Fined for blocking path

19 August 1997

Fined for blocking path

AN EAST Anglian farmer has been fined £500 and ordered to pay £3500 costs after magistrates found him guilty of obstructing rights of way on his farm.

The case against John Gooderman, who farms at Gislingham, near Eye on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, was brought by the Suffolk Ramblers Association. It claimed Mr Gooderman had blocked a path and bridleway on his farm with a series of obstructions, including barbed wire, electric fencing, and a heap of manure.

Chairman of the bench Meg Clibbon said Mr Goodman had "flagrantly disregarded the rights of countryside users."

You blatantly flouted the law and, despite your small means, must pay a fine."