Visitors driving on ancient trail in Oxfordshire could be damaging 'irreplaceable archaeology'
Video report by ITV News Meridian's Penny Silvester
Visitors to the Ridgeway National Trail in the south of Oxfordshire are being urged not to drive or park where they are not allowed, following an increase in reports of damage to the ancient trackway.
The Ridgeway is Britain's oldest road used since prehistoric times. You can walk cycle or ride there, but when the car parks are full visitors are driving onto the ancient trail and parking on the verges, often without realising the damage it is doing.
Sarah Wright from Oxfordshire County Council says it is about more than just damaging the grass.
She says: "Under the surface there is archaeology so its not just about damage to the grass or making it unsightly, it's also about the possibility that you are damaging irreplaceable archaeology."
"It is an historic route where we have lots of historic features. There are lumps and bumps that could be old field boundaries that are thousands of years old or artefacts buried in the ground that we haven't found yet, and they will get crushed if people drive over them."
There's real concern that the problem is only to get worse over the Christmas holiday period as families head to the popular walking route.
Visitors are being urged to check the Ridgeway website here to see where the car parks are and not to drive or park where they are not allowed.