Ref. 25696-128Pat Crabb, chairwoman of the North East Wiltshire Branch of the Wiltshire Ramblers' Association :

"It will be absolutely great to see the track return to its earlier state. It will be lovely to go there without seeing the cars. At the moment the track is very hard and compact. On some parts, there is no grass at all. I know that they blame the tractors but they always have the track. When they knew it was them causing the problem, farmers used to repair it every now and again. Off-road cars are now doing the main damage. It's easy to see that just by looking at the ground.

"It is worse during the winter when we get the wet weather. The ground turns soft and gets shifted by the cars. It then turns solid when the warmer weather comes in spring."

Jane Walsh, secretary of North East Wiltshire Branch of the Wiltshire Ramblers' Association:

"I think it is a real shame to see the ancient track getting worn down. The problem is with the recreational drivers not the people who have to drive down there, such as farmers and commuters. In some places the path is impassable. This ban has raised awareness of the problem."

David Gardiner, chairman of the Green Lane Environmental Action Movement. It has 2,000 members.

"Most of the damage is done during the winter months, when the off-roaders come out to drive in the challenging road conditions.

"This causes even more damage. If you go down there in those months you will find ruts in the path up to two feet deep full of stagnant water. This could be extremely dangerous for horses.

"If one stepped in there it could easily break its leg, causing it to be put down. The damage caused by the motorists cost well over £10,000 per kilometre to repair. There are many, many kilometres of damage. It is public money that is being wasted why should we have to pay this sort of money just so a small minority can exercise their right, without realising it does come with responsibility."

Rosemary Greenway, owner of Malthouse Equestrian Centre riding school:

"The ban is brilliant news for horse riders. I used to use the Ridgeway a lot but it has got bad over the past couple of years. I went up there two months ago and it was really dangerous.

"There is no flat ground on the path for the horses to walk down. The main problem is the terrain which is made of clay. The cars come down the path throwing dirt everywhere and it sets hard. Some parts of the path are covered in gravel, which is probably better for the cars, but it's bad for the horses. They would much rather have grass. Nobody has a problem with people who want to enjoy the countryside rather it's the people who just want to churn it up. They seem to get excitement out of churning it up and destroying it."

Bill France, member of Swindon Rambling Club and Ramblers' Association:

"I am all in favour of the ban. I have been out there and seen for myself the damage that these cars have been causing. About two years ago I saw an owner of a stuck Land Rover pull two fence posts out of the ground and put them behind his wheels to get him out."