Right of way

Newtown Warrior

Just a quick query after the horse escaped out an open right of way field gate last night (found this morning & was ok).

As the landowner, is it legal/standard practice to chain lock a gate & provide a key (e.g. in box beside gate) on a farmers right of way?

Any help appreciated.

PatQfarmer

Newtown Warrior wrote: »

Just a quick query after the horse escaped out an open right of way field gate last night (found this morning & was ok).

As the landowner, is it legal/standard practice to chain lock a gate & provide a key (e.g. in box beside gate) on a farmers right of way?

Any help appreciated.

Always a tricky one!
No hard and fast rules, unless they were agreed and written into ROW agreement.
If not, then there has to be agreement on all sides to a change in the Status Quo.
If approached correctly, most people will be reasonable about security etc, but there's always one!
Best of luck.

Farmer Pudsey

Newtown Warrior wrote: »

Just a quick query after the horse escaped out an open right of way field gate last night (found this morning & was ok).

As the landowner, is it legal/standard practice to chain lock a gate & provide a key (e.g. in box beside gate) on a farmers right of way?

Any help appreciated.

If you put a lock on the gate you have to give a key to anyone that has a right of way accross it there is no reason why you cannot as the legal owner put a lock on the gate.
It sounds as if you think that someone with a right of way accross left it open rather than starting on a wrong foot with them go and explain that if it happens again that the gate is left open you will put a lock on gate. Also maybe consider a cattlegrid if there ia a lot of traffic in and out.