HORSE riders are celebrating after winning a 25-year battle for bridleway access.
 

For more than a quarter of a century riders have struggled to use the Boxted bridleway but now the route has been cleared.
 

Brian Osman, 77, has been riding all his life and lead the campaign to bring it back into use.
 

He said: “It has been a nightmare to get something done. There are very few of them around here so it is great to be able to use it again.”
 

In 1986 the Langham bridleway on Langham Road near Boxted airfield was blocked and in 1987 attempts to clear it began.
 

The original route was between the back of Lodge House and an ornamental pond so attempts were made to get it diverted but the Open Spaces Society insisted it be restored in its current location which derailed the plans.
 

However after lobbying MPs, Essex County Council, the British Horticultural Society and anyone who would listen access was finally restored last month.