LOCAL ramblers claimed to have evidence that the Cornish economy is suffering because of the poor state of the county's footpaths. It shows that walkers visiting Cornwall on holiday are being put off return visits by the problems they encounter, particularly on inland footpaths.

Among dozens of reports of bad experiences was one from Mr Ian Cairns, of Brighton, a director of an information and communications technologies consultancy. He booked a cottage near Penzance to see in the New Year with friends who were staying at a house about a mile away. A footpath was shown to link the two properties but the first attempt to use it was a disaster and ended in "a tangle of electric cattle fences and other obstructions".

"With darkness falling we had no choice but to cut out to the main road and then experience a very scary walk with six kids along the unlit A394, in the dark with no footpath or verge for protection" Mr Cairns reported.

Another reason for the choice of the cottage was that the map showed lots of footpaths leading to the coast. "However, on the ground many paths were deliberately blocked or hidden which made walking in the area a very hit and miss affair. It has definitely put us off going back to Cornwall," said Mr Cairns.

The Ramblers' Association received dozens of reports of problems and dissatisfaction from visitors to Cornwall following an appeal.

Visitors generally expressed satisfaction with the quality and level of maintenance of the coast path in Cornwall but produced a catalogue of complaints as a result of their attempts to use the network of inland paths.

Sarah Perry of the Ramblers' Association said: "The clear conclusion is that Cornwall's rural economy is suffering as a result of under-investment in the maintenance and repair of inland paths. The situation is obviously deterring some people from making return visits."

While the coast path in Cornwall, whose maintenance is largely funded by Natural England, is 305 miles long, the inland network covers 2,400 miles and has been neglected by the county council for decades.

The county council has a statutory duty to repair and maintain the entire network, but local campaigners fear there is a hidden agenda to shrink the size of the network and direct people to the "honeypot" sites.

"On grounds of the county's economy and the health and wellbeing of visitors and residents this would be a seriously retrograde step that we will vigorously challenge," Ms Perry added.