A PUBLIC footpath in Wellington ordered to be reopened by a Government planning inspector remains fenced off nearly six months after the ruling.

Somerset Council admitted the public would not be able to start using the route in Tonedale until at least next year.

The council said there were ‘other priorities’ before reopening the 230-feet long path between Millstream Gardens and Burchills Hill.

The footpath was blocked more than 20 years ago when a neighbour put up a fence to stop people walking past their home.

A legal dispute over the status of the path rumbled on for more than two decades until a public inquiry settled the matter in June of this year.

The inquiry inspector accepted the lane had been in use for more than a century and should be added to the council’s definitive map of public rights of way.

Anybody who wanted to challenge the ruling was required to make a representation in the High Court by the end of August, but although none were filed, the path has remained fenced off.

A council spokesperson said: “We are working with the landowner to ensure it is made available to the public as soon as possible, while managing a heavy workload and competing priorities.”

The spokesperson said there was ‘no suggestion that anybody is refusing to do anything’.

They said: “We expect work to open up the path for public access to happen early in the New Year.

“These things can just sometimes take a bit of time.”