In England and Wales a public footpath is a path on which the public have a legally protected right to travel on foot. Most footpaths in the countryside are probably hundreds of years old. The majority of footpaths are shown on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 maps. We are very fortunate to have a good selection of varied local footpaths around the Parish of Wellington Heath (see map here) and even more so to have willing volunteers who help manage and maintain them.
The Wellington Heath Parish Footpath Officer post is jointly shared by Judith Hammill and Diana Harrison. Both they, and the Footpath Maintenance Team, are a small group of volunteers who give up their spare time to work together in maintaining our Parish’s Public Rights Of Way and footpaths.
Judith, Diana and the team walk the footpaths as regularly as possible, keeping an eye on encroaching undergrowth, faded way markers, gates and other structures such as footbridges which may be in need of care and attention.
They also coordinate the regular footpath work sessions where priority strimming of brambles, grass, nettles, shrubs and overhangs, (mostly outside of nesting season), are cleared by the small team of volunteers. Any major works such as bridge structure repairs are normally referred to Herefordshire County Council and dealt with by a specialist team of contractors.
If you have footpath issues that you would like to report – then please contact the Parish Council who will report the issue to Judith and Diana.
Clerk: Mary Barnett
eMail: clerk@wellingtonheathparishcouncil.gov.uk
If you cannot contact one of the Parish Councillors, then you can report emergency issues directly to Herefordshire County Council via the following website here.
Herefordshire Council (like all County Councils) are legally required to provide the “Highways and public rights of way Map” for their County. This is now online and interactive, you can find this by clicking here.
(To find a location on the map just enter a Postcode or Village name in the search box and then select it from the pull-down list).