More money for south west rail upgrades

Less than one per cent of cash for the north

The government has promised a further £32 million investment to improve rail infrastructure in the south west.

That's on top of the £18 million already spent bringing the line at Dawlish into the modern world, following its collapse in storms in 2014.

A total of £135 million is being spent upgrading the railway around Dawlish and Halcombe.

Work on nearby sea walls and the platforms at Dawlish station is said to be progressing well.

Rail minister Wendy Morton has been at Coryton Cove, part of the next part of the project, protecting the line from cliff falls.

But the deputy editor of Modern Railways Andy Rowden says even if the money that's gone on reopening the line between Okehampton and Exeter is included, it's   just tenths of one per cent of the cash going into the rail network in the Midlands and the North, which is £96 billion.

Ms Morton brushed concerns about that aside without answering the question, but says "levelling up the south west really does matter."

This film report is from BBC Spotlight.