Professional Concrete Pumping (formerly Pochins) is carrying out emergency repairs to the decimated railway line in Dawlish which was destroyed in storms last week.
Technical specialists from Professional CP, who were prevented by the dangerous weather from beginning emergency repairs as soon as they had hoped, are spending a week pumping 4,500 cubic metres of concrete into the precarious section of the sea defence wall to help prevent further erosion.
The team is using a pump to deliver concrete across distances of up to 160 metres alongside two static pumps, with work carried out 24 hours a day by four men working 12 hour shifts.
Pump operators slept in their cars next to the equipment while waiting for the latest storm to abate before beginning work as soon as it was safe to do so.
The first round of storms saw around 80 metres of the coastal defences fall into the sea after being battered by huge waves, leaving a significant stretch of railway line hanging perilously in mid air and cutting off a vital train link connecting Devon and Cornwall with the rest of the country.
Temporary protective containers installed to prevent further damage were breached on Friday, and waves eroded the sea wall by a further 10 metres.
