A LOCAL authority yesterday replied to criticism that footpaths in North Yorkshire were among the worst in England.

North Yorkshire County Council said that, in most parts of the county this year, the foot-and-mouth crisis had prevented staff from getting on to land to work on public rights of way.

Next year, if a provisional budget was approved by councillors, it was hoped to put an additional £200,000 into the footpath network.

A survey just published by the Countryside Agency found that only 22pc of North Yorkshire paths were easy to follow, compared with a national average of 62pc.

Stiles and gates were considered the worst in England, with 3,293 stiles needing attention and 921 deemed unusable.

The county fared better in erecting signposts for paths, but the agency said its figure of 62pc was still below the national average of 67pc.

Ramblers' Association spokesman Mr Keith Wadd said: "The results of the survey confirm what we have been saying for several years about the poor state of North Yorkshire footpaths.

"To get them into good condition would be an asset for the healthy recreation of all who live in the country and it would also boost tourism."

The association is campaigning for North Yorkshire to increase its rights of way budget by £200,000 in each of the next three years and to double the number of footpath staff from eight to 16.

Nearly all of the North Yorkshire paths closed by foot-and-mouth have re-opened. Most in the upper Wensleydale and Thirsk areas re-opened this week but paths crossing farmyards or farm buildings directly affected by the outbreak remain closed.

A county council spokesman said yesterday: "We have doubled the number of staff working on rights of way on the ground, and in this financial year we put additional money into the budget to help maintain and improve the network.

"In conjunction with the Ramblers' Association, we have devised policies on ploughing, cropping and obstructions, and those policies talk about taking a much tougher line with farmers who obstruct rights of way.

"This has been a very difficult year, with staff being unable to get on to land because of foot-and-mouth.

"In draft budget proposals for 2002-03, there has been identified £200,000 of additional funding to spend on rights of way.

"We want to work with ramblers and all user groups and have regular meetings with them. We are meeting the ramblers towards the end of January for a wide-ranging discussion.''

In the meantime, celebrations were called for in upper Wensleydale as more public rights of way were opened up in time for the festive season.

On Boxing Day, in bright crisp conditions, Richmond MP Mr William Hague and his wife, Ffion, joined local business people at Askrigg to celebrate with a photo call. The group then walked from Low Straits through the Giants' Cradle, over the meadows and into Mill Gill to enjoy the waterfalls.

Chairman of the Upper Wensleydale business and tourism association, Mrs Kate Empsall, said: "It is ten months since our paths closed, which has had a devastating effect on local businesses heavily dependent on keen walkers. It has been equally disheartening for local people, who have lost access to their favourite sites and quiet spaces.

"When we saw Mr Hague in his office in London, in May, he promised he would help us celebrate when our paths re-opened, and he has kept that promise. We never envisaged that it would take so long to get back to normal.