Who is responsible for maintaining stiles ?

[Matrix]

Possibly off topic but as the title says who is responsible for maintainingstiles on footpaths?. I have placed a cache today and one of the possible routes crosses some farm land via a legal footpath. There are 3 stiles on this route and they are all massively overgrown so do I contact my local council or can I just clear them myself (legally) ?

pictures of the stiles in question.

[gazooks]

When my Dad retired he looked for a little job to keep him busy and volunteered with South Beds District Council looking after the paths and stiles that surrounded his village. He told them what he needed and they delivered it for him to action. Stiles however were installed/replaced by council staff.

Maybe this council has a similar scheme but does not have anyone to cover that path

[Matrix]

Thanks for the reply the stiles are in good order but as you can see they are almost unusable without difficulty , I will contact my local council on monday and see what they say. h34r:

[jacobite]

I know the access laws are different up here in Scotland, and I'm not entirely sure who is responsible for maintaining stiles here.
I'd be keen to hear how you get on with the council regarding your question.

[Matrix]

I have just found this one my councils website

What about stiles and gates across public rights of way?

All stiles and gates must be safe to use and must not interfere unreasonably with the use of a public right of way. Stiles that are broken or difficult to use, and locked gates may be obstructions and therefore unlawful. They should be reported to the Countryside Access Team so that it can take appropriate action. In addition, if new stiles or gates appear on public footpaths or bridleways they may require consent and should also be reported to the Countryside Access Team.

So I think I will email them and see what happens h34r:

[sandvika]

It's also worth pointing out that many local authorities have rangers responsible for access and wildlife. It's well worth getting on good terms with them; in my experience they have been supportive of caching.

[Happy Humphrey]

The land manager (farmer or landlord) is reponsible for ensuring that stiles on public footpaths are kept clear and in good condition. The local authority will have a Rights of Way officer who will contact the person in question and tell him/her to clear the path. I've seen worse, but they definitely need sorting out.
If you acquire the rights to exploit the resources of a parcel of land, you also acquire the responsibilities; this includes the maintenance of any public footpaths. In any case, it tends to be in the farmer's interests to make sure that walkers can cross the land quickly and by an agreed path. Otherwise people are forced to get in the way of operations, climb fences and trample crops.

[Matrix]

Just a quick update .

Just had a telephone call from my local council they have checked and the stiles will be cleared within 4 weeks and they have been added to the routine maintenance schedule.

Result :cheers:

[jacobite]

Just a quick update .

Just had a telephone call from my local council they have checked and the stiles will be cleared within 4 weeks and they have been added to the routine maintenance schedule.

Result :cheers:

Nice one

[Bear and Ragged]

Be nice to know if they do carry out the work!

[Matrix]

I will be checking on a weekly basis until they do h34r: