Public footpath issues to be aware of when out walking in Speldhurst parish

Many people have reported the same issues on public footpaths in Speldhurst parish recently. Here is an update on some of the most critical:

• Footpath WT111 - a fallen tree at the entrance to this footpath on Barrow Lane, Langton Green is making it impossible to access. Fallen trees are the responsibility of the landowner to clear, and we are trying to find out who it is that owns the land where footpath WT111 is located. Please get in touch if you own this land or you know who does.
• Footpath WT78 - there are 2 broken stiles at the beginning of this footpath by Went Farm, Speldhurst. The farmer renting the land has taken down the 1st stile so that the footpath can be used again - this is a temporary measure. The 2nd stile is still in place and walkers have reported that it is usable for now. We are liaising with the landowner and Kent County Council (KCC) to get replacement stiles/gates in place.
• Footpath WT79 - the boardwalk in Sproud's Wood has been damaged for some time. We spoke to KCC who comfirmed that it is their responsibility to repair it. It has been added to their list of works. We know that the wire is sticking up in places, causing a safety hazard, and we advise walkers to take extreme care when using the boardwalk. If you can walk around it then even better.

Although the parish council used to have a team of volunteers who carried out small to medium repairs on parish footpaths, KCC has since advised that should we continue to do this, we make ourselves liable if something goes wrong. Instead, we try to work with landowners and KCC to make sure that the footpaths stay well maintained.

One of our biggest obstacles is finding out the names and contact details of local landowners, so that we can let them know about fallen trees, broken stiles and gates. So, if you are reading this and you own land which is crossed by a public footpath in Speldhurst parish, please contact us. We are keen to have a good working relationship with our local landowners, and we do sometimes hear about initiatives from KCC and organisations such as the High Weald Partnership that aim to support you, so it would be excellent to know how to reach you.