A public path in Welwyn Garden City was fenced off, had red tape put across and a sign claiming to be private land installed on it.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: The fenced off path with tape acrossThe fenced off path with tape across (Image: Supplied)

This is the result of 'confusion of legal status' according to Hertfordshire County Council.

The alleyway which provided access to Moneyhole Park from Stirling Way in was blocked with a sign stating that it was not a public path.

The sign stapled to a tree read 'This private alleyway is the property of Bovis Homes Ltd. It's purpose is for rear access for resident's properties only'.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: The sign which states the path is privateThe sign which states the path is private (Image: Supplied)

It appears the fence was erected by the residents as the sign also included a quote from Bovis Home Ltd which said: "'We have no interest in the land and if you want to put up a fence, as it is our land and private land with no right of way, we would not object."

However a spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “There has been some confusion over the legal status of this path, but we have established that the public do have a right to use it. We expect that the fence currently blocking access will be removed in the near future.”