Exe Estuary Trail section to close for repairs

The trail offers a 16-mile virtually traffic-free route around the estuary from Dawlish to Exmouth

Part of a popular cycling and walking route around a Devon estuary will be shut for three months.

The boardwalk section, connecting Lympstone and Exmouth on the Exe Estuary Trail, needed urgent repairs, said Devon County Council.

The timber Courtlands section was to be replaced after rotting with a durable fibre-reinforced material, it said.

The closure would start in late September and it would let users know about diversions, it added.

Pedestrians would be able to use the footpath on Exeter Road, but a spokesperson for the council said cyclists would need to cross over Exeter Road and "follow the slightly longer route which avoids cycling on the main busy road".

They added: "A temporary crossing will be located next to the petrol station to provide an additional safe crossing for this route."

The Exe Estuary Trail was completed by the council in 2014 and offers a 16-mile (26km), virtually traffic-free route around the estuary from Dawlish to Exmouth, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

According to the Exe Estuary Management Partnership, it is used by more than 200,000 people each year.

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].