Keeping public rights of way as clear as possible during 2021 is Wiltshire Council’s aim by working with, and advising, landowners.
The council said that, during the COVID restrictions, local places are being used much more for walking, cycling and riding for exercise, and residents are regularly informing the council that certain areas are not as accessible as they should be.
“Wiltshire has 4,000 miles of footpaths, byways and bridleways looked after by Wiltshire Council. Most of the network is on private land and the landowner and the local authority each have specific responsibilities for maintenance.
“The council’s Countryside Access Officers look after the network and they are keen to work with landowners to prevent the substantial number of reports the council gets of paths being blocked by growing crops or ploughing.”
The council has collated useful guidance to inform landowners of their responsibilities and to offer advice of what needs to be done to keep the paths clear or to reinstate them after ploughing, downloadable from the Wiltshire Council website https://bit.ly/2IXg99T
Walkers are also reminded to ensure they do their bit and are asked to respect The Countryside Code if they are out and about.
More details: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/recreation-rights-of-way