Why the welding?

I had my little girl with me in her buggy. I crossed the 100-yard piece of path across the golf course to find that someone had welded up the gap on the kissing gate that I normally lift my buggy through.

I had to take my little girl out of her buggy and collapse the buggy completely to get through the gate, which is very narrow.

That gap has been there since I was a child – some 40 years ago now – and now the golf course has taken it upon itself to weld it shut.

I looked on the public footpath law and it states: “You can take with you a natural accompaniment which includes a pram or pushchair or mobility scooter.”

Am I now expected to remove my child each time I cross this path? I informed West Sussex County Council, but it said the kissing gate remains, so it’s ok.

You can only get one person through that gate, it is not wide enough for anything else.

Ham Manor says people have been abusing the path. Well, how come it has been fine for the past 40 years and yet all of a sudden they close the access? When you cross the golf course you can plainly see the path and you can also see people stick to it as the grass either side is fine.

This probably seems very petty but that access has been there for years, It’s just so unfair that I now have to go a very long way round on a very narrow and busy road to walk to Sainsbury’s, just because someone seems to think we are ruining their game of golf.

Anita Ide

Bewley Road

Angmering