Rights of Way: Prosecutions

Mr. Anthony Wright
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were prosecuted for obstructing Rights of Way in each of the last five years.

Mr. Coaker
I have been asked to reply.

Data extracted from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of defendants proceeded against for offences relating to obstructing Rights of Way in England and Wales, 2001 to 2005 are shown in the following table.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Offence                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |Statute                                                                              |2001|2002|2003|2004|2005|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Failure to comply with order to remove obstruction. Failure to comply with order to remove obstruction after conviction.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |Highways Act, 1980 S.137ZA(3) as added by Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 s.64|1   |1   |5   |2   |3   |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Total                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |                                                                                     |1   |1   |5   |2   |3   |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1 These data are on the principal offence basis.2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces.As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.|                                                                                     |    |    |    |    |    |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------