A NOTORIOUS flooding hotspot at a busy train station has been removed.

As part of the Great North Rail Project, Network Rail's Team Orange engineers have refurbished the 30m deep Victorian pond above the entrance to Oxenholme station.

The area of land where the pond sits is not owned or registered, the Land Registry confirm, meaning it has not been maintained over the years.

During flooding it frequently floods causing havoc for customers and taxi drivers.

Network Rail's drainage work began in November 2017 and was completed at the start of this year.

John Winstanley, senior asset manager at Network Rail, said: "As well as making flooding to the station entrance and its subway a thing of the past, our £50,000 drainage improvement work will prevent water seeping from the pond into the station building and into a retaining wall beside the taxi rank.

"I for one am glad to see this persistent flooding problem now dealt with."

Katharine Cole, customer experience manager at Virgin Trains, said: "We’re glad we could work closely with Network Rail to improve Oxenholme station, which is an important gateway to the Lake District - an area loved by so many of our customers and the local community.

"Record numbers of people are using Oxenholme station and we’d like to thank them for their patience during the work to improve the front of the station."

The news was also welcomed by Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, who said: "I've been concerned for a long time about the safety of the pond at Oxenholme Station.

"This news will come as a great relief for train users, but especially hard-working taxi drivers whose rank is just below the wall that holds the pond."