Local authorities are being urged to provide information on how Covid-19 has affected public rights of way in their areas.

The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) has warned that some local landowners have closed or blocked off rights of way as more people cross their land during lockdown.

The survey - which will be emailed out - will find out if there is any tension between landowners and the public, how cutbacks are affecting maintenance and enforcement work, and what impact staff shortages and redeployment are having.

Paul Newark, chair of ADEPT’s Rights of Way Managers Group said: 'Public Rights of Way has, in common with many local authority services, been cut back over a prolonged period.

'We want to see what impacts the current pandemic have had to maintenance and get a picture of what that will mean for the network over the longer term as an inevitable backlog of work builds up.'

The survey is being done in partnership with the Institute of Public Rights of Way and Access Management (IPROW).