SCHOOL pupils in a west Dorset village may finally be able to walk to school after a planning application was submitted for a long-awaited footpath.

Salway Ash School has teamed up with Dorset County Council and Netherbury Parish Council to agree a safe route from the village to the school.

School children currently cannot walk to school, because the route along the busy B3162 is unsafe. Instead, the pupils are taken by bus, costing £250 a day. Villagers have been campaigning for more than 30 years for a footpath, and if the planning application is successful, it could be in use by early next year.

The new path will be around 700m long and will connect Pineapple Lane in the village to Whitlay Lane, where an existing path will complete the journey to the school.

Cllr Rebecca Knox, Dorset County Council member for Beaminster, said: "It may not be the longest stretch of footpath but for local residents it will make the biggest difference.

"Local children will have a safe route to walk or scoot with their friends and family, giving them a bit more exercise and the chance to be out in the fresh air. The school run will be a school walk for many, which is what they have all wanted for a long time.

"The path will also benefit everyone who is going to the school or the Holy Trinity Church. It should also help with the vehicle congestion that sometimes appears at the beginning and end of the school day, and it would be great to encourage more and children to walk to school wherever possible. It's been a long time to get to where we are and I'd like to thank the community for their help and support."

There will be an exhibition at Salway Ash Village Hall from 2.30pm to 7pm on Tuesday, October 13 where residents can have a look at the designs and ask any questions. The design will also soon be available to view in the school reception area.