Responsibility for bridleway?

blitznbobs said:
I’d go as far as saying most parish councils don’t have a rights of way person and even less have any useful say in anything… it’s the county council’s rights of way officer you can contact
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I asked on a local forum if anyone knew who was responsible for clearing a fallen tree on one of ours and a PC member was very, very quick to jump on the post and say not the Parish Council.

I asked if she could possibly inform the landowner but was told to register it with the CC.

In the end two local OAPs cleared one bit and my OH did the other.
 
PeterNatt said:
I am the BHS Bridleway and Road Safety Officer for Hertfordshire. The surface of the path is the responsibility of the County Council. Trees and Bushes are the responsibility of the land owner. In the first instance report it with as many other people (be they walkers, cyclists or horse riders to the Rights of Way Department of your local County Council. Many County Councils have an online reporting portals. Keep a record of your report. If the matter is not resolved within 8 weeks then contact your BHS Bridleway Officer who will be only too pleased to assist.
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This is very sound, correct, advice, and involving as many affected user groups as possible, is sensible. Elderly or disabled walkers would also find this situation hazardous. Check the Equalities Act stipulations.
However, many local authorities’ PROW depts are under staffed and under funded officers, often with little understanding of how conditions are experienced by horse riders - eg typically pruning overgrown foliage for pedestrian head height.
So, you need to clearly point out the danger of horses falling on a slippery surface; the legal liability of the Council for potential injury or disablement; and if not treated seriously, then involve your Councillor, MP, and local media. Sounds like a moss or algae herbicide might be indicated here, with attention to roughing the chalk surface, so ALL users are kept safe. Meanwhile, tungsten Road studs or frost nails would help you to continue using this path, but is obviously no solution to the problem, nor for everyone else.
BHS local bridleways officers are usually really helpful, but can no longer be telephoned or emailed directly (as in the past).You will have to report via a BHS email system, which doesn’t always work so well. Good luck!
 
Marigold4 said:
The main bridleway near me is becoming unrideable. There is a stretch (about 20 metres) of compacted, smooth, slippery chalk on a steepish slope. When the weather is wet, it goes green and is VERY slippery. I have heard of 2 horses falling over on it and several walkers. I nearly came a cropper on it on my horse the other day as he slipped all over the place. We were going up it thankfully but I think he would have gone over if we had been going down. I get off and walk him over it but it's still pretty hairy. The track narrows there and there's no option for going round it.

I know who owns it but think the owner will be unwilling to do anything to solve the issue. Would it be worth contacting whoever is in charge of bridleways in the area? Who, if anyone, has responsibility for making bridleways safe?
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It is not the owners responsibillit it is a ROW Council responsibility under the CROW Acts
 
Overstone stud said:
It is not the owners responsibillit it is a ROW Council responsibility under the CROW Acts
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I understand that it's not the owner's responsibility and have not contacted the owner. So far just the Officer at the County Council and the ranger at the National Park. No luck so far but it is early days. What does ROW stand for please?
 
Well, the ranger at the National Park has come back to me and said it has nothing to do with them, and that I need to deal with the County Council (who say they can't answer emails for 4 weeks as they are changing systems!)
 
Marigold4 said:
Well, the ranger at the National Park has come back to me and said it has nothing to do with them, and that I need to deal with the County Council (who say they can't answer emails for 4 weeks as they are changing systems!)
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Welcome to the world of offiialdom 2024. Did you not know, most of the ROW staff are working from home! We have a badger sett collapsed on a local bridleway. A neat hole just wide enough for a horse hoof to go down and the hole is 18" deep. Nice if a horse hits that at trot or canter. Well we are two years, yes two years, into officialdom. I am not allowed to fill said hole in case there is a badger down there (the setts are all around and I doubt they would not find another route out). The council cannot do anything without reference to the 'great office of badger protection' and it appears they do not exist - or maybe their working from home is on a sunny beach in Spain? Perhaps when a childs pony puts his foot down, somersaults and falls on child causing whatever injuries we all know can occur, someone will get a tiny iota of common sense and realise that however much we might lke Mr Brock, the child's life was more valuable ..... or maybe actually in 2024 it is not.
 
sport horse said:
Welcome to the world of offiialdom 2024. Did you not know, most of the ROW staff are working from home! We have a badger sett collapsed on a local bridleway. A neat hole just wide enough for a horse hoof to go down and the hole is 18" deep. Nice if a horse hits that at trot or canter. Well we are two years, yes two years, into officialdom. I am not allowed to fill said hole in case there is a badger down there (the setts are all around and I doubt they would not find another route out). The council cannot do anything without reference to the 'great office of badger protection' and it appears they do not exist - or maybe their working from home is on a sunny beach in Spain? Perhaps when a childs pony puts his foot down, somersaults and falls on child causing whatever injuries we all know can occur, someone will get a tiny iota of common sense and realise that however much we might lke Mr Brock, the child's life was more valuable ..... or maybe actually in 2024 it is not.
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Have you tried contacting your local County Councillor to get some sense out of them?
 
sport horse said:
Welcome to the world of offiialdom 2024. Did you not know, most of the ROW staff are working from home! We have a badger sett collapsed on a local bridleway. A neat hole just wide enough for a horse hoof to go down and the hole is 18" deep. Nice if a horse hits that at trot or canter. Well we are two years, yes two years, into officialdom. I am not allowed to fill said hole in case there is a badger down there (the setts are all around and I doubt they would not find another route out). The council cannot do anything without reference to the 'great office of badger protection' and it appears they do not exist - or maybe their working from home is on a sunny beach in Spain? Perhaps when a childs pony puts his foot down, somersaults and falls on child causing whatever injuries we all know can occur, someone will get a tiny iota of common sense and realise that however much we might lke Mr Brock, the child's life was more valuable ..... or maybe actually in 2024 it is not.
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So one of our local dog walkers took 4 small stakes and knocked them in around the hole we had (half way up calf size). He then tied a bright orange ribbon around them so it was obvious and we could all avoid it. All anon so no one could get in trouble!

2 years later the hole has filled in by itself but I think it's still outstanding with the council.
 
Orangehorse said:
Have you tried contacting your local County Councillor to get some sense out of them?
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My life is too busy to even try to work out who this is!
SEL said:
So one of our local dog walkers took 4 small stakes and knocked them in around the hole we had (half way up calf size). He then tied a bright orange ribbon around them so it was obvious and we could all avoid it. All anon so no one could get in trouble!

2 years later the hole has filled in by itself but I think it's still outstanding with the council.
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Maybe the same hole? Not as good as the large cone I anchored down with a stick but that was removed by the council (they even took my cone away!) and the much shorter stakes appeared later.
 
sport horse said:
My life is too busy to even try to work out who this is!

Maybe the same hole? Not as good as the large cone I anchored down with a stick but that was removed by the council (they even took my cone away!) and the much shorter stakes appeared later.
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Go onto your County Council website, they have a list of the Councillors and which wards they represent, and will have contact details (although no longer telephone numbers sadly)
 
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