Footpath Guardians
Welcome!
All walkers do their bit to protect footpaths - by walking them from time to
time and reporting any problems they find to the
relevant council. That simple act is a great help.
But we are asking Footpath Guardians to take an even greater interest in the
paths that they walk, and to ensure that problems are properly resolved.
By that, we mean not simply reporting the problems, but returning at a later date to see if the council has followed up with any action - and if not, chasing up the relevant staff.
Want to get started?
register
Once registered you can
report path problems online
Why is it important to report path problems?
The rights of way network – footpaths and bridleways most commonly – are our means of getting to and around the countryside. If paths cannot be used then our access to the countryside is restricted.
Highway Authorities are responsible for maintaining footpaths, but they don’t always have the resources to continuously check the state of the rights of way network. So the Highway Authority often relies on walkers like you to tell them when something has gone wrong.
If an authority doesn’t know about a problem, they can’t put it right!
There are plenty of other good reasons for reporting path problems, including:
- Proving that a particular route is being used regularly
- Drawing attention to problems encountered by disabled people or parents using pushchairs for children
- Raising the profile of a seasonal problem (e.g. ploughing and cropping)
For more information on the types of path problems you may encounter visit the 'What is a Path Problem?' page.
So what do you need to do now?
First of all you need to:
once your registration is complete you will be emailed your own personal Footpath Guardian number, which you need to use to report problems. Once you have your unique number visit the Footpath Guardian Toolkit page for all the information and resources you'll need to get started!