There may be local walkers, ramblers, mountain bikers etc who are not aware that the government has set a deadline for re-claiming old trails.

Many of the trails have been left for years to overgrow.

Currently, the deadline for reporting to councils any anomalies associated with Public Rights of way etc is 2026, after which they will be lost forever.

For those individuals who can read a map or perhaps use What3Words or similar, should you during your stroll or cycle around the area come across a Public Right of way that is impenetrable or blocked off in some way, note the location on your map and report it officially to the department within the council who oversees the footpaths and the Public Right of way. There is a fairly pro-active map on the MCC website which lists the known footpaths in this region and they are all numbered.

If you find the council reporting system a little convoluted, then just email the council directly with any anomalies (photographs can help as well), your report will be passed on to the relevant department. However, don’t rest on your laurels, do follow your report up in due course to find out what plans are afoot to rectify your findings.

Remember the deadline set is 2026, most councils would prefer to leave sleeping dogs lie in some respects. Thus giving them the ability to spend money in other areas deemed much more important!

A right of way is a path that anyone has the legal right to use on foot, and sometimes using other forms of transport.

Public rights of way are marked with signs or coloured arrows, for example yellow for footpaths, blue for bridleways. You can find the route of public rights of way: on Ordnance Survey and other maps. on some council websites.