Barbed wire/ an electric fence is very close to the footpath – is this allowed?

No fence or object should be placed on the line of the right of way so that access is restricted, even if it is only making the path narrower. You can find out the correct width of the right of way by contacting the surveying authority (county council or unitary authority) and asking them to check the definitive map and statement (this is the legal record of rights of way in the area).

If a landowner/land manager needs to place an electric or barbed wire fence alongside a public right of way it should be set back far enough to not cause a ‘nuisance’ to the users of the way (i.e. to allow two people to pass in opposite directions or to prevent clothing being caught).