THREE jobs have been axed at West Somerset Railway (WSR) as the organisation confronts a need 'to reduce costs'.

The head of commercial, head of human resources and head of operations roles have been axed in the shake-up, which the railway says is in a bid to 'improve the efficiency and sustainability of the railway in the long term'.

It is not clear how many other positions are under threat.

Chairman of the WSR, Jonathan Jones-Pratt, said: "This is a very challenging time for the railway and we recognise that these decisions have a very significant impact on all our staff, but particularly those directly affected.

"We are very saddened indeed when we have to lose any of our highly committed staff team, but we must act in the interests of the future of the railway as a whole.

"All the staff who have recently left and those who may, following consultation, be leaving in the near future, shall go with our very best wishes for the future."

READ MORE: WSR chairman explains reasons behind three-month closure

The cuts come after a shock move to close the railway for three months, announced in November, after a safety inspection highlighted a 'significant number of improvements' were needed.

The closure led to a number of events being cancelled.