A SINGLE white line has been painted along the edge of Dawlish sea wall.

The line, which is to warn pedestrians of the unprotected edge of the wall, is understood to be a new safety measure along the exposed stretch of the coast between Dawlish and Dawlish Warren.

But a previous line, painted in the 1990s, only lasted two years before it was eroded.

The new line has been put in place a year after the inquest into the death of Ukrainian teenager Albina Yevko.

Albina, 14, was found on the beach below in March 2023 after slipping from the wall while walking in the dark.

In July last year, a woman fell to her death while riding a mobility scooter along the wall.

At an inquest just a month before the woman died, coroner Alison Longhorn called on Network Rail to take action to reduce the risk of further deaths.

She issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report so Network Rail could respond ‘urgently’.

Following Albina’s death hundreds of people signed a petition calling for safety measures to be introduced, including a handrail, lighting and better signage. Dawlish councillor and a friend of Albina and her family Rosie Dawson explained the line painting was part of the action from the Prevention of Future Deaths report.

Last year, Network Rail was said to be drawing up possible solutions following both deaths.

The company had previously been branded ‘irresponsible’ by Teignbridge councillors.

Network Rail had said it would be too expensive to install and maintain a safety railing which would be vulnerable to sea damage but that a new risk assessment was being carried out on the exposed stretch of wall between Dawlish and Dawlish Warren since it completed work on the second phase of the new sea defences last year.

This had been due to be followed by a consultation with local councils.

Speaking at the inquest last year, Andrew Warren, safety boss from Network Rail, confirmed there were no railings on the sea wall which was first built in the late 1840s.

He said there was a public right of way and access along the wall but that Network Rail didn’t ‘invite’ people onto the sea wall.

He said in the 1970s there were a series of serious incidents where people fell or were washed off the wall but the inquest then heard from 1974 to 2008 there had been other fatalities as well as injuries there.

Mr Warren had told the inquest it would be ‘an extremely challenging task’ to fit handrails along the old section of the sea wall.

He said a white line painted along the edge of the wall in the 1990s only lasted two years before it was eroded.

Network Rail has been asked for a response.