THE West Somerset Coast Path between Watchet and Doniford was closed by wire barriers this week following a massive cliff fall near Helwell Bay which brought the path to within two feet of the cliff edge and opened up large cracks which threatened to destroy it.

Walkers who regularly use the route – part of the national England Coast Path – for lockdown exercise, complained on social media that the nearby steps leading to the Helwell Bay fossil beach were no longer accessible and that having to make a detour along the busy Doniford Road was ‘an accident waiting to happen’.

Local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger called for an immediate investigation into the collapse and for urgent action to identify an alternative route for the path.

“There has been an increase in the rate of coastal erosion in this area in recent years and it is really no surprise that this collapse should have occurred, since it’s part of an ongoing natural process,” he said.

“The problem must be tackled very quickly by the local authority and we need to look urgently at what needs to be done to provide at least a medium-term solution.”

This week, a Somerset County Council spokesperson told the Free Press: “We have had to close the England Coast Path between Doniford and Watchet after instability in the cliffs made the route unsafe. We’re working hard to resolve the issue and re-open the path as soon as possible. 0

“Until then, we are looking at the possibility of establishing a temporary path close to the site which will provide a shorter diversion than the one currently in place and easy access to Helwell Bay beach from Watchet, but this will require the permission of the landowner.

“In the meantime we would ask walkers not to trespass in this area but to use the current diversion, starting after East Quantoxhead and returning to the path in Watchet.

“This diversion follows the route of the West Somerset Coast Path and avoids using the road. You can follow existing signs for this and download a map from here: www.somerset.gov.uk/waste-planning-and-land/the-england-coast-path/.”

For the full story, see this week’s West Somerset Free Press.