Ramblers are calling on Worcestershire County Council to radically improve footpaths after it emerged nearly half in the county fail to meet national standards.
The council has been placed near the bottom of a national league table of local authorities for failing to maintain its paths, according to the Ramblers' Association.
According to an Audit Commission report, the proportion of easy-to-use paths in Worcestershire has dropped over the past three years from 64 per cent to 54 per cent.
It falls eight per cent below the average of all county councils and more than 15 per cent below the average for all highway authorities, the organisation said.
The county's position in its "league table" has dropped from 12 three years ago to 26 out of a total of 34.
Clive Bostle, vice chairman of the Worcestershire branch of the Ramblers' Association, said: "We believe this trend must be reversed - and reversed urgently - if the walking public and council taxpayers of the beautiful county of Worcestershire are to get a fair deal."
