Annual investment of more than £1.53m is needed to improve the island’s footpath network and eliminate the maintenance backlog.

There are currently six footpaths closed for safety reasons, one of which has been shut since 2015.

A report by the Working Group on Footpaths, Bridleways and Green Lanes, to be debated at this month’s Tynwald sitting, reveals that are 210 outstanding complaints regarding conditions on the public rights of way network.

These range from minor issues such as a broken sign, to major construction and groundworks to reinstate eroded paths in steep valleys.

The report concludes: ‘Without appropriate investment and long-term funding, it is likely that these routes and pathways will deteriorate and become unusable.

‘Footpath closures will increase on safety grounds and the utility will be lost to all.’

The Department of Infrastructure has responsibility under the Highways Act 1986 to maintain 316km of public rights of way. Its maintenance budget for 2024-25 is £374,572 of which £141,264 accounts for staff.

But the Tynwald report says there is currently a maintenance backlog of £1,484,400 which includes joinery and construction works, project management, design and supervision.

Even with funding, it would not be practical to clear the backlog of work in one year, it finds.

There are currently 175 outstanding works which would take 391.8 weeks to complete.

The report proposes a five-year programme to tackle the backlog.

It recommends that a revenue budget of £831,301 and a minor capital budget of £700,000 should be provided annually to fund the existing public rights of way maintenance and eliminate the backlog over the next five years - that’s a total of £1,531,301 annually.

After five years the backlog should have been eliminated, and the minor capital requirement would drop by £300,000.

Many well-trodden routes and paths are not in fact public rights of way and access is at the landowner’s discretion, the Tynwald report points out.

Some 61% of visitors engage in outdoor activities such as walking, rambling, exploring glens, parks and landscapes during their visit to the island, it says.

A 2023 passenger survey indicated that around 37,000 people that experienced walking as part of their visit and it was estimated that £6.2m income could be attributed to that number of walking enthusiasts.

‘An improved visitor economy focusing on the PROW network has the potential to increase national income by £6.2m annually, leading to an additional £1.06m percentage income for government through taxes,’ the report states, adding that if this was used to offset maintenance, an additional £424,400 would be required for all recommendations.

The working group said it had approached the Prison Service to explore the use of those carrying out community service or serving prison sentences - but an initial investigation found safeguarding and environmental safety requirements didn’t support this option.

However, the report adds, the DoI is currently collaborating with Department for Enterprise and the Prison Service ‘to investigate further the opportunity to work with volunteers and the prison workforce’.