Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthew have been locked in a village row over the use of footpaths at their £15million country estate in West Berkshire.

Pippa Middleton and her husband are at the center of a village row over the use of footpaths on their £15million property.

James Matthews, sister of the Princess of Wales and finance tycoon, moved his young family to his 145-acre country pile in West Berkshire two years ago.

The property was previously owned by the late design mogul Sir Terence Conran, who allowed locals to use the country lane that led to the Georgian manor house’s private drive.

However, Middleton and her husband decided to close the path to walkers, with signs warning ‘Private: No Public Access’ and ‘No Trespassing’ posted around the site. A villager told The Mail on Sunday that the couple’s decision to block the road was ‘outrageous’.

He added: ‘I love walking and I don’t understand why I can’t walk there. I’ve been walking there for 50 years. When Sir Terence received it he had no objection. I think we should have the right to move around.

Mrs Middleton and her husband decided to close the lane to walkers, with ‘Private: Public Access Prohibited’ and ‘No Trespassing’ signs posted around the site.

James Matthews, sister of the Princess of Wales and finance tycoon, moved his young family to his 145-acre country pile in West Berkshire two years ago.

‘These people seem overly protective of their property. I don’t think this is true. We are silent villagers. We don’t have vandalism around here. With all the postings pasted up it feels like it’s us and them.’ Another villager said: ‘I think this is very shameful. A very nice walk.

‘Even though it wasn’t officially a path, Sir Terence had no objections. He was a very nice person. Everyone liked it. He was very interested in the village.

‘It feels like they’re depriving the village of an amenity. People may get the impression that they are spreading their weight around.’

Mr Matthews, through his estate manager, submitted a Highway Declaration to West Berkshire Council in March, specifying his specific area.

The property was previously owned by the late design mogul Sir Terence Conran, who allowed locals to use the country lane that led to the Georgian manor house’s private drive.

It became clear that the road previously used by locals was off-limits. Eugene Futcher, president of the West Berkshire Ramblers, launched a counter-application seeking to have the driveway declared a public right-of-way.

The council is expected to make a decision next year, but the landowning Matthews family are allowed to impose their own restrictions until then.

But some villagers expressed their support for the couple, with one business owner saying: ‘People think it’s a right of way. He never had the right of way. They were always allowed to walk by the previous land owner, but now it is owned by someone else. (The Matthews) just exercised their rights.’

They added: ‘Idle people are narrow-minded people who have nothing and do not want others to have anything either. This is jealousy. If this was their house or garden, would they want anyone walking through it?’

Mr Matthews has been approached for comment.