A dog owner has slammed Network Rail after he dog was left lying on tracks for three nights after being hit by a train.
Georgina Hart was walking her 10-year-old pooch Toto on Tuesday when the dog ran off from Exwick playing fields, near Exeter.
When she failed to return, Georgina decided to go home and look for Toto there, only to later discover her dog had managed to get stuck behind a fence separating the fields from the train tracks.
Ms Hart said she was left heartbroken, after hearing Toto had been hit by a train and killed, but she is calling for greater effort from Network Rail after she had to wait two days for the body to be removed.
LIVE: GWR train lines blocked after flooding
A replacement bus service is operating in both directions
Train lines have been blocked as a result of flooding.
Great Western Railway informed passengers just after 5.30pm today (December 27) that all lines between Exeter St Davids and Taunton are blocked as a result of flooding.
GWR said a replacement bus service is operating in both directions and that disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Information on GWR s website says: Due to flooding between Exeter St Davids and Taunton all lines are blocked. Train services running through these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
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Clean up efforts continue after a weekend of deluge from Storm Bella saw winds of more than 100mph litter train tracks with fallen trees and other debris whilst homes and roads flooded.
South Western, Southeastern Railway and the London Overground were all forced cancel or delay services today whilst clean up operations took place to clear tracks of a chaotic combination of obstructions and flooding.
All trains between Bournemouth and Southampton Central were stopped due to water on the line, Great Western Railway said, and one of the major lines into London was also blocked when a tree fell onto the tracks in Haslemere, Surrey.
South Western Railway has plunged festive travel plans into more disarray after cancelling trains into London amid staff shortages caused by Covid.
The rail firm said it would only run services between the Tier 2 areas of Exeter and Basingstoke, but not to the capital, which is under the harshest of restrictions, up to and including December 24.
As a result, passengers will have to take other services between Basingstoke and London, which are likely to be overcrowded, further adding to concerns over the spread of the virus.
It is the second firm to make such an announcement after South Western said it was scaling back services up to Christmas as a result of Covid-enforced staff absences.
Covid outbreaks at GWR and South Western Railway spark Christmas rail chaos
A significant number of staff at Great Western Railway and South Western Railway are self-isolating
GWR operate the majority of rail services in Devon and Cornwall (Image: Richard Sulzman)
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