Two more wheelchair accessible benches have been installed on the west Dorset coast.

The Esplanade at West Bay now features the benches after two were also installed by the beach at Burton Bradstock last month.

The picnic benches were bought from the fund set up by Neil Barnes to improve wheelchair access to the coastline on behalf of his daughter, Lucy, who is wheelchair bound.

Neil, a well-known local photographer, is the main carer for his daughter and is passionate about improving wheelchair access to the coastline.

He said: “Initially I wanted to try and get some semi-permanent access to the beach but had to shelve that idea, mainly due to the constant changing of the beach surface.

“I came up with this idea to provide seating that would also include a wheelchair user, and these are two more of the benches installed in the last month, with two being installed at Hive Beach recently.”

The benches have a cut out feature that enables a wheelchair user to be very much in the centre, instead of just on the end.

Neil added: “I would like to thank the harbour staff for very kindly installing the benches, the feedback we’ve had so far has been extremely positive.

“Access to our beautiful coastline for all in this day and age should be a given, and when the Environment Agency announced they would be building a board walk from East Beach car park in West Bay to the top of the mound there, I was over the moon. The subsequent cancellation of the project by the agency has been a tremendous disappointment, not just for me but for all the wheelchair users in the area.

“Fortunately though, since the installation of the benches at Burton Bradstock, I have been asked about how similar benches can be installed in Portland, Seatown and Highlands End.”