WALKERS are being forced to squelch through a muddy field, after a footpath used for 40 years was ruled out-of-bounds.

Essex County Council has reinstated an ancient route that runs through the middle of arable land off St John's Road, Colchester, as old maps show there is supposed to be a right of way there.

Owners at Berryman's Farm opposed the move, pointing out that a wide grassy track at the side of the field has been in place for decades.

When their protests were overruled, they decided to make up for the loss of land by ploughing up part of the existing path, to the annoyance of dog-walkers and ramblers who regularly followed it.

Paul Smith, Colchester councillor for St John's, said residents had told him the mud was putting them off using the new route, which leads from Bullace Close towards the Welshwood pub.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "The farmer was quite happy for people to go round the edge of the field, and people I have spoken to remember there having been a path there for 40 years or more.

"Before the Second World War, we think there might have been a path through the middle of the field, but certainly not in recent memory.

"You can see the farmer's point of view, because he has been told you have got to do this,' with no attempt at a compromise."

The Gazette told recently how thousands of pounds was spent on a series of gates, a set of steps and a bridge to allow access to a footpath at Wormingford Hall, even though farmer Ian Tufnell was happy for walkers to follow a slightly different route that was free of obstacles.

Essex County Council has said it has a legal duty to ensure officially-recognised footpaths are usable.

Norman Hume, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "The council has a legal duty to ensure that public footpaths, as set out on the definitive map, are accessible. If a landowner wants to promote a diversion they are entitled to do so, but would have to follow a lengthy legal process and meet the associated costs."