Very frustrated – access issue continues!

J

Jingleballs

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I’ve posted previously about issues we have with a local farmer who is blocking access gates/rights of way by using barbed wire to lock the gates. We have now found about 5 instances of him blocking rights of way including laying railway sleepers and wrapping them in barbed wire.

The farmer is rude, unreasonable and has on one occasion blocked me in his land and also fired a shot gun when I tried to approach him – this was reported to the police but he claimed he was shooting a rabbit.

I originally raised the issue of access restriction in March 2009 – it has still not been resolved and in fact more access ways have been blocked since them.

I have contacted the access officers several times who are not only slow at getting back to you but seem to be making promises they can’t keep i.e. last time I actually met with them they agreed to supply a horse friendly gate – this has not happened.

Several other horse riders in the area have lodged similar complaints but to no avail and a livery at my yard has also raised the issue with our local councillor – again we’ve had no response.

I am getting extremely frustrated by the lack of action considering the length of time we have been complaining.

Does anyone know what other steps we could take to move this forward? I was considering contacting the local papers but not sure if that will actually achieve anything?

And as I understand it, we no longer have a dedicated BHS access officer to help us.

Any suggestions welcome – on and speaking to the farmer is not an option – I tried that and he ignored me several times!
 
I would launch a counter strategy! Buy a whole load of padlocks and stick them on his gates. Make access difficult for him!!
 
abi31 said:
I would launch a counter strategy! Buy a whole load of padlocks and stick them on his gates. Make access difficult for him!!
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That'd probably make a stubborn miserable old git into an even more stubborn and miserable old git. Wouldn't try that!

I'd go down the papers route. See if you can get a little possy of equally irritated riders together and do it as a group. Good luck.
 
dont give up, keep nagging the people youv contacted, even if you ring them everyday, theyl soon get the message that you are being serious!! if hes blocking public access then i would have thought that the police could get involved and that fact that he does it with things like barbed wire is dangerous. especially if small children are around, dont give up!!
 
Your local council will have a rights of way officer. If he is padlocking gates they should write to him and threaten him with legal action if he continues. This usually works. Sadly some council officers are better than others, but you have to nag and nag to get them off their arses, once they realise you won't be put off they will act quicker. Regards the gates, he doesn't have to use them if he doesn't want to. Most land owners don't mind because they get a subsidised new gate.
 
Gosh is he still being a pain!!

Its rotten that the access guys haven gotten back to you BB!!

I would go to the papers as well. I am sure the local council wouldnt want themselves in the paper for more bad press.

nikki xxxx
 
Weezy said:
I take it that these are not bridleways, but private land that you are wanting to access due to the Right To Roam act?
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These are actually bridle ways/rights of way but you have to cross a small section of his land in order to access them.

I have pestered the access officer enough today that she eventually got back to me - we are getting a horse gate at one of the access points but not the ones that we really want resolved.

Apparently there are some bio security issues that need to be considered before they can decide on how to resolve this - so it goes on!
 
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