One of the most historic milestones in the opening up of the British countryside was celebrated yesterday: the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Assent being given to the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act.

Footpaths and access for walkers to wide areas of the countryside have been a matter of controversy ever since but in rural areas like the Yorkshire Dales the disputes have long been solved and a stable - if not sometimes edgy - relationship has been established between landowners and ramblers.

But as the Open Spaces Society, Britain’s oldest countryside pressure group, pointed out on the anniversary, there are still many largely urban areas which have still not drawn up a “definitive plan” of the public footpaths within their boundaries – including every single London borough.

Kate Ashbrook, a Ramblers’ Association trustee and general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, commented: “The unique definitive-map law of England and Wales legally enshrines the public’s right to use paths, and it should be the envy of the rest of the world. It’s scandalous that many councils have spent six decades ignoring it.

“The 60th anniversary of the definitive-map legislation serves as a wake-up call to councils who are dragging their feet. We are challenging these councils to protect their paths and put themselves ‘on the map’, before another anniversary rolls round.”