The appellant landowner had a public bridleway over his land. It passed over an old cattle grid. He had constructed a gate to the side of the track. It was not part of the public highway. He now appealed from a refusal of an order for the Council to remove cattle grid and re-instate the … Continue reading Kind v Northumberland County Council: Admn 14 Mar 2012
The claimants challenged rejection of five applications under section 5 of the 1981 Act for modification orders allowing the upgrade of routes to provide vehicular public rights of way. The applications had been submitted using digital mapping. The Council said that the maps did not accord with the legislation. Held: The application failed: ‘there was … Continue reading Trail Riders’ Fellowship and Another, Regina (on The Application of) v Dorset County Council: Admn 2 Oct 2012
Judges: Mr Justice Kenneth Parker Citations: [2013] EWHC 1762 (Admin) Links: Bailii Statutes: Highways Act 1980 130B Jurisdiction: England and Wales Costs Updated: 27 May 2022; Ref: scu.511223
The claimant sought an order for possession of land outside St Paul’s cathedral occupied by the protestor defendants, consisting of ‘a large number of tents, between 150 and 200 at the time of the hearing, many of them used by protestors, either regularly or from time to time, as overnight accommodation, and several larger tents … Continue reading City of London v Samede and Others: QBD 18 Jan 2012
Objection had been made that a plan, used to register a right of way before it would disappear if un-registered, was to the wrong scale and that therefore the application was ineffetive. Held: The Council’s appeal failed. The plan was too large a scale, and that could not invalidate the application. The only question is … Continue reading Trail Riders Fellowship and Another, Regina (on The Application of) v Dorset County Council: SC 18 Mar 2015
The appellant challenged by case stated a refusal of the Crown Court to order removal of a gate which he said obstructed a public footpath. The land-owner had persuaded the magistrates that the gate was not on the line of the footpath. The claimant said the finding of fact was perverse. Held: There was clear … Continue reading Ernstbrunner v Manchester City Council and Another: Admn 16 Dec 2009
The claimant appealed against rejection of her claim for damages after slipping on a footpath maintainable by the defendant after an accumulation of mud and debris. The claim appeared to be the first under section 130, and the highway authority denied that any claim for damages might arise under it. Held: The sections from which … Continue reading Ali v The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council: CA 17 Nov 2010
Obstruction of public footpath – application for diversion . .
Young men were barred from a shopping centre. The private company owner considered that their behaviour was a nuisance. Held: The owner had the right to determine any licence which the applicants might have had to enter the Centre. The local authority had not entered into any walkways agreement with the company which would have … Continue reading CIN Properties Ltd v Rawlins: CA 1995
Statutory Duty Not Extended by Common Law The claimant sought damages after a road accident. The driver came over the crest of a hill and hit a bus. The road was not marked with any warning as to the need to slow down. Held: The claim failed. The duty could not be extended to include … Continue reading Gorringe v Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council: HL 1 Apr 2004
The claimant was driving along a road. He skidded on ice, crashed and was severely injured. He claimed damages saying that the Highway authority had failed to ‘maintain’ the road. Held: The statutory duty on a highway authority to keep a road in repair did not include an absolute duty to remove all ice. The … Continue reading Goodes v East Sussex County Council: HL 16 Jun 2000
Impacted snow and ice had built up on a steep, narrow, made-up footpath from Monday to Thursday during a short wintry spell. The plaintiff slipped and broke her ankle. The highway authority operated a system of priorities. Their resources were fully taken up with sanding and gritting roads, but on the Wednesday evening one of … Continue reading Haydon v Kent County Council: CA 1978
Psychological Obstruction to Public Footpath A public footpath crossed the appellants’ land. They constructed a gateway across it which they now accepted had been a significant obstruction of the right of way. The local authority served a notice requiring its removal, including the stone pillars erected on the path. After a failure to comply the … Continue reading Herrick and Another v Kidner and Another: Admn 17 Feb 2010
The natural overgrowing of a bridleway could not be said to make it in need of repair, but might still allow the requirement of its removal. . .
