Plans for a new 27-mile coastal path in Suffolk have moved a step closer to completion after being approved by a senior Government minister.

Steve Barclay, the Environment Secretary, has approved the section of the King Charles III England Coast Path linking Shotley Gate to Felixstowe Ferry.

The new route is part of a new 2,700-mile walking trail being developed around coastal areas of the country known as the England Coast Path.

READ MORE: Plans for new 27-mile Suffolk coastal path revealed

The new pathway is much closer to the coast than existing trails and stretches from Shotley Gate, up the Orwell estuary almost to Ipswich, across the Orwell Bridge, then back down to Felixstowe and on to the hamlet of Felixstowe Ferry.

East Anglian Daily Times: Environment Secretary Steve BarclayEnvironment Secretary Steve Barclay (Image: PA)

In February, a two-mile section of the coastal path from Priory Park to Shore Lane at Nacton was partially opened to the public.

Parts of the path can be 'rolled back' to account for the effects of coastal erosion.