WALKERS will soon be able to make a complete circuit of Portland for the first time in 20 years.

The South West Coast path runs all round the island but has one part which is blocked to the public.

In the mid-1980s the Royal Navy closed the section at Portland Port, fencing the route off and welding the gates shut above Castletown.

Walkers were advised to avoid the Castletown section altogether and to detour inland at the Verne Citadel, but 20 years of diversions could end soon under measures proposed by Portland Gas Storage Ltd.

The company, which is building a gas storage facility on the island, has agreed to reinstate access to the lost coastal path section over the next two years as part of the construction work on its site at Upper Osprey.

This will entail cutting a new permissive footpath into the side of the hill and erecting a new security fence.

The new route will then run from Castletown to the naval cemetery on Verne Common with work estimated to cost £235,000.

Portland Gas chief executive Andrew Hindle said: "This is one of the best sections of the path, offering tremendous panoramic views of Portland Harbour and the breakwater, the Weares and the Purbeck coastline. Reopening it will restore access to a really special part of the island and we're proud to be doing this with the support of Portland Port and Dorset County Council."

Islanders have welcomed the news and local historian Stuart Morris, who has long campaigned for the reopening, said: "This will be very good, not just for visitors but for locals as well. The path is part of our island and part of our heritage."

Portland Gas Storage Ltd recently gained planning permission to create 14 gas storage caverns nearly 8,000ft under Portland.