6 Protection of stone walls and banks

15.58 A farmer must not remove, or remove stone from, a stone wall. Neither may s/he remove a stone bank or remove stone or earth from a stone bank, or remove an earth bank (wholly or partially).¹⁵⁰ For these purposes a ‘stone wall’ means a stone wall used as a field boundary with a continuous length of at least 10 metres, or a continuous length of less than 10 metres which meets (whether by intersection or junction) another field boundary at each end, or a continuous length of less than 10 metres which forms an enclosure.

15.59 The only circumstances where a farmer may remove, or remove stone from, a stone wall are: (i) to widen an existing gap in it no more than 10 metres in order to provide access to the land for machinery or livestock (provided that the ends of the wall created by the widening operation must be finished with a vertical face); (ii) if he uses the stone to repair another stone wall on his land which is in better condition than the stone wall from which the stone is removed; (iii) if he uses the stone to improve a public footpath on his land; or (iv) if the Secretary of State has, in order to enhance the environment or improve public access, given the farmer written permission to do so.¹⁵²