EQUESTRIANS who speak up for bridleways risk being "expelled from their livery yards, ostracised from the hunt and cold-shouldered in the village," an inquiry heard.

Former Environment Secretary John Gummer ordered the deletion of a two-and-a-half mile stretch of the Ribble Way from the definitive map after a long-running wrangle between landowners and Lancashire County Council.

But Susan Taylor, of the South Pennine Packhorse Trails Trust, said no public right of way would be safe if the order was confirmed.

She told the inquiry that she could not produce witnesses to back her claim that the Sawley path had been long-used by horses, because individuals stood to "lose as well as gain" from investigations into public rights of way if they "publicly nailed their colours to the mast".

She said: "The reason why riders will not come forward must be recognised and weighed in evidence to prevent the conclusion being drawn that no-one rode this route. "One such rider, formerly of the Pendle and Ribble Valley Bridleways Association, told us that he was so disillusioned with the treatment he received when trying to get this route opened that he gave up.

"It is for these reasons, coupled with the half-century of time that has passed and the unlawful obstructions that have been allowed to block equestrian use, that prevents us from bringing witnesses to this inquiry."

Several witnesses have insisted that the path, between Sawley Lodge and Steep Wood, has always been a public right of way, but the trust also wants it reopened to horseriders.

Mrs Taylor described it as one of the "most attractive bridleways in Northern England".

"As a horserider, I can testify that 90% of the path is in perfect order. There are no sections that could not easily be negotiated by horses if gates were wider, unlocked and unobstructed, and the route was put back into repair.

"Had the Highway Authority carried out its statutory duty to signpost the path and kept it in rideable repair, the public would not now be fighting tooth and nail to retain it", she said.

Landowner Patricia Lord has outlined problems blamed on the path's promotion as a tourist attraction, including the death of animals, damage to hedgerows and theft.

The inquiry ends tomorrow.

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