Lottery winner has to fork out £16k for blocking public path

‘Dogs were jumping into my swimming pool and cr-pping in my garden,’ says mansion owner fined for obstructing right of way

A lottery winner claimed he blocked a public footpath next to his home to stop dogs jumping in his swimming pool.
Mark Skuse, 53, of Lower Morton, near Thornbury, Glos, had put up fencing and signage that obstructed the right of way next to his six-bedroom mansion that has been popular with hikers and dog walkers for years.
Skuse, who won £120,000 with his wife Wendy in the postcode lottery two years ago, was ordered by South Gloucestershire council in May last year to reopen the path.
But he ignored the pleas and was summoned to appear at Bristol magistrates’ court on Monday where he was found guilty of obstructing the public right of way, contrary to Section 137 of the Highways Act 1980.
He was handed a £5,000 fine, along with £1,155.60 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.
Speaking after the case, Skuse claimed he was forced to restrict access and take action after a series of attempted thefts and incidents involving dogs in his garden.
Skuse, who bought the home for £1.25 million three years ago, claimed that he only blocked off the public footpath after “around seven” incidents threatening his home occurred last summer.
He claimed he had been forced to spend £60,000 to £70,000 on security measures to defend his land – which have included two guard dogs, CCTV cameras and electric gates – and said blocking the path was his last resort.
He claimed people have used the footpath to access his property and put his family’s safety at risk.
He added: “I had problems with people coming up at night with the intention of theft. We have had damage from attempted thefts.
“The path is an easy way for criminals to come up.”
Skuse, who has eight children and seven grandchildren, added: “In the summer, we all congregate out the back. We’ve got a pool, BBQ, you get people walking by. 
“They have a dog off the lead. The dog is then running, interacting with us. That’s not really on.
“Dogs come into the swimming pool, have a cr-p in the garden.
“I’ve had a dog jump in the swimming pool while the grandkids are in there. Is that acceptable?”
He claimed in July 2023 his daughter came in saying she could hear noises with people trying to break into the motorhome.
When Skuse accosted them, they ran away, he claims. He said the whole process cost him £16,000 because of the £8,000 legal bill he had to foot.
The court heard that a report was sent to the council from a member of the public in February 2023 stating that the public footpaths had been blocked for several months.
The council’s public rights of way team investigated and found that Skuse had blocked two public footpaths that crossed his land with Heras fencing and had put up a number of notices saying that the paths were temporarily closed, although a temporary closure had not been applied for.
The team sent a letter to Skuse in May 2023 informing him that this was an offence.
However, the council said this was ignored and no attempt was made at any time to engage with the council regarding the offences.
The council said it was then left with no option other than to issue a court summons to Skuse for the unlawful obstructions.
Mark King, the service director of place operations at South Gloucestershire council, said: “We’re pleased with this result, which is the first time the council has had to resort to a prosecution of this type.
“There are 783 miles (1,257km) of public rights of ways across South Gloucestershire and we have a responsibility for making sure that they are usable, safe, legal and enjoyable, in partnership with town and parish councils, landowners and the public.”