a "priority and as swift as possible" whilst also calling for a review into the collapse of the sea defences.

An announcement from Network Rail Enquiries said: "Work will need to be carried out to repair 250 metres of track and rebuild the sea wall before the line can re-open.

"Some High Speed services will be diverted to run between Ashford International and Ramsgate via Canterbury West.

"We know how important the railway is for people in this area and our orange army is working round the clock to establish what action needs to be taken, though we know the damage to the sea wall supporting the railway is severe.

“Teams of engineers are on site and we will do everything we can to reopen this stretch of railway as quickly as possible.

“In the meantime, passengers should check with National Rail Enquiries or Southeastern for the latest information before travelling.”

Earlier today it was estimated that normal services will resume in January but at 6.24pm the organisation extended the date until February.

Those travelling between Dover and London can use trains to London Victoria via Canterbury East.

A spokesman for Southeastern added: "Network Rail have encountered a great deal more damage than expected and the repair works will take a significant amount of time.

"This will affect rail journeys between Folkestone Central and Dover Priory where a bus replacement service is in place.

"We would ask our passengers to please check their journey in advance on our website and to seek alternative routes on our network to avoid having to use the bus replacement service where possible."

High tides and strong winds over the last two days made it difficult for engineers to inspect and assess the damage.

The footbridge which leads down to the beach has also been damaged and has been closed for repairs.

In the interim, replacement bus services are running.