THERE are some ups and downs to Ian Middleton’s new job - three of the biggest in England in fact.

He’s just joined the Yorkshire Dales National Park as their official Three Peaks ranger.

He will be responsible for maintaining Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent and the surrounding areas - which attract around 250,000 visitors a year.

"I will be looking after the upland areas and the man-made paths – it’s a big job," he said.

His appointment is the latest phase of the three-year Three Peaks Project, which has been launched by the park authority to try to protect and conserve the area.

Charities, organisations and individuals are being asked to help in the maintenance and conservation of the network of paths crossing a fragile area of land that, in 1986, was judged to have the most severely eroded network in the UK.

"It’s difficult to believe the scale of the erosion in some places," said Ian.

"There are areas where there is no surface left. It’s a matter of finding out where the biggest problems are and then trying to control them."

"A lot of the problem is due to the effects of the weather and some of the erosion is on such a big scale that we will have to hire contractors.

"When you have so many people using a particular route, it’s important to try to keep them on the paths otherwise they get wider and wider. And once a path has been constructed, it’s a matter of keeping it in good condition so it lasts."

Ian has lived in Dent all his life apart from a spell working in New Zealand as an assistant deer farm manager.

Before becoming the Three Peaks ranger, he ran his own landscaping business in the town for more than six years.