A NEW £3.5m fund to help repair and improve Cumbrian public rights of way damaged by Storm Desmond has been launched.

The Cumbria Countryside Access Fund will help to attract tourists back to the Lake District by making it easier to explore the countryside on foot.

Individual grants from a minimum of £100,000 are available for landowners or public bodies and will cover reinstating and improving rights of way for rural towns and villages, visitor attractions, long distance trails and those passing through environmentally sensitive areas.

The maximum grant that can be offered is £1 million in each of the north, east and south Lake District areas and £500,000 in rural areas of Cumbria outside of the Lake District National Park.

Rory Stewart, floods minister and MP for Penrith and The Border, said: "This money will help reopen many walks and areas that suffered in the dreadful December floods, providing a great boost for local communities and getting the message out loud and clear that Cumbria is very much open for business.

"The county’s landscapes are some of the most precious and beautiful in the country and I would recommend to anyone that they come and see what they have to offer."

The money is part of the EU funded Rural Development Programme for England and the fund will be open for applications from today until June 13.

Mark Grimshaw, chief executive of the Rural Payments Agency, said: "The Cumbrian countryside, including the Lake District National Park, includes some of the most beautiful scenery that England has to offer and is a major feature of the local tourist economy.

"Creating this new Cumbria Countryside Access Fund will help restore rights of way popular with locals and visitors, as well as protect them from any future instances of flooding."