A South Hams MP has been having his say about the outcome of a High Court case affecting wild camping on Dartmoor.

Speaking in a video Totnes MP Anthony Mangnall said there had been a great deal of misinformation about the wild camping case on Dartmoor.

He said: “Wild camping is not being banned and the right to roam is not being restricted. So what actually happened this weekend is that Dartmoor National Park said that Clause 10 Section One does not give the recreational right to allow wild camping.

“It was a clarification and what needs to happen now is either an amendment to the Dartmoor National Park Act to include wild camping or for the Dartmoor National Park Authority to come to an agreement with the landowners that own land surrounding and on Dartmoor National Park. I hope that they can do a combination of both actually, come to an agreement with the landowners and look to try and change the rules on this matter.

Mr Mangnall has also revealed that his election campaign received a donation of £5,000 in 2019 from the landowner who took the High Court action over wild camping, the hedge fund owner and farmer Alexander Darwell.

Mr Darwell and his wife Diana own the 4,000-acre Blachford Estate near Ivybridge.

Anthony Mangnall stressed that the donation was a one-off and had gone to Totnes Conservative Association and not to him personally.

He said he was personally in favour of wild camping, of the right to roam and of protecting Dartmoor National Park.

Mr Mangnall said the donation had had no impact on the decisions he makes, has not restricted him in saying anything or made him in favour of one position or another.

The wild camping issue will also affect the Duchy of Cornwall which owns around a third of Dartmoor. The estate was founded in 1337 by Edward III. It is the possession of the Duke of Cornwall currently Prince William who is also the Prince of Wales.

Following talks on January 18, Dartmoor National Park struck a deal with some of the landowners whereby they would pay to allow the public to continue to free camp but permission could be withdrawn at any time.