There is a footpath between Bromsgrove and Lickey End which the land owner has succeeded in reducing use of. It is overgrown, styles and climbing points are poorly maintained to the extent of being dangerous and also covered in barbed wire.

I used it for a number of years with Mini as it avoids the A38. Not having used it for a while it was a large surprise this morning to find a deposition request had been placed. I looked this up and it looks like the landowner wants the path moved. is this correct?

I assume they will state lack of use which is in part though their lack of maintenance. When I first discover this route I walked along it and could not find the way so I asked the landowner from the path by his garden and he denied their was a footpath.

Any Worcestershire residents could you please email the council to state your opposition to this. I suppose if you were ever planning a visit to Worcestershire you could also email.

Thanks

https://e-services.worcestershire.gov.uk/onlinereporting/FindLocation.aspx?FaultType=8

Edit: Crows Mill is the location of the path

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/public-rights-of-way-local-authority-responsibilities#maintaining-and-protecting-public-rights-of-way

I assume you are aware of this if it a public right of way.

Most of what you say in your first paragraph contravenes this

your going to need to supply more info on it’s location (streetmap is good for this), in order for us to report it using that link.

In my experience Rights of Way officers at the council used to be great at checking ROWs and chasing landowners where they were becoming or had become obstructed. However budget cuts have meant they are only really able to keep on top of key ROWs in my area (they grade them gold, silver and bronze) and it’s not worth reporting anything other than gold nowadays.

Depending on your CC you may have a better chance with the parish council, perhaps drumming up support for your request above and putting in some man hours in clearing/signposting the ROW in question.

Lack of use is no grounds for having a right of way moved or closed. Report the poor state of maintenance to your rights of way officer.

Go and ‘use’ it quick. Take a machete and visibly chop your way through. Get photos.

I make a note of scarring the ground on paths that are at risk of dodgy landowners doing this, notably on a golf course near us.

your going to need to supply more info on it’s location (streetmap is good for this), in order for us to report it using that link.

Once Mini and Micro are in bed I will post grid refs.

https://www.bing.com/maps

At 973 725 the stile is in a dangerous state of repair, large nails hanging out and field side step no longer attached to ground. Also barbed wire encroaching on the stile where you would put your hands

At 972 723 there is a stile and river crossing with a pile of wire on the river side of the stile. Also the small bridge does not seem attached and rocks when stood on. There is then 50 yards of woodland where the path could be anywhere and another stile with barbed wire encroaching on the the parts where you would place your hands.

The council almost certainly have a reporting tool online. Don’t hold your breath w as iting for things to get done. As people have said, Row officers are overstretched.

Regarding the extinguishment, the landowner will Nedd to make a request for a Definitive Map Modification Order (dmmo) for changes to row. Try to get hold of that. The other thing to do is get hold of the county’s local access forum. That’s filled with people like me who are good at badgering the council over things like this.

Get the Red Sock brigade on board. Is there a local Ramblers Association?

Shan Andy covers it nicely, though local councillors and Ramblers association can be good to get on board.

I’ll say in passing that we recently had a section of long distance footpath/bridleway moved in a village near us – it ran between a house and it’s garage. It got rerouted around the edge of the property, removed the need for two gates, and works a lot better.

don’t think your grid reference are right but if this is it then yes it’s pretty ropey but I’ve seen worse Seems a bit smarter the other side of the road and looking at it i don’t think the council will change the ROW the other side considering they’ve put in a small footbridge. is this the other end ?

I have reported to and had a reply from the council who will put it on their monthly schedule.
Will check out the red socks at the week end.
Yes that’s it, apologies for the grid refs, it’s a bit difficult from a iPad zoomed in. The main issue is that on the field side the foot plate is no longer attached to the ground so if you were at an angle, slipped etc you could fall and cut your leg on one of several large nails sticking out. It looks a lot more rotten than in that picture.

Edit . I think that second picture is the original other end from the 80s before that road was built, there is now a small underpass further south – I assume built for drainage reasons – where the path runs through from a small housing estate.

The change requested is behind the trees in the background of picture 1.

Like i said earlier, you need to be donning your footy boots and scuffing the route of the path across that field.

I am also interested in this footpath as its a quicker walk from Lickey End to Bromsgrove. I walked it last month and it still has the same issues except it was not overgrown. If you reported the poor bridge, the awkward stiles, the poor waymarking and the tangled wire below the stile, then nothing has been done. As well as this, there are loose dogs and a motion sensor that means you have an alarm noise to put up with. I can’t understand why the repairs are not done as you posted 11months ago. I have reported the bridge as dangerous as it is underwater at times. I also thought the driveway option might count as a lost path as it has been needed by walkers in wet weather when the stream cant be crossed.

I’ve got confused – is the land owner wanting access removed altogether, or the right of way moving to take a different route round?

I looked on Worcester Councils website where all the problems with this footpath are noted, but it was a revelation to me that you actually wait years for the jobs to be done. The Lickey End Parish Council was closed down. The stream crossing by the wooded area is only described as a ditch crossing, and I can’t establish whether the farmer is within his rights to object if we walked his drive instead, as you cant get across the ditch or stream in wet weather with a low plank bridge underwater.