A rail track dating back 155 years is being removed from the seaside town of Weymouth.

Footage filmed on October 6 shows construction work is underway as the track is dug up piece by piece.

The local council are removing the track due to health and safety concerns following a string of incidents.

According to reports, the tracks pose a hazard to cyclists and motorcyclists as their wheels can become stuck.

The track was first built in 1865 and its last timetabled use was in 1987.

The Weymouth Harbour Tramway (also known as the Quay Branch or Harbour Line) is a disused heavy rail line running entirely on the streets of Weymouth, Dorset, England from a junction to the north of Weymouth station to Weymouth Quay station at Weymouth Harbour. Built in 1865, it was last used for timetabled British Rail services in 1987. Its last-ever services were special trains on 1 April 1995 and 2 May 1999.Opened in 1865 by the Great Western Railway, the harbour tramway runs from a junction north of the main station, through the streets adjacent to the Backwater and the harbour, to the quay. Passenger trains began in 1889, transporting travellers to Channel Island ferries.

As freight traffic grew, several sidings and loops were added to the main line to serve harbourside businesses. The Town Bridge was rebuilt in 1930, and the tramway initially routed through the northern arch. Between 1938 and 1939 the tight curve between the Backwater and harbour was supplanted by a new curve on a newly-infilled section of the quayside and the tramway was relocated to the outer arch of the bridge, where it remains today.

The track layout at the Quay station was gradually increased from a single track, to a double-track layout up to 1961, and finally a three-track arrangement which persisted till the end of regular traffic, albeit in a truncated layout from 1973. Regular goods traffic ceased in 1972, although fuel oil was transported to a facility at the pier until 1983. Regular passenger services ceased in 1987 when the South Western main line into Weymouth was provided with third rail electrification, which is incompatible with street running.