A rail route is set to close for four days for landslide prevention work.

There will be no trains between Paddock Wood and Maidstone West from Thursday, October 31 to Sunday, November 3.

As a result, there will be no trains at East Farleigh, Wateringbury, Yalding and Beltring station, and instead buses will run.

The alternative travel arrangements will see an accessible bus replacement service from Paddock Wood to Maidstone West, calling at all stations.

Network Rail engineers will be carrying out landslip prevent work at the stations to construct a 200m sheet pile wall along the railway line.

The wall will stop soil and debris from reaching the track in the event of a landslip caused by heavy rain and flooding.

As part of the work, East Farleigh station and signal box, built in 1844, will be repainted and refurbished, while worn rail will be replaced at Maidstone West.

The line between Tonbridge, Paddock Wood and Ashford International is also closing on Sunday, November 3 for routine maintenance work.

As a result, a replacement bus will run between Tonbridge and Headcorn calling at all stations, and between Headcorn and Ashford International calling at all stations.

David Davidson, Network Rail Kent Route director said: “It’s important that we identify the sites prone to landslips to ensure that we keep passengers safe.

“We know there’s never a good time to close the railway, but with the work, we expect to improve resilience of the line as we come into the autumn. Please plan ahead and check your journey with nationalrail.co.uk.”