Campaigners want better access to the seawall at Sheerness.

Cyclists, disabled wheelchair-users and parents with buggies are forced to use a dangerously steep flight of steps at Neptune Terrace.

The Sheerness Town Team has taken up the fight to extend the promenade around the front of Neptune Jetty.

Town Team member Chris Reed, herself a cyclist, said: "It is impossible for wheelchair-users, pushchairs and cyclists to get along the promenade from Tesco to the Sheppey Yacht Club.

"At Neptune Terrace, the only way is to walk down steps to Marine Parade and then along a very narrow footpath along a busy main road."

Heavy wooden boards have been laid on pebbles to form a path for machinery to reach Environment Agency engineers, who are repairing the nearby jetty.

Mrs Reed, who has also tried navigating the promenade pushing her grandchild's buggy, said: "It would be a very easy and cheap solution to leave the boards where they are and build a shallow ramp up to the promenade by the Catholic Church."

Fellow campaigner Tim Bell of the Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club said: "This would create a continuous path along the coastline.

"The seafront is the greatest asset we have. But it is not accessible to a huge number of people.

"The steps at Neptune Terrace and the Ship on Shore are steep and dangerous for all but the fittest and off-putting for small children and older people."

The campaign is backed by businessman Paul Weeks who runs the Sweet Hut on The Leas at Minster and would like to run a 'road train' from Sheerness to Minster.

He said: "The only physical obstacle is at Neptune Terrace. I can't understand why the promenade was never continued around the front of the houses when it was first built."

David Wilcock, who runs Island Cruises, said: "For an Island surrounded by water, authorities seem determined to make it as difficult as possible to access it."

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "The Sheerness Asset Maintenance Scheme unfortunately does not include the seawall at Neptune Terrace, even though we are in close proximity of the area.

"For future maintenance, we would most definitely consider amenity improvements to improve access for people.

"This is something we would like to address but it is very much dependant on what projects in the area receive funding.

"We will be having further discussions with stakeholders, including Swale council, to see what changes could be made."