A COMMUNITY campaign to reinstate public rights of way has been given a boost after receiving a grant of £1,000.

A COMMUNITY campaign to reinstate public rights of way has been given a boost after receiving a grant of £1,000.

John Hunt, 69, of Domby Road, Ipswich, and 65-year-old Peter Turtill, of Beatty Road, Ipswich, are calling for town chiefs to take action to preserve footpaths.

They claim new developments are jeopardising old footpaths in the town with planners caring little for their importance.

The pair have teamed up to draw up a list of old footpaths they believe should be reinstated.

Their campaign has been given a boost after they were awarded £1,000 form the O2 It's your Community Awards.

Mr Hunt said everybody should be aware of the importance of footpaths

He said: “They are where we used to walk and play as children.

“When future generations want somewhere to walk there will be nowhere to walk.

“There is currently one sign for a public footpath in Ipswich on Nacton Road, but there should be 40 or 50.

“The council is not doing its job properly and it is up to us to do it.”

Last November Mr Turtill was caged in by builders for his own protection after staging a sit-in protest that brought building work to a halt at the Suffolk New College site.

He is due to appear before magistrates in the town in March charged with criminal damage after moving a gate at a waterfront development which he says was blocking a public path.

Suffolk County Council said it was currently drawing up a definitive map of public rights of way in Suffolk.

The draft map can be viewed by appointment with the county council's Countryside Access Team, who can be contacted by telephoning 01473 264774.

Has a public footpath near you become 'forgotten'? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN.