NEARLY 1,000 miles of public footpaths have been lost in Dorset over the past century, analysis from a charity has found. 

By comparing historical and contemporary maps, the Ramblers, a charity for walkers, estimates 987 miles of public rights of way have disappeared across the county. 

This includes 68 miles in Bournemouth and Poole and 918 miles of protected footpath in wider Dorset has been lost since the turn of the 20th century. 

Public rights of way are paths anyone has a legal right to use and, while mostly used by walkers, they can include bridleways used by cyclists and horse riders. 

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Further research from the Ramblers and the New Economics Foundation think tank shows the average postcode in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has 1,600 metres of footpath within a 10-minute walk. 

By comparison, the average English postcode has around 2,700 metres of public rights of way within a 10 minute walk. 

However, the charity has warned people across the country are missing out on the benefits of walking in nature. 

Jack Cornish, head of paths at the Ramblers, said readily available walking routes can have a “massive impact” on health outcomes. 

However, he warned these currently benefit “the old, the healthy, the wealthy and the white”, while those in more deprived areas have far less access to nature. 

The charity has further called for a £650 million investment in paths across England and Wales – which they say could pay dividends in improving the nation's health. 

In total, nearly 50,000 miles of public right of way have been lost over the past century. 

A spokesperson for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “We are committed to increasing access to nature and our Environmental Improvement Plan sets out our ambition for every household to be within a 15 minute walk of a green or blue space. 

“We are working to reduce other barriers preventing people from accessing green and blue spaces, including through our £14.5 million Access for All programme which includes a package of targeted measures to make our protected landscapes, national trails and wider countryside more accessible for all communities.”