CAMPAIGNERS say they have trespassed in a private woodland near York as part of a nationally coordinated ‘Right to Roam’ event.

A group of people said they staged the ‘mass trespass’ in Moreby Woods, near Escrick, at the weekend in a protest conceived by Extinction Rebellion.

They claimed the woods were not barred to the public until recently but landowners had erected fences and “No Trespassing” signs in recent years.

“We challenged this enclosure of nature by crossing gates and fences and pasting 'Everybody Welcome' signs over 'Private Woodlands' and 'Keep Out' signs,” they said in a press release.

“We left letters for the landowners which explain why we did this and why we are calling for a universal Right to Roam in England.

“We were careful and respectful of the flora and fauna we found, for example, making sure we didn’t disturb ground-nesting birds.

“We also picked litter as we went to leave a positive trace on the land.”

The campaigners said they believed access to nature was "a birthright, not a crime", but the English public was currently barred from 92 per cent of the land, and corporations and aristocrats owned nearly half of England, acquired over hundreds of years of enclosure of common land.

“As a result, the vast majority of people in this country are treated as strangers if they step out of the narrow slices of land the law grants them,” they said.

“We believe this is wrong and are calling for the UK Government to extend the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CRoW) to grant the public Right to Roam on private land, as is already the law in Scotland.

“Wherever we live, whatever our income, whoever we are, the right to access nature should belong to us all.

“As it stands, trespass law entrenches existing inequalities in this country, as the poorest and most marginalised are also the least likely to be able to travel to the areas that already have Right to Roam (e.g., parts of the Lake District).”

They also said a growing body of scientific evidence highlighted that being in nature can heal people, providing a restorative environment that could improve both their physical and mental health.

“Sedentary and office-bound lifestyles alienate us from our natural environment, contributing to a worrying public health crisis of obesity and heart disease, as well as a mental health epidemic that our NHS remains unequipped for. Granting the Right to Roam could make people happier and healthier.

“We trespassed peacefully, respectfully and without causing disruption. We did this to celebrate the land, our common heritage and shared responsibility, and to call for a universal Right to Roam after the example of Scotland.”

The Press had not been able to speak to the woodland’s owners for comment at time of publication.