- Latest available (Revised)
- Point in Time (01/01/1996)
- Original (As enacted)
Countryside Act 1968
You are here:
What Version
Advanced Features
- Show Geographical Extent(e.g. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Show Timeline of Changes
Opening Options
More Resources
Changes over time for: Section 27
Version Superseded: 22/07/2004
Alternative versions:
Status:
Point in time view as at 01/01/1996. This version of this provision has been superseded.
Status
You are viewing this legislation item as it stood at a particular point in time. A later version of this or provision, including subsequent changes and effects, supersedes this version.
Note the term provision is used to describe a definable element in a piece of legislation that has legislative effect – such as a Part, Chapter or section.
Changes to legislation:
There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Countryside Act 1968, Section 27.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.
27 Signposting of footpaths and bridleways.E+W
(1)A highway authority, after consultation with the owner or occupier of the land concerned, shall have power to erect and maintain signposts along any footpath [F1bridleway or byway] for which they are the highway authority.
(2)Subject to subsection (3) below, at every point where a footpath [F1bridleway or byway] leaves a metalled road the highway authority shall in exercise of their power under subsection (1) above erect and maintain a signpost—
(a)indicating that the footpath [F1bridleway or byway] is a public footpath [F1bridleway or byway], and
(b)showing, so far as the highway authority consider convenient and appropriate, where the footpath [F1bridleway or byway ]leads, and the distance to any place or places named on the signpost.
(3)A highway authority need not erect a signpost in accordance with subsection (2) above at a particular site if the highway authority, after consulting the council of the parish in which the site is situated, or as the case may be the chairman of the parish meeting for the parish, not having a parish council, in which the site is situated, are satisfied that it is not necessary, and if the parish council, or as the case may be the chairman of the parish meeting, agree.
(4)It shall also be the duty of a highway authority in exercise of their powers under subsection (1) above to erect such signposts as may in the opinion of the highway authority be required to assist persons unfamiliar with the locality to follow the course of a footpath [F1bridleway or byway].
(5)With the consent of the highway authority, any other person may erect and maintain signposts along a footpath [F2bridleway or byway].
(6)[F3Section 131(2) of the M1Highways Act 1980 (destruction or defacement of a traffic sign)] shall apply to a signpost erected or placed along a footpath [F2bridleway or byway] in pursuance of this section as it applies to a traffic sign placed on or near a highway . . . F4
(7)In this section (and in the amendments made by this section in other enactments) references to signposts shall include references to other signs or notices serving the same purpose and references to the erection of a signpost shall include references to positioning any such other sign or notice.
[F5(8)In this section “byway” means a byway open to all traffic, that is to say, a highway over which the public have a right of way for vehicular and all other kinds of traffic, but which is used by the public mainly for the purposes for which footpaths and bridleways are so used.]
Textual Amendments
F1Words substituted by Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (c. 69, SIF 4:5), s. 65(1)
F2Words substituted by Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (c. 69, SIF 4:5), s. 65(1)
F3Words substituted by Highways Act 1980 (c. 66, SIF 59), Sch. 24 para. 17(a)
F4Words repealed by Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c. 27, SIF 107:1), Sch. 14
F5S. 27(8) inserted by Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (c. 69, SIF 4:5), s. 65(2)
Marginal Citations
M11980 c. 66(59).
Options/Help
Print Options
PrintThe Whole Act
PrintThe Whole Cross Heading
PrintThis Section only
Legislation is available in different versions:
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
Point in Time: This becomes available after navigating to view revised legislation as it stood at a certain point in time via Advanced Features > Show Timeline of Changes or via a point in time advanced search.
See additional information alongside the content
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Opening Options
Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once
More Resources
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- correction slips
- links to related legislation and further information resources
Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
More Resources
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- correction slips
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- links to related legislation and further information resources
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This site additionally contains content derived from EUR-Lex, reused under the terms of the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of documents from the EU institutions. For more information see the EUR-Lex public statement on re-use.