Severe weather prompted South Western Railway (SWR) to issue a late-night statement advising all travellers whose route takes them between Southampton and Basingstoke to travel only if absolutely necessary.

No trains will be able to use this stretch of track on Wednesday, May 10 due to a landslip caused by the extreme rainfall on the evening of Tuesday, May 9. South Western Railway said the number of rail replacement buses available is “very limited.”

Most trains along this route have been cancelled, though some services between London Waterloo and Portsmouth have been diverted through Havant.

The statement released by SWR further explained:

“Shortly after 5.30pm on Tuesday 9 May, extreme rainfall caused a landslip in the Wallers Ash area, between Winchester and Micheldever.

“A large amount of soil and debris was deposited across one of the two tracks, which blocked the line to SWR services in both directions.

“Network Rail engineers expect the line to be cleared by Wednesday afternoon. It will then re-open to trains with a speed restriction on one of the two tracks, with disruption expected until the end of Wednesday, May 10.

“While the landslip is cleared, a very limited rail replacement bus service will operate between Winchester and Basingstoke. Due to the ongoing national shortage of bus drivers, there will not be enough buses to meet normal demand.”