Local walkers, especially dog-owners, have been concerned at the recent closure of a favourite riverside footpath in Nynehead. Landowner Carol Darby explains why she and her husband Robin took the decision to shut the gate.
“The biggest problem is dog poo that isn’t picked up, and not just on paths,” said Carol. “It’s been thrown in buildings and hedges. And it isn’t just a few examples, we’ve had to collect as much as 40 or 50 bags in just a few days.”
Dog poo has been the biggest problem but not the only one. There has been vandalism, with walls pulled down near the weir and part of the farm’s wheatcrop used to start bonfires. “We’ve also had litter including used condoms on the riverbank,” added Carol.
Mr & Mrs Darby’s 10-year agreement with DEFRA (as it was then) to allow a permissive footpath across their farm expired in January 2016. “We’re no longer obliged to keep it open so we’ve decided enough is enough,” she said.
The two affected footpaths run from Nynehead road to the three-arch bridge over the Tone south of Nynehead Court, and from the bridge to the former canal.