THE historic path along Hadrian's Wall, which was opened in May for the first time since the Roman era, needs urgent repairs after attracting thousands of visitors.

This summer, an average of 800 people a month walked the path from Wallsend, in North Tyneside, to Bowness-on-Solway, in Cumbria.

Repairs will be carried out along the 84-mile path during the winter, when less people are expected to visit the area.

The path is managed by the Countryside Agency, which has asked visitors to take care when repair work is being carried out.

David McGladem, national trail officer at the agency, said: "We are not closing the path in the winter, we are simply asking people to respect the monument, the archaeology and just think about that when they visit the wall.

"If the ground is wet, they will churn the ground up, so all we are saying is that we need to give the path a rest."

The trail is part of a £6m investment by the Countryside Agency that will further open the area to tourists, bringing jobs and income into the rural economy.

Agency officials hope it will also help protect the fragile monument for future generations.

The route was made possible by two grants from the Heritage Lottery, totalling £3.14m.