There are sixteen Island Line sites in need of urgent attention and Ryde St John's station was flooded on Monday, South Western Railway has revealed.

Work is now underway to repair the track and other equipment after torrential rain this week.

A red Environment Agency flood warning was issued on Monday, for the operator's depot in Ryde.

It warned those nearby to move vehicles when more than a month's rain fell in just two hours.

Photos shared with the County Press showed Island Line tracks flooded at Simeon Rec.

The knock-on impact is fears of further delays for the project, which started in January and should have been finished in the spring.

Isle of Wight County Press: Photo by Todd Bachelor.Photo by Todd Bachelor.

In a statement, shared on Facebook by Shanklin Central councillor Michael Beston, South Western Railway said it needs 200 tonnes of ballast from the mainland to help with repairs.

It warned of 'unavoidable disturbance' from specialist vehicles on the rails - because of their safety horns which are used to warn staff of moving vehicles.

A statement from a senior manager said: "In terms of the upgrade project itself, good progress has been made with the testing of the trains and the infrastructure works are largely complete with only snagging items to deal with.

"We had been aiming to reopen the Island Line in the first half of next month, but the impact of the flooding has added uncertainty to our programme as we establish both the time it will take to fix the infrastructure and the knock on impact on testing, training and certification.

"We are sorry for the ongoing uncertainty for our customers and the communities we serve, and are working incredibly hard to reopen the Island Line as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, the firm has re-opened the Pig Leg pedestrian crossing over its railway line.

It was closed last month, along with three others, because South Western Railway said it was worried about safety while trains were being tested.