Less than half of the Lake District fell paths rangers had hoped to upgrade during 2020 were worked on as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A spokesman for the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) said the impact of coronavirus on work to maintain the paths had been 'considerable'.

They said: “We lost 50 per cent of our staff time over the fell season (March-October).

"This was due to all staff being furloughed for nine weeks during April to June, and also because we had to halt recruitment of five Fix the Fells Rangers in March because of the pandemic’s impact on finances.

“As a result, when staff returned to work full-time in June, we had less time left and less staff to complete the planned path repair work.

"This meant the rangers worked on 13 paths in 2020, compared to the 30 paths we had intended to work on during 2020."

Among the paths which have particularly felt the effects of use are those on the Ullswater Way and Coniston Old Man.

The spokesman added: “The summit cone of Coniston Old Man will require significant works in the coming years, but for now the plan is for fairly minor work to stabilise existing pitching and drains with some landscaping of path edges to deter folk leaving the path."