FOOTPATHS and public rights of way in woods near Carlisle were placed under the spotlight this week in what has been referred to as a “David and Goliath” battle.

A three-week hearing by the Planning Inspectorate was opened at the People First Centre in the city on Tuesday (November 21).

It concerns a number footpaths in woodland near the village of Hayton, near Brampton, which were thought to be open to the public by local residents but the landowner, Roxlena, claims the area is private land and they should not be, and never have been, classed as public rights of way.

In opening the hearing on Tuesday Kathryn Saward, an inspector acting on behalf of the inspectorate, told those present that it related to a total of 18 footpaths and one bridleway at the site.

The case has been described by residents, who supported their recognition of the routes as public rights of way, as a "David and Goliath" battle when a number them withdrew their evidence after receiving letters from the landowner's legal team to warn them that they may be liable for legal costs.

Ms Saward said she was looking to establish if any of the routes had ever been classed as public rights of way after hearing the evidence from both sides.

Local resident Matthew King, who supported the move to recognise the footpaths as public rights of way, said it had been a long and drawn-out process to get to the public hearing and added: "It's been a very depressing 10 years for us and sadly people have died during that time."

He said there was a "lovely walk" to Abraham's Cave and added: "That was a walk that has been done for years and you could tell by the inscriptions in the cave."

Mr King said he had lived in Hayton since 1967, when he was aged two or three, but he did not know the names of the various footpaths.

On Thursday (November 23) Shiela Caine, also from Hayton, said she had also lived in the village since she was two years old and she remembered the two brothers who dealt with the upkeep of the woods between the 1960s and the 1990s - she remembered they would patrol the area to make sure people did not enter it.

She said that, as children, they would not dare enter the woods because of their presence there. She added: "They were just doing his job."

However, after the pair died in the 1990s upkeep of the woods was discontinued and the area became overgown. She added: "I found it very sad seeing the area being neglected."

She said newcomers would cut through the woods creating new paths and added: "I didn't walk in the woods during Foot and Mouth because you weren't allowed to."

Mrs Caine said she had walked through the woods herself, but knew that she should not be there because it was private land, and she was never given permission by the landowner to be there.