Council Owned Parks

[Jonola (Jon)]

What is the law regarding detecting in council owned parks? Do you write to the Town Hall for permission and has anyone done this? Is there a blanket ban on detecting? If anyone has any experience of this question I would be grateful or any replies.

Jon

[waltonbasinman]

If you are able to obtain permission from any council in the UK then you are indeed the mighty lord of all that has gone before. As an ex council employee as i understand the rules,  there is a blanket ban on all council owned parks, fields, farms and all ancillary land with access to the above. Anybody found to be doing so will be immediately prosecuted.

[Jonola (Jon)]

I thought it would be something like that  I have asked a local councillor for the relevant bye laws but he has yet to produce them .Too busy working out his expenses I expect. Cheers Paul.

[Merlin]

If there isn`t a sign showing the bye laws how are you supposed to know?You could always plead ignorance I guess.

[waltonbasinman]

Most councils are nearly broke and have no money to update signage, but if you check their websites they will have notices on them.

[Merlin]

So how many people have gone parks etc without informing the council? Anyone been challenged while detecting on council land?

[waltonbasinman]

Again most councils are that broke that unless they would be sure of a win in court you might get away with it unless they somehow involved the police in criminal damage charges or something similar.

[proconsul]

Cardiff Scan Club members have permission to detect on Cardiff parks so long as they hold a special card which they can obtain through the club.

Geoff

[Merlin]

How about a detecting wales card? Might be nice to have something to show councils,could maybe sway them if you could show you belong to a responsible group of detectors.

[Jonola (Jon)]

I'd love to detect my local park. It's 60 odd acres but I would be the one they prosecuted   

[bymatt666 (byron)]

about 4 years ago i phoned our council and asked how i stood on this matter..i was put through to the legal department and a very nice chap said he thought it was ok,as long as i did'nt dig up any flower beds.... he kept me on line while he checked the legal docs and said there were no by-laws stopping metal detectors being used on our parks...but he declined to send me a letter confirming this....so..i still have'nt been on any parks yet...but i will approach the authorities sometime and ask again.....byron

[Nick]

When I worked on the Parks, donkeys years ago, I remember the foreman digging up 2 full sovereigns whilst turning over the flower beds. Barry Island.

Nick

[Charles Cater]

There is no bye-law that actually states you cannot detect in any park.
It is obvious you would not dig on cultivated land such as gardens in parks.

If a clever clogs comes up to you and says that it is illegal then ask him to point to a bye-law prohibiting detecting.

He will never find one because there isn't one, all past government will state to the local authority that there are enough bye-laws in place to stop 'the digging of turf' which was used in the 1700's to stop people from digging turf for burning similar to peat.

You can detect for all your worth as long as you don't dig, stupid ain't it.

By the way If you also go on to a footpath carrying a detector and the farmer objects then tell him you have permission to go two fields further on and that you are using the footpath as a shortcut. There is nothing he can do from that point of view as you are not trespassing.
 Another is that if you do detect in a park make sure that all the turf is put back without a trace of you being there and if this clever clogs asks you want to point out if he can see where you have been he would have a problem, it has happened.

 Horse riding does more damage but that is not banned so why us.