Northumberland could be missing out on the money that ramblers can bring to the region because of the poor state of many of its footpaths. A new report from the Ramblers Association highlights the economic impact of walking on the rural economy - which it shows to be worth �5.78bn.
They found that 36% of the footpaths in Northumberland were neglected compared to only 25% in Durham and 21% in Newcastle.
Adrian Morris of the Ramblers Association said it would be worth investing to improve footpaths in the county.
'Big benefits'
He said: "I think Northumberland is losing out.
"The message has got to get through to the decision-makers that if they put the necessary funds in - and it is not a large amount of money - to get the pathways into shape, it will bring big benefits to the area.
"About a quarter of the paths are difficult or impossible to access.
"Durham has made inroads. They have noticed that in the last few years walking tourism has become important and have brought in European money.
"However, there are improvements that could be made there as well."
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
