A conservation charity has provided assurances that it is not going to close a public footpath at a prominent east Suffolk beauty spot.

Signs had appeared at Kyson Hill, next to the River Deben near Woodbridge, advising walkers that landowner the National Trust was submitting a deposit with Suffolk County Council.

The deposits are made to prevent the use of land as a town or village green and giving the landowner the right to "bring to an end" the use of the land for sport or other pastimes.

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However, the erection of the notice had sparked fears on social media site Facebook that the deposit may mean a cow path at the site could be closed.

But other posters suggested the move was designed to prevent the land being claimed as common land or as a village green, which would not affect the public right of way.

And a National Trust spokesperson said: “In line with the Highways Act 1980, we have submitted a highways statement to the local authority to protect the land in our care at Kyson Hill.  

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"As a landowner, one of our responsibilities is to document the current public rights of way on the land in our care and declare if there have been any changes to these.

"We do this at the places in our care approximately every 20 years and we can confirm that no changes have been made to the public rights of way at Kyson Hill.

"We hope that goes some way to reassuring you that we’re not looking to change the existing access to Kyson Hill. 

"As a charity, the National Trust does this to help ensure that the land is cared for as it was intended.”

READ MORE: Woodbridge news