Weymouth's Castle Cove Beach access repair appeal launched
- Published
Safety concerns closed the sloping footpath to Weymouth's Castle Cove Beach in 2013
An appeal has been launched to raise money to re-establish access to a beach in Weymouth.
Friends of Castle Cove Beach, external has fought for the reinstatement of public access from Old Castle Road, after the footpath closed due to safety concerns after a landslip in 2013.
The group is trying to raise about £500 towards repairs.
Dorset County Council said it was working with campaigners "to find a solution to this issue".
'Large cracks'
The authority said it had recently reopened the public right of way along the coast path, but added "there is not legal access to the beach".
A landslip caused "large cracks" to appear on the 15m (49ft) sloping footpath leading to the beach, said Tony Dobbs from Friends of Castle Cove Beach.
A section of steps at the bottom of the path was taken away by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council when the path closed.
The land where the steps were previously is privately owned, and "any access to the cove needs to be legal, managed and maintained", the county council said.
"An agreement will take time to be put in place," it added.
The Prince's Trust is donating a team of volunteers to carry out two weeks of repair work.