THE grandson of a former Ribble Valley landowner told a public inquiry that a scenic footpath threatened with closure was never open to the public.

Surveyor David Fattorini, of York, told the inquiry into the closure of a stretch of the Ribble Way near Sawley that he regularly visited his grandfather's estate at the site as a child.

He remembered "private" signs at the entrance to the disputed route and had never encountered strangers.

Under cross-examination by Susan Taylor of the South Pennine Packhorse Trails Trust he insisted his memory was "crystal clear" and the only people he had ever encountered on the footpath were estate workers.

Valerie May Cutter, of Carleton, near Skipton, told the inquiry that her family had owned the estate from 1950 to 1957.

"At no time was there a public footpath through the estate. Anyone attempting to use the driveway without authority was turned back. Action was taken by my family at all times to prevent trespass," she said. Mrs Cutter recounted how the Pendle Forrest and Craven Hunt, of which she was a member, had never been able to find a suitable route for horses through the estate.

"I spent a lot of time trying to establish a such a route, but was never able to do so. I can clearly state that there could never have been a bridleway on this route."

She added that walkways on the route had been constructed for use by anglers, not walkers.

Former Environment Secretary John Gummer ordered the deletion of the two-and-a-half mile footpath between Sawley Lodge and Steep Wood from the definitive map in 1983.

Lancashire County Council has argued that closure will mean long diversions away from the river and the loss of superb views.

The Ramblers' Association has vowed to fight the closure tooth and nail and chief officers from the organisation have attended the Clitheroe inquiry from London.

Landowner Patricia Lord will today outline the trouble and misery suffered by nearby residents as a result of the path's promotion as a tourist attaction, including death of animals, damage to hedgerows and theft.

The inquiry ends today.

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