While doing some research recently, i came across an alarming rapidly rising trend of off road routes being deliberately blocked. These deliberate obstructions were not the usual small piles of rocks placed there by anti 4X4 brigades, but fully engineered obstructions requiring heavy equipment to construct them. Many simply appear overnight and take similar styles of construction.

Deep holes are excavated, these are deep enough to swallow a 4X4 and have a properly constructed entrance and a flat exit so once a vehicle is in it cannot get out. Most have an entry formed from large logs or railway sleepers to form steps, and these are heavily pinned so they do not move, and the holes are filled with water so they cannot be seen, and are so slippery that driving out in impossible.

Large mounds of earth or rocks are deposited to considerable heights across routes, these are generally in excess of 100 tonnes or more, so cannot be driven over or around, or moved with a shovel.

Gates are nailed shut where they are wooden, the gate is nailed with heavy nails to the wooden gatepost, metal gates usually have several heavy duty chains wrapped round them with many heavy duty locks securing them.
The one common denominator is the fact that all these deliberate obstructions appear overnight, and need heavy plant to excavate holes so deep, or to move so much earth in such a short time frame, and there is always an access or route for pedestrians.

This discounts most as being irate farmers, or the previously thought bomb holes dug for recovery companies to make a few easy quid for themselves. Often it is farmers or forestry workers who report these deliberate obstructions, local authorities are suddenly having to deploy considerable resources to clear them.

Many locl authorities are becoming increasingly concerned by this deliberate vandalism of legal off road routes, particularly the safety aspects as they are legally liable for such routes, and any accidents occuring on them where personal injuries are sustained.
Many cases have been reported of holes being excavated to 4 metres deep, filled with water and a vehicle trapped i them means the risk of death is very real to the occupants.

Should we set up a section on this site to record such deliberate incidents, this would help local authorities to establish when they are dug, where they are being dug, and provide evidence of the frequency of such occurences. Police forces are also concerned, they thing a spate of plant thefts may be directly connected to these incidents, and they would welcome any help in catching these criminals.

Advice to anyone encountering such incidents is to make a note of their location, photograph them imediately and in as much detail as possible, and possibly with the date and time in the photograph.
Report incidents immediately to the local authority responsible, the Police, or the National Park Authority if it is in a national park. Do not touch or tamper with them as they may contain items of evidencial value, and try to warn other users of their existance.