MORE public transport and clearer links are needed in Exmoor to draw tourists into the area.

That was the message from Dan James of Exmoor National Park Authority at a meeting of the South-West Select Committee in Taunton on Monday.

MP’s met at Taunton Library to hear evidence from transport companies, local authorities and campaigners as part of the Committee's ongoing inquiry into transport in the South West.

Mr James told the committee public transport in Exmoor needed to link up more to draw people into the area.

He said: “Exmoor is a rural area but it’s also a nationally significant area.

“People come in from far a field.

“There is some transport in and around the area but there is a lack of continuity between them.

“To get more people into the area we need to show people what transport services are available.” He joined members from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, Cornwall Council, Dorset County Council, Devon and Cornwall Business Forum, and St Germans Rail Users Group to discuss transport in rural parts of the region.

And members of the RAC Foundation, First Great Western Trains, National Express, SW Regional Ports Association, Exeter Airport, and Passenger Focus talked about region's transport network and how well it connects up with the rest of the UK.

It was noted that large variations in fares on trains could be confusing and recommended that the A303 be made into a dual carriageway all the way along, with a priority given by Stonehenge, so it can cope if there are major incidents on the M5.