"'This laneway on my neighbour's land is the only way in to my field and I've been using it as long as I can remember. But I'm worried the new owners could block me' Query: Dear Mary Frances, I hope you can advise me because I am in a very troubling situation. I have a field that I can only reach by travelling up a laneway that lies entirely on my neighbour's property."
"For as long as I can remember, that laneway has been the only way in or out of the field. There is no gate anywhere else, no track, no alternative entrance. It has always been that laneway or nothing."
An owner relies solely on a neighbour’s laneway for access to a field with no alternative entrance. Long, open, continuous use without permission can create a prescriptive easement, commonly established after about 20 years in England and Wales. An easement of necessity may arise if the land was severed and no other access existed at that time. The owner should check Land Registry and title documents for any registered rights, gather historical evidence and witness statements, approach the neighbour to clarify rights, and consult a solicitor. If blocked, seek urgent legal remedies including injunctions or declarations of right.
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