A WIDE-RANGING countryside service has been set up to help conservation work and improve access to rural areas.

North Yorkshire County Council has introduced the service following a review of its work in the country-side.

The service will see voluntary rangers enlisted to look after the footpath and bridleway network, as well as doing practical conservation work.

It will place an emphasis on improving access to the countryside and helping landowners to deal with management problems, particularly in the uplands.

There will also be a countryside management service to help local communities, farmers and landowners to find funding for conservation projects.

The changes will be brought in by merging the council's heritage and public rights of way units.

At the same time, services will be strengthened to ensure the improvements set out in the review are delivered.

The measures will take several years to be fully introduced across the county, but the council said the public should soon begin to notice a difference.

It hopes the service will help to improve footpaths, bridleways and access areas for residents and the many visitors to the county.

Councillor John Fort, the county council's executive member for environmental services, is confident the measures will lead to a much improved service.

Coun Fort said: "The formation of the new service indicates the county council's determination to ensure that, in a large rural county like North Yorkshire, countryside issues and the interests of rural communities are at the heart of the authority's agenda."

Among the other changes planned for the countryside is a network of parish caretakers who will help parish councils look after community facilities, footpaths and conservation features.

There will be more resources for looking after the county council's extensive network of public rights of way, which is one of the largest in the country.

Also planned, is a range of enhanced advisory and technical services to help the county council look after North Yorkshire's landscape, wildlife, archaeology and historic buildings.