Sussex Pathwatch Scheme
Your Countryside
While most people who drive off-road do so responsibly, the minority are putting legal users’ safety at risk and causing damage to the Sussex countryside. Please help us to keep your countryside safe and unspoilt.
‘Sussex Pathwatch’ was formed to combat motorised vehicles using public rights of way illegally in the Sussex countryside. A discussion group has been formed which comprises Sussex Police, South Downs Joint Committee, West Sussex County Council, Parish Councils, Landowners, recreation user groups and countryside organisations.
The initiative, which is being piloted in the Chichester District, is essentially a scheme to encourage reporting of incidents, via this website or the police telephone number,0845 60 70 999 (all personal information remains confidential). Simply email directly to Sussex Police at contact.centre@sussex.pnn.police.uk and have as much of the following information ready as possible. Please remember, just reporting the incident helps the Sussex Pathwatch Scheme.
* Date and time
* Location
* Registration number
* Description of person/s
* Description of vehicle/s
* How you felt
* What happened
Rights of Way News
The relevant sections of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW) and the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (NERC) have come into force with regard to the reclassification of Roads Used as a Public Path (RUPPs), and the ability to claim motorised vehicle use as a right, based on historic horse and carriage use.
Under the CRoW Act 2000, all RUPPs are now Restricted Byways and can be used by pedestrians, horse-riders, cyclists and horse and carriages. Where applications have been made to upgrade routes to Byways Open to All Traffic (BOATs), the NERC Act 2006 introduced a cut-off date of 20th January 2005.
