Who is responsible for bridal paths

UK — local highway authority responsibilities. A public right of way is a right by which the public can pass along linear routes over land at all times. Although the land may be owned by a private individual, the public have a legal right across that land along a specific route. Find out more about the different types of public rights of way. To find out more about your local footpaths, bridleways and byways please use our interactive map which displays all the public rights of way in Devon as well as access land and the Dartmoor Commons.

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Practical Law's employees are not practising solicitors or barristers. The Ask scope and rules apply. Anonymous Private practice. Add reply. Contact your local highways authority the county council or unitary authority where you live: you can find contact details here. They should make sure that public rights of way where these kind of issues might be encountered are well lit and welcoming eg free of rubbish and not overgrown. Every provider of facilities and services has a duty to improve access for disabled people by making 'reasonable adjustments'.

What counts as a 'reasonable adjustment' will vary from case to case. The aim is to remove, overcome or avoid obstacles without losing the character of the countryside's natural features.

In some situations, it might be reasonable to remove a barrier, like a gate or a bridge. In others, where the barrier is necessary, it might be reasonable to adapt the gate or bridge to make it as accessible as possible for disabled people.

Contact your local highways authority the county council or unitary authority in your area: you can find contact details here to let them know about particular problems. They are encouraged to consult with disabled people in their area to decide what 'reasonable adjustments' might be. More information about countryside access for disabled people is available here. You should approach the highways authority, although whether they will help or not depends on the nature of the damage.

The highways authority is the county council or unitary authority in your area you can find contact details here. It has a statutory duty to maintain public rights of way. You should check the definitive map for the area to see whether it specifies the width of the public right of way.

The definitive map shows all public rights of ways in the area. It is held by the highways authority, ie the relevant county council or unitary authority you can find contact details here.

If the definitive map doesn't specify the width of the right of way, allow at least 2 metres more if barbed wire. You are responsible for some maintenance, but the highway authority may also be responsible.

This will depend on the particular case. Yes, you can clear enough to pass and repass.