UK village at war with landowner in blistering row over footpath

A blockaded path unofficially linking two villages in Norfolk is at the centre of a row between landowners, villagers and ramblers.

Some locals in Hemsby and Winterton-on-Sea claim they had trodden the path for years until a stretch of the route was fenced off by a local landowner in 2015.

The local authority refused to remove the barrier on the mile-long path because it wasn’t an official footpath.

A public inquiry is being held to decide if the route should become a right of way and reopen.

Locals argue the path beats walking along a busy road or traversing dunes, but landowners have said it crosses private land.

Winterton Valley Estate told a two-day hearing in Hemsby that closing the path had reduced anti-social behaviour while fellow landowner Joanna Richardson said lawyers had advised her if someone was injured on the path she could be liable for damages.

According to the Daily Mail, the path was created in 1946 by the Royal Air Force when the site was a base.

The same publication reported that inquiry inspector Nigel Farthing heard 133 people had contacted Norfolk County Council about access to the path.

Winterton resident Jane Roberts, 73, told the Mail her parents would have pushed her in a pram along the path when she was a baby.

She added: “I thought it was absolutely dreadful when the path was closed off… There is a road between Hemsby and Winterton, but it is incredibly dangerous.”

James Cole, whose family is said to have owned Winterton Valley Estate for 100 years, said the path has always run along private land, with signs warning people since the 1970s. Villagers dispute this.

Mr Cole said he noticed a “big” reduction in anti-social behaviour after the route was blocked in 2015, adding before then there were lots of problems and it felt “like a tap turning off” once access was shut off.

Norfolk County Council told the Mail it wouldn’t comment before the decision of the planning inspector was announced.

Express.co.uk has approached Norfolk County Council and Winterton Valley Estate for comment.

The inquiry is expected to rule on the issue in a few weeks.