Runway footpath diverted at Guy Ritchie's airfield

A new path has been proposed around the edge of Compton Abbas Airfield

A public footpath which directly crosses a runway in an airfield owned by film-maker Guy Ritchie has been diverted.

A new path around the edge of Compton Abbas Airfield in Dorset was officially certified as a legal route on Thursday.

It is about 500m (1,640ft) longer than the previous path and was requested in March by Ashcombe Estates, trading as the airfield.

The changes coincided with the moving of the test area for aircraft, which is now further away from any public path.

The plans included moving the engine test position

The airfield said "the flying community has been very supportive" of the changes.

Compton Abbas Parish Council initially objected to the plans, saying the path had likely been in existence since 1888 without problems or accidents, but it withdrew the complaint.

Dorset Council said: "The decision at the Strategic and Technical Planning Committee was to refer the confirmation of the order to the Secretary of State, this was because we had an objection.

"However, after the meeting, the objection was formally withdrawn and therefore Dorset Council was able to confirm the order itself."