Off-Road Vehicles and Damage to Unclassified Country Roads (UCRs) and Countryside
in Colton Parish

(last updated 25th January 2012)

Go straight to: HOW TO REPORT

Over the past few years, the damage to Colton's green roads and adjacent fell-sides by off-road traffic has become severe (see photos), and there has been an increasing number of incidents of bad, sometimes threatening behaviour, from off-road vehicle users. Colton Parish Council has been lobbying the National Park, Cumbria Highways, the Cumbria Countryside Access Partnership and the Police in an attempt to find solutions, and is pursuing two key issues:

  1. Maintenance and repair of green roads: Damage to green roads (unmetalled, unclassified country roads - UCRs - where vehicles are legally allowed to travel) is now so bad that some are impassable for farmers who need to access their stock, directly affecting local livelihoods. Cumbria Highways have responsibility for repair, but their limited funds mean that these roads are extremely low priority.  However, the Colton Green Roads Pilot Working Group (Colton PC, County Councillor, County Highways Dept and the National Park) has surveyed some of the routes and is seeking funding for repairs to two of them: High Ickenthwaite to Nibthwaite Grange (Bletherbarrow Lane) (U5064) and High Ickenthwaite to Oxen Park (Peg Lane) (U5213).
     

  2. Illegal Off-road vehicle activity and bad behaviour: In the past few years, the incidence of illegal off-road activity (on illegal tracks and excursions onto sensitive fellsides) has increased markedly, along with bad, sometimes threatening behaviour to other recreational users and land-owners. There is now a working group on 'Inappropriate and Illegal use of the Countryside by Motor Vehicles' which is a local partnership between the National Park  (David Pickup, our LDNPA ranger and Chair of the group), 4 Parish Councils, the police, Natural England, the Forestry Commission, the Bridleways Society, and the Trail Riders Federation. This group has asked for volunteers prepared to report illegal activity and bad behaviour. See how to report.

Latest News

(most of the links below are to Adobe PDF files)

Date Item
Autumn 2011

Conditions of roads and fellsides have continuted to deteriorate, but funds have been found for some repairs on the two green roads listed below.

High Ickenthwaite-to-Nibthwaite (UCR 5064) - the very bad condition of this route, where erosion is now down to bedrock, means that 4x4s have been detouring illegally onto the fellside and are threatening damage to Ickenthwaite's  water supply. Highways are considering placing a TRO on this route pending repairs.

The Working Group on Illegal off-road activity mounted a publicity campaign in late summer, and the police have had a number of successes in catching culprits, mainly trail bikers, going off-route, with fixed-penalty notices (fines) being issued.
17th November 2010

Condition surveys of the green roads  Ickenthwaite-to-Nibthwaite Grange (U5064) and Oxen Park-to- Ickenthwaite (U5213) have now been costed and are being carried out before the next WG meeting on 6th January 2011.
30th September 2010

The second 'South Lakeland Local Committee: Colton Green Roads Pilot Study' meeting was held in Kendal - see minutes.
4th August 2010

We have noted that the Ickenthwaite-to-Nibthwaite track is now seriously eroded at the Ickenthwaite end, with off-road vehicles now making a new detour around the damaged area - see photo. Highways and the LDNPA are aware.

26th July 2010

The first 'South Lakeland Local Committee: Colton Green Roads Pilot Study'  meeting was held at Water Park, Nibthwaite - see minutes.
The study will assess how best to go about repair of our damaged green roads (or 'Unsealed Unclassified Country Roads) using Colton as a pilot study area. It will also look at usage and how to tackle problems with poor behaviour and illegal detours onto fell-sides. Funds are currently being sought for detailed survey of two routes - Oxen Park-to-Ickenthwaite and Ickenthwaite-to- Nibthwaite Grange. The Nibthwaite-to-Parkamoor track is known to require substantial engineering work. The meeting included a site visit this last track, the worst example of green road damage (see photos).

17th November 2009

Minutes of Colton's first internal Green Roads Working Group meeting, 17th Nov 2009
26th October 2009

report from CCC Cllr Wilson: Minutes of South Lakeland Local Committee Working Group on Highways and Transportation 30th September on repairs for UCRs. See Item 19.
15th October 2009

Response from Cumbria County Council to CPC's letter of 5th May 2009 (via Tim Farron MP) - .jpg image file
6th October 2009

Letter to the Trail Rider's Fellowship (TRF) from the LDNPA page 1,  page 2  .jpg image file (copied to Colton PC by the LDNPA)

23rd September 2009

Response from LDNPA to Colton Parish Council

19th September 2009

Letter to the LDNPA from the Trail Rider's Fellowship (TRF) (The TRF had been sent a copy of our letter to the LDNPA)
2nd September 2009

Letter to LDNPA from Colton Parish Council including a request for a temporary TRO on the High Nibthwaite to Parkamoor track (UCR 5051)
3rd August

Agreed initial actions arising from Colton Parish Council meeting 3rd August 2009
6th July 2009

Minutes of Colton's Additional Parish Council Meeting on UCRs
5th May 2009

Letter to Tim Farron with specific questions for Cumbria Highways
28th January 2009

Response from Cumbria Highways via Tim Farron MP (jpeg image)
16th June 2008

- Letter to Cumbria Highways from Colton Parish Council
- Annex to letter showing maps and photographs of damage

 

Off-Road Vehicles: Information and Reporting of Illegal Activity and Bad Behaviour

First, note that there are 8 legal trail routes in Colton: 7 Unclassified Country Roads (UCRs) and 1 By-way Open to All Traffic (BOAT):

  • The Strands, Rusland Pool - (summer only - a Traffic Regulation Order operates between Oct and May) (U5566)

  • Force Mills to Thwaite Moss (U5062)

  • High Ickenthwaite to Nibthwaite Grange (Bletherbarrow Lane) (U5064)

  • High Ickenthwaite to Oxen Park (Peg Lane) (U5213)

  • Hulleter to Low Hay Bridge (U5216)

  • Colton Church to Moss Wood (BOAT/UCR U5203)

  • Colton Church to Old Hall Lane, Bouth (U5204)

  • High Nibthwaite to Low Parkamoor (U5051) - this is return-and-back - there is no access into Grizedale Forest.

Illegal activity is any excursion off the above routes onto footpaths, bridleways and fellsides, without the landowner's permission.

How to report illegal activity and bad behaviour:

  1. Immediate reporting to the police of illegal activity:  Ring 101. Please report location and get number plates and descriptions if possible, without placing yourself in danger (some of these people can be threatening). If you can safely get pictures, then do.
     

  2. Later reporting full details of the incident to the police and to our local National Park Ranger, David Pickup. These incidents will be followed up by the police, if sufficient information given, and will also be  logged on the Park's  Trails Register. 
    See here for full guidance from the National Park on how to report, but in summary, please try to send the following:
     

    • Date and Time

    • Location description and Grid Reference if possible (e.g. SD nnn nnn for 100m reference)

    • Whether Footpath, Bridleway, Fellside, route with Traffic Regulation Order, or Other

    • Vehicle description, including type, make and model if possible

    • Vehicle Registration

    • If motorbike, colour of rider's crash helmet and clothing.

    • Whether registration plate displayed and whether it was clean and visible

    • Description of circumstances and behaviour

    Emails with the above information should be sent to David Pickup on David.Pickup@lakedistrct.gov.uk and the Police on Shane.Wheeler@cumbria.police.uk, and copied to coltonpc@btinternet.com . 
    Click here to send an email now.

 

ANNEX TO LETTER TO HIGHWAYS AUTHORITY, June 2008

UNCLASSIFIED COUNTRY ROADS IN COLTON PARISH -  EXAMPLES OF DAMAGE

There are eight routes within the Colton Parish Council boundary, only one of which has vehicular rights extinguished on part of its length. They are (according to the LDNPA website):

1.          Bridleway/ UCR U5051 Grizedale to High Parkamoor (grid reference SO 336943 to SO 319926).  Since commencement of the NERC Act 2006, vehicular rights are extinguished from Grizedale to High Parkamoor. The section from High Parkamoor to High Nibthwaite (grid references SO 319926 to SO 294897) is a UCR only and the presumed vehicular rights will remain.

2.            BOAT/ UCR U5203 Moss Wood (grid reference SO 316861 to SO 327862). This is a Byway Open to All Traffic with proven vehicular rights and it will remain open to recreational vehicles.

3.            UCR U5062 Thwaite Moss (grid reference SO 341905 to SO 340897). This is just a UCR with presumed rights and it will remain open to recreational vehicles.

4.            UCR U5204 Old Hall Lane, Bouth (grid reference SO 326856 to SO 320861). This is just a UCR with presumed rights and it will remain open to recreational vehicles.

5.            UCR U5216 Hulleter (grid reference SO 331879 to SO 337876). This is just a UCR with presumed rights and it will remain open to recreational vehicles.

6.            UCR U5064 Ickenthwaite to Nibthwaite Grange (grid reference SO 315888 to SO 323895). This is just a UCR with presumed rights and it will remain open to recreational vehicles.

7.            UCR U5213 Oxen Park to Ickenthwaite (grid reference SO 319874 to SO 323894). This is just a UCR with presumed rights and it will remain open to recreational vehicles.

8.            UCR U5566 Rusland Pool (grid reference SO 332894 to SO 338891). This is just a UCR with presumed rights and it will remain open to recreational vehicles. The seasonal Traffic Regulation Order for the purposes of fisheries conservation will continue.
 

The location of these routes is shown on the following maps (blue lines are UCRs, red line us Colton Parish boundary):

Photographs

The photographs show examples of the situations described in the letter.  Each one is accompanied by a caption which includes the number of the UCR (1-8), the date taken, and a brief description of the point being illustrated.

UCR 1 - 10/06/08:
This road is now virtually impassable to 4-wheeled vehicles

UCR 6 - 10/06/08:
Well on the way to becoming impassable. Note the widening of the track by vehicles driving round damaged areas.

 

UCR 7 - 06/04/06:
Typical winter flooding (due to removal of road material) making route almost impassable for walkers

UCR 6 - 24/10/05:
Drivers create road widening to avoid rough track

UCR 7 - 28/12/05:
4 x 4 drivers have fun trying to get up steep slope (short-cutting hair-pin)

UCR 6 - 24/10/05
4 x 4 drivers have created a short-cut past the hairpin (to create a challange?)

UCR 6 - 10/06/08:
....which, over the years, has become the main route.


UCR 1 10/06/08:
Trail bike riders going off-route over sensitive peatland and important habitats

UCR 6 06/02/08:
4 x 4 drivers 'having fun' - scarring fields which would penalise farmers in agri-environment schemes.

UCR 6 10/06/08:

Broken flag culvert

 

Vandalised Sign

 

Damaged drainage