BUSINESSES, council and tourism bosses in West Somerset need to “take drastic steps” to halt a decline in visitors to the areas’ coastline.

Alex de Mendoza, chair of Minehead Chamber of Commerce said it was time to “bite the bullet” and come up with a plan of action.

It follows a report from the National Trust that warned the number of people visiting coastal resorts around the UK has plummeted 20% over the last ten years.

Only 42% who completed an online survey said they visit the British coast for a day out each year, compared with 62% in 2005.

“This report confirms what many of us have known for some time,” said Mr de Mendoza.

“Somerset has become the poor relation to Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.

“Many tourists only use us as a stop-over and that needs to be changed or we will see a further decline in visitors. We need to bite the bullet now and that means getting together with a positive plan of action.”

Mr de Mendoza said there were several immediate solutions that could help make West Somerset more attractive to visitors.

“We really need to get the railway line operating from Taunton. It is ridiculous tourists either need to rely on a poor bus service or drive on roads that need a lot of upgrading to get here.

“Once they’re here, they are faced with parking charges, even if they want to use the beach. We are not encouraging tourists if they have to run up from the beach every two hours to feed the meter. A third thing we need is better PR. We have so much to offer in West Somerset but it isn’t being marketed properly, especially compared to Cornwall and

Devon.”

Susan Sanders, Minehead’s town clerk felt West Somerset was bucking the trend.

“I was out in Porlock and Minehead last week and I saw lots of pubs, tea rooms and restaurants full. In fact, it was difficult to find a table,” she added.

“I am encouraged that business and tourism offices are working closer together, helping each other and it seems to be getting results. I think this National Trust report may not give an accurate picture across the UK, and may not reflect what is happening here in the west.”

According to the Coastal Connections Survey, 29 per cent of people claimed they were too busy to visit the coast while 23 per cent said the area was overcrowded during good weather and 18 per cent said they were too expensive.

Poor transport links was cited by 17 per cent while 14 per cent preferred going abroad for holidays.