Landmark owner demands £400,000

Signs were put up warning people to stay off the Tor

The owner of a Dartmoor landmark is asking for almost £400,000 over 10 years to restore public access.

Mary Alford ended access to Vixen Tor near Merrivale in 2003, saying she feared being held liable for accidents.

She wants a one-off payment of £30,000 and an annual sum of £35,000 and insurance costs.

Dartmoor National Park, which will consider this week whether to continue talks, is offering £1,500 a year, which it says reflects usual access payments.

Appeal won

Mrs Alford put up barbed wire fences and Keep Out signs on the land after 30 years of public access to the Tor, known as the Sphinx of Dartmoor.

It was then listed for public access under the Right to Roam legislation, but the owner appealed against that and won.

Mrs Alford says she has arrived at her total following considerable research, looking at other areas and agreements.

The Tor has been the scene of protests by campaigners including the British Mountaineering Council.