Whenever anyone is confronted with any of the vast array of possible faults and obstructions that occur every day on the footpath network it is essential always to be considerate but, at the same time to be aware of personal safety. Especially as some problems are so serious that they are a matter for the police and they should be reported immediately.
Fortunately the majority of the problems encountered are no more than an inconvenience and they can be dealt with by,
talking calmly to the landowner
reporting the problem to the appropriate Highway Authority
Anybody can report a footpath problem and it is quite straightforward to do; if you want to find the contact details for the Highway Authority appropriate to a particular area then view our Highway Authority information.
Some problems on the footpath network are more persistent or more serious and they can now be dealt with by serving a s63 notice on the Authority and again this can be done by anyone. The forms and the procedure to be used can be accessed from the DEFRA website.
If you feel that you really cannot take direct action then you can let us know and we will investigate the problem, report a footpath fault.
