Right to Roam campaigners call for access to walk all England's rivers

CAMPAIGNERS are calling for access to all rivers in England, not just nine river walks promised by the Government.

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Right to Roam, which campaigns for public access to more of England’s countryside, said it will stage nine protests along rivers across the country. Walkers will trespass on to private land as part of efforts to highlight how landowners block public access to rivers, the campaign group said on Wednesday.

It comes as they argue that Labour’s pledge to create nine new river walks, one in each region of England, would be a “logistical nightmare”.

This is because ministers would have to negotiate permissive access agreements with too many different landowners, they said, citing its recent analysis that found the Dart River in Devon has 108 alone.

Instead, the group said the Government should pass new legislation giving the public a default right of responsible access to all rivers.