Article: Public Rights of Way - Maintenance Article Body There are over 750km of public rights of way within Barnsley and the council has a duty to ensure that the general public can use the rights of way network safely, freely and conveniently. Vegetation Our responsibilities Barnsley Council has a responsibility to keep the surface of a route clear of upgrowing vegetation (excluding crops). During the warmer months (May to October) we have a vegetation clearance schedule where we aim to clear as many paths as possible. Sometimes however, due to the speed of vegetation re-growth, certain routes may become difficult to use. If you encounter an overgrown path, please contact the Public Rights of Way team. We will only cut a path to its minimum definitive width as the verge alongside a route may be private or be an important wildlife habitat. Landowner/householder responsibilities It is the legal responsibility of landowners/householders to ensure that all vegetation (hedges, trees, shrubs, crops and so on) do not encroach on to the line of a right of way. Landowners/householders should ensure that all vegetation is regularly cut back and that no waste is left on the path. Barnsley Council has powers to remove any encroaching vegetation causing an obstruction from the sides of a right of way but may charge the offender reasonable costs incurred by doing so. If you have any queries about your responsibilities, please contact the Public Rights of Way team. Surfacing The public rights of way network within Barnsley has many different surface types depending upon the path's location, type and private uses, these can vary from unsurfaced rural paths to metalled urban routes. Barnsley Council regularly inspects and surveys the network and has an ongoing improvement programme for routes within Barnsley. Sometimes private rights exist on some public rights of way, where a route has been surfaced privately to accommodate vehicular access for example, Barnsley Council will only repair a route suitable for its definitive status (footpath, bridleway, restricted byway). If you wish to report a route that requires maintenance to its surface please contact the Public Rights of Way team. Stiles and gates It is the legal responsibility of the landowner to ensure that all stiles and gates on their property are maintained to a suitable standard though Barnsley Council may assist in constructing and repairing stiles and gates where necessary. Any new gate or stile has to be approved by the council's Public Rights of Way team before it is installed. If a gate/stile is installed without permission or to a poor standard, it will be classed as an illegal obstruction and enforcement action may be taken. To report damaged or missing gates or stiles, please contact The Public Rights of Way team. Other problems If you encounter any other problems on the public rights of way network, such as damaged/missing footbridges or steps requiring attention and so on, please contact the Public Rights of Way team. Contact details The Public Rights of Way team can be contacted: by email to publicrightsofway@barnsley.gov.uk by telephone on 01226 772142 by writing to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Environmental Services, Public Rights of Way, PO Box 601, Barnsley, S70 9FA We are committed to providing a good quality service to our customers and have published a service standard document that sets out what you can expect from our service, our response times and how you can provide us with feedback on how well we are performing.