A RAMBLER is calling for a "death path" to be closed off after he contracted Lyme disease after being bitten by ticks.

Last year it was revealed that six allotment holders in Lyme Regis had contracted the disease. Lyme Regis Town Council agreed to put up fencing to keep deer out of the allotments.

Jonathan Richards, 63, has pleaded for the coast path between Lyme Regis and Seaton to be shut after claiming the route is "absolutely crawling with deer ticks" which transmit the disease to humans.

He said: "Near the chalet area in Lyme Regis, there's a grassy area that is absolutely full of them.

"I think the footpath should be closed as it's absolutely crawling with deer ticks. I have had a lot of antibiotics which makes you feel absolutely dreadful and the symptoms can last up to six months. I'm quite ill with it now."

He added: "I think there should be more adequate warning signs - it's a no-go area. The council doesn't seem to want to put up warning notices.There are children running around up there.

"I have been bitten by ticks three times and contracted Lyme disease twice. I'm a rambler and I won't be going into that area again at the moment. It's a lethal death path and I think it should be closed off."

Dorset County Council said that although the risk of contracting Lyme disease is "very rare" in Dorset, warning signs "often go unheeded".

A county council spokesman said: “Ticks are extremely widespread in the countryside in Dorset. They are present in almost any green open space where deer live, such as woodlands, heathlands, and grasslands, including along the coast, and they also occur regularly in gardens to which deer have access.

“We do what we can at our major country parks and other sites to inform and warn about ticks, and ask people to follow the advice provided by NHS and Public Health England.

"We find that warning notices often go unheeded. The incidence of Lyme disease in Dorset remains thankfully very rare, but it does occur and people should be mindful of the risk when they are in the countryside.”

Patients can suffer with flu-like symptoms, including a fever, sore muscles, photo-phobia, and a stiff neck and can develop issues with their endocrine and neurological systems and experience musculoskeletal, cardiac, dermatological and neuropsychiatric problems. People can suffer with paralysis of facial muscles and heart problems and it can be fatal.

Lyme Disease UK, a charity that offers support for people suffering with the disease, said that cases are globally on the increase.

Natasha Metcalf, co-founder of Lyme Disease UK, said: "It is a common misconception that ticks are only found in rural woodland areas. In fact ticks carrying Lyme are present all over the UK, including urban parks and people have even been bitten in their own garden. "Prevention and awareness of Lyme disease is key as early recognition of symptoms and prompt administration of antibiotics can prevent a person going on to develop long term chronic debilitating symptoms."