TRAINS will be suspended on the West Somerset Railway (WSR) on three days this week as the area is set to experience record high temperatures.

The WSR said no services would run on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday following the Met Office upgrading its heatwave warning to red, its highest level.

It plans to resume normal services on Saturday (June 27) onward - regular trains do not run on Fridays.

A WSR spokesperson said: “Due to the current weather warning regarding the area experiencing extreme heat over the coming days, we have taken the decision to cancel services.

“Staff and customer welfare is paramount, along with protection of our infrastructure and it is felt the risk in the extreme heat forecast is too high for us to do this.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“If you have pre-booked tickets, you will be contacted via email with options available to you.

“At present, Minehead Station shop and café will be open on the above dates between 10 am and 3.30 pm.

“However, this will be monitored over the coming days.

“We look forward to welcoming you to the West Somerset Railway once temperatures reach a safer level.

“We shall keep our social media and website as up to date as possible throughout the week.”

The decision comes as the WSR prepares for a return visit at the end of next week by the iconic steam locomotive the Sir Nigel Gresley, which will be running special journeys for the weekend.

In August of last year, residents in Washford blamed sparks from a WSR steam train for starting a Bank Holiday fire which tore through the back gardens of 18 homes and destroyed sheds and other property and spread to 20 acres of adjoining fields.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue sent firefighters from 10 stations across Somerset and Devon to battle the blaze and more than 20 people had to be treated for smoke inhalation.