Sir,

I was interested to read of Mr Frost's campaign to adopt a right of way on the Vauxhall in Monmouth.

Mr Frost says he has enjoyed the walk along the bank of the Monnow since childhood. In order to access this walk he would have had to squeeze through an iron fence by the Inglis bridge and then to pass a prominent sign saying 'Private land- no access to the public'.  On reaching the end of the walk by the Tibbs bridge, he would have passed another sign saying the same thing, at that end.

This is in fact a farmer's field used in summer to graze beef cattle and in the spring to graze sheep.  I have watched on a number of occasions as a dog has chased and terrorised sheep on this field to the apparent amusement of the dog walker. It is not surprising that the farmer is attempting to prevent access.

This is not as Mr Frost writes ' a green space on the edge of town needing public access protected'.

There is a public footpath across the Vauxhall but this is not it. The Vauxhall is part under the control of the farmer, part Army and part County Council. The County Council have recently erected a sign at the bottom of the road to Ancrehill Lane saying 'Private land- no unauthorised access'. Car drivers are completely ignoring this and parking on the field at the top, churning up the mud and destroying the grass.

The tarmac road across Vauxhall belongs to the Army. There is a gate half way with a large Ministry of Defence sign saying that access across the road is only for the Army Camp. When the gate is opened this road becomes an unofficial town bypass and vehicles travel along it in quantity and often at considerable speed. The single track road is also used informally by joggers and cyclists, by dog walkers and particularly by parents with toddlers often on scooters or tricycles.  The combination of fast travelling cars and small children is lethal.

At the end of last year, the Army posted signs to say the Inglis bridge was to be closed to vehicles.  This prompted an outcry and the threat seems to have passed for now. The Vauxhall is a wonderful asset for the town but it seems to me a case of 'Abuse it and lose it'.

Michael Mortimer

(Monmouth)