ALMOST a quarter of the south west’s stunning coastline is still not fully accessible to the public, a study has revealed.

The Natural England report, which mapped England’s entire 2748 mile coastal access, found 34 per cent of the nation’s coastline still has “no satisfactory, legally secure access”.

According to the dossier, access to miles of Bournemouth and Poole’s coastline is largely dependant on landowner permission and could, in theory, be removed at any time.

Although the south west tops the list, with 76 per cent of its 768 miles open for hikers and ramblers, this leaves a question mark over legal access to a substantial 184 miles.

Natural England is hoping the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, currently making its way through the House of Commons, will create a walkable route around the entire country.

Christine White, of Natural England’s south west advocacy and partnerships team, said: “Although the provision of coastal access is best in the south west, there are still stretches of our coastline which are either inaccessible or don’t have a legally secure path.

“The Marine and Coastal Access Bill will address these issues and provide legally secure access to areas such as the Bournemouth and Poole coastline, which currently only has permissive access, and stretches of the Jurassic Coast which have been subject to coastal erosion.”

It is hoped the access bill will be passed in the coming months.

The Natural England coastal audit, conducted in partnership with 53 local access authorities, showed the south west had the best coastal access, while the north west had the worst at just 44 per cent.

Natural England chief executive Dr Helen Phillips, said: “There are significant challenges ahead, but for millions of people, the bill presents a unique opportunity to transform their enjoyment of England’s countryside.

“Our audit maps are the start of what we expect to be a ten-year journey to improve access around England’s coastline.”