A £30,000 appeal has been launched to help the National Trust to repair erosion on the main path up Pen y Fan.

The trust Central Beacons ranger Rob Reith, its Brecon-based countryside manager Joe Daggett and warden Huw Barrell featured on this morning’s BBC Breakfast Show which broadcast live from the Pont ar Daf car park at the foot of Pen y Fan.

The 600 metres of footpath leading from Pont ar Daf to Corn Du and Pen y Fan is the most popular route up southern Britain’s highest peak.

But with an estimated 350,000 treading the path every year the trust says it needs to carry out year round maintenance to prevent damage to the landscape.

The trust says the number of visitors to the area has doubled in the past five years, and there and is predicting this year could be one of the busiest ever.

Countryside manager Mr Daggett said: "We’ve been doing this work for 30 years and visitor numbers will double this year, we reckon there are around 350,000 every year, which is more pressure on the footpaths.

"It’s fantastic people are coming here but we’ve got to keep on top of the path repairs and lessen the impact on the landscape."

Lead ranger Mr Reith said he’s hoping the appeal will bring in extra funds so the trust can again use a helicopter to bring material to the highest points on the path.

He said: "I hope the money will pay for an airlift which we would probably do in May.

"At the moment we’re keeping drains and ditches open so the water can run down the paths but we are waiting for the snow to clear.

"We’ve had a couple of months of snow and its frozen on the top now."