Campaigners trying to keep full-time wardens on the Mendip Hills can celebrate a partial victory after a U-turn by the AONB Partnership.

A new post has been created to replace the two Mendip AONB wardens who have lost their jobs.

But the campaigners remain sceptical about the U-turn and said they would continue their fight to keep two wardens on the hills.

Proposals to get rid of the wardens have been under consideration in secret since May 2008.

But a meeting of the AONB Partnership held on Thursday heard that a new post of Project Warden was to be created.

The decision follows a storm of protest from users of the Mendip Hills over the decision to cut the two posts held by senior warden Les Davies and fellow warden Tina Bath.

The news that the AONB Warden service was being disbanded and the service would lose its visibility on the hills angered many people.

Petitions launched by campaigners had gathered hundreds of signatures.

A spokesman for Somerset County Council, which employs the wardens, said that the new post will carry out 80 per cent of the senior warden's current roles such as liaising with landowners, managing amenity land, managing volunteers to staff the information trailer, undertaking patrols and other tasks.

The spokesman said: "The new post will also focus on delivering key projects identified in the Management Plan, such as the AONB Biodiversity Plan, monitoring projects, visitor counters and fixed point photography."

Les Davies said: "I am delighted that a new post is to be created that will continue the work of the AONB Wardens.

"I will continue to be involved in land management work on the hills and continue to promote the countryside in a freelance capacity".

However, due to a reduction in funding the warden post held by Tina Bath is to be made redundant.

The duties this post undertook are to be delivered by the new post, in what the council describes as "partnership working".

The county council spokesman said that Tina Bath could apply for the new position.

Nigel Taylor, of the Save our Wardens Service campaign, said: "I am outraged at the lack of attention paid to the state of public feeling over this decision.

"Sensible alternatives to the funding of the warden posts were not openly considered, and all the members of the AONB partnership have still not been consulted.

"This appears to have been done behind closed doors and presented to the partnership as a done deal."

"I have spoken to David Heathcoat-Amory, the MP for Wells, and appraised him of the situation. He has kindly affirmed that he will write to the relevant Government minister with my complaint about this outlandish and ill-thought out decision.

"This is a crass decision. The funding partners have shown total disregard for the two wardens' worth and the heightened public support for their plight.

"I ask will be asking all members of the Mendip AONB Partnership to call for an emergency meeting to be held as soon as possible."