Dear Ken - it is very nice to hear from you
My clarification is in blue, below
Dear Mr Weller,
Thank you for your email. I am unsure about what you were doing and where it was. Therefore, Ken don't you think you first need to be sure of your facts?
You seem to think you are allowed to prepare a path along the public verge. If you are not on the public verge, you are on private land that does not belong to you. There has been a path along the public verge ever since it was created, many decades ago between Illey Mill and Bromsgrove Road. I was simply making it clearer on the grass verge to bypass the bluebells that your County Council tractor, last year had squashed and destroyed by its wheel tracks. On the section SE of the grass verge, the woodland verge of the public highway, I was simply re-clearing the path along your side of the boundary post and rail fence, next to the overgrown, neglected and overgrown woodland in your ownership. I was doing your work for you, since your staff have the funds for their salaries and wages but, it seems, not the funds to do the rather necessary work to keep the public safe by properly maintaining the path, grass verge and woodland.
Thank you for your email. I am unsure about what you were doing and where it was. Therefore, Ken don't you think you first need to be sure of your facts?
You seem to think you are allowed to prepare a path along the public verge. If you are not on the public verge, you are on private land that does not belong to you. There has been a path along the public verge ever since it was created, many decades ago between Illey Mill and Bromsgrove Road. I was simply making it clearer on the grass verge to bypass the bluebells that your County Council tractor, last year had squashed and destroyed by its wheel tracks. On the section SE of the grass verge, the woodland verge of the public highway, I was simply re-clearing the path along your side of the boundary post and rail fence, next to the overgrown, neglected and overgrown woodland in your ownership. I was doing your work for you, since your staff have the funds for their salaries and wages but, it seems, not the funds to do the rather necessary work to keep the public safe by properly maintaining the path, grass verge and woodland.
The many more walkers enjoying their daily coronavirus exercise walk were having to use the tarmac on this narrow, busy and fast country lane. Their safety was being put at risk with, sometimes cars, vans, trucks and lorries having to brake, swerve and accelerate around them.
Please, Ken could you give me your active support for the footpath to be made a public right of way, with signs and waymarking? It is entirely on your land for which you are responsible.
In both cases, what you are doing is illegal and hence the council employee has remonstrated with you to get you to stop. You do not seem to want to accept that instruction. In the circumstances, it is not surprising he was angry with you. Your self proclaimed Mr James of Bromsgrove District Council, on three occasions, behaved inappropriately as an officer of your council. Far from remonstrating with me, he threatened to beat me up and, if I remember correctly, on Sunday morning 19 April, he said he was going to kill me. In his efforts to do so, he plunged his arms and body into the hedge, through the boundary post and rail fence, and grabbed the handlebars of my bike to stop me riding off. Yet, a couple of minutes earlier he shouted at me to "Get away or I'm going to come round and beat you up." Exactly what I was trying to do - get away! Two or three of his friends gathered around him and did nothing to restrain this violent man. All of them were breaking coronavirus law in breaking the social distancing rule.
I thought I had made this clear in my statement to you. However, you wrote,
He would have been within his rights to arrest you for wilful damage.
He would have been within his rights to arrest you for wilful damage.
Even your second motorbike officer, whom I obeyed immediately when he impatiently shoved his ID in front of me at my request, was unable to understand about public safety on the public highway. He was most insistent that pruning the hedge to reinstate the path was all on private land. I thought the stems of the hedge have been part of the public highway for all the 44 years I have lived in Halesowen. The fence, I have always thought was on the boundary. Could you confirm that, please?
Clearly, you do not accept that, and I would be pleased to know how you can justify your actions. Clearly, my friend, I do think you need to re-read my full statement, below and quickly act to put things right, to safeguard my safety and to ensure that this intimidation by one of your supposed officers is stopped. I would ask that public safety is put at the top of your agenda by the reinstated path being officially recognised as a public right of way on the public highway.
Best regards,
With every good wish and thanks so much for your interest in giving me your thoughts. I always welcome your thoughts and ideas.
Ken Pollock
Tim
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