WOODEN stakes put up on a grass verge to stop dog walkers parking their cars have left the walkers ‘up in arms’.

So says Knutsford resident Kate Hammond, who said the stakes were unnecessary and had caused a great deal of frustration.

Kate lives on The Ways estate, and uses a path off Goughs Lane leading to Toft Wood when she walks her dog.

She said the path had seen greater use by dog walkers since a path from the car park at nearby St John’s Church at Toft to Windmill Wood and Toft Wood had been shut off.

The permissive path was closed because of dogs fouling the path and crops on adjacent farmland.

Kate believes the dog walkers who had used the now-closed path to the wood had switched to using the path from Goughs Lane to access the wood.

She said: “About eight or nine posts, which look dreadful, have been put up along the grass verge in Goughs Lane to stop cars parking on the verge.

“They are near the entrance to the path which people are using to the walk their dogs, especially at the moment when Tatton Park is full of rutting deer.”

Kate was out walking her dog as she came across numerous dog walkers at the entrance to the path as the posts were being put in the grass verge.

She said: “Everyone was up in arms about the posts being put in, and were saying it was ridiculous. This person has caused a lot of frustration by doing something which was unnecessary.

“In addition by stopping everyone from parking on the grass verge it has caused a knock-on effect of people parking in the road, which is causing tailbacks, especially when people are going to work.

“The stakes which have been put in are scrappy pieces of wood, and look dreadful.”