UK councils are introducing increasingly “absurd” restrictions on harmless pastimes including petting ponies and wild swimming, critics say. A ban on the “feeding and petting of ponies, horses, mules or donkeys” in the New Forest is just one of the examples of local authorities using Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) to crack down on “wholesome” countryside activities, it has been alleged.
New Forest District Council brought in the measures in 2023 on the grounds that feeding and petting was “detrimental” to the animals roaming around the national park, with offenders risking a fine of up to £1,000. In a similar vein, anglers have effectively been banned from dawn or dusk fishing in Elmbridge, Surrey, after new rules prohibited casting a line between 7pm and 7am, and metal-detecting hobbyists in Lincolnshire have been told they need to apply for a permit before partaking in the popular recreation. Officials in North Lincolnshire have also banned swimming in natural water outside a club context, in what members of a civil liberty group have warned speaks to “a creeping culture of control”.
“These orders are often introduced with little consultation, and the result is a countryside increasingly littered not only with signs but with criminal offences – some of them absurd on their face,” Josie Appleton, director of Manifesto Club, told The Guardian.
“What we’re seeing is a creeping culture of control, where normal, often wholesome activities are redefined as offences. This isn’t about protecting sensitive sites – it’s about controlling harmless behaviour.”
Jon Moses, of the Right to Roam campaign, added: “We need a rules-based access system, like Scotland’s, with a comprehensive code that reflects how people use the countryside, sets clear limits on irresponsible behaviour and helps build consensus on real issues.”
Imogen Radford, from the Outdoor Swimming Society, also cautioned that councils were taking liberties with the extent of their powers and misusing the PSPO orders.
“The legislation states that there has to be an actual problem affecting local people before it can be enacted,” she explained. “The idea that wild swimming is anti-social blows my mind.”
Tessa, a dog-walker from rural Kent, recounted seeing a sign that threatened a £1,000 fine for engaging in 12 activities including shouting, swearing, drinking alcohol or using a catapult.
“I was in the middle of nowhere and suddenly there was this sign screaming at me about all the things I couldn’t do,” she said. “It’s ‘ban everything’, bureaucratic overreach; an outrageous policing of everyday behaviour.”
A spokesperson for Elmbridge council said an increase in angling had “resulted in reports of littering and human waste being deposited on the land” while the North East Lincolnshire authority claimed that “the numbers of applications received show that people continue to enjoy metal detecting responsibly within the designated areas”.
The New Forest District Council has been contacted for comment.
