A “serious” landslip has occurred on the Severn Valley Railway (SVR), with railway bosses saying they are likely to face “a large repair bill”.

Approximately 30m of the track and track bed are damaged, according to SVR, which will cause disruption to services at the northern end of the route.

The heritage railway runs for 16 miles from Kidderminster in Worcestershire to Bridgnorth in Shropshire.

A section of the track is now impassable after the embankment failure, which occurred about 300m north of Sterns on the Shropshire section of the line.

The affected area lies between the SVR’s northern terminus station at Bridgnorth and the smaller Hampton Loade station.

Until the railway can repair the line, it will not be able to operate services between the two stations, although the rest of the line is not impacted and can operate.

SVR’s head of infrastructure Chris Bond, who has visited the site since the landslip, said there had been “a significant embankment failure”.

“The area remains in a dangerous state and further slippage may occur so we are warning people to stay well away,” he said.

“We will seek further guidance from specialist contractors, but it’s already clear this will be a major infrastructure repair project that will take considerable time and money.”

SVR managing director Jonathan Dunster said the heritage line was due to reopen on 15 February for half-term and the start of the 2025 season, but that services between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade could not run.

He also said that customers with pre-booked tickets would be contacted by email.

Addressing the impact of the damage, Mr Dunster said: “Things were just beginning to stabilise for the SVR, following several years of financial struggles, and this is the last thing we needed.

“Inevitably, we’re going to have to find the funds to pay for this essential repair, and would welcome all the help that we can get.”

BBC Shropshire