Claudia wins battle with ramblers

Claudia Schiffer has won her fight to close a footpath on her Elizabethan manor house - because the public could be endangered in the paparazzi scrum for her wedding pictures.

The weekend closure of the path follows threats by angry ramblers to protest outside Coldham Hall in Lawshall, Suffolk, where the reception will be held after her marriage tomorrow to film producer Matthew Vaughn.

The public right of way will be closed 12 hours by order of Suffolk county council.

A sign pointing hikers in the direction of the "public footpath" mysteriously disappeared yesterday as preparations in the grounds for the wedding began in earnest.

A spokesman for the county council said: "We received a request from the police to close the right of way because of the considerable media attention the event will attract.We have granted a temporary closure order from 2pm Saturday until 2am Sunday under the Road Traffic Regulations Act.

"There is a likelihood of danger to the public and we are concerned public safety will be compromised."

The decision to grant the temporary closure order today infuriated local ramblers, who plan to protest outside the home.

Hiker John Andrews, the 64-year-old secretary of Suffolk Ramblers' Association, said: "The decision is laughable. This is exactly what happens when people have money and influence. I am told that journalists, German ones especially, and the paparazzi are the ones that are causing most concern. But this is just an excuse to close the path."

John Beamish, 67, of the Ramblers Association of Bury St Edmunds, said: "Any decision to close our footpath will be most upsetting. We had planned a protest when the sign went missing. We had hoped both parties would discuss the problem before it got too heated. People love walking that route, some people do it every day."

The county council launched an investigation to discover what happened to the wooden sign. It disappeared as preparations began to put up marquees in the grounds of the couple's new home, where they will host a lavish reception for guests including Guy Ritchie, Sir Elton John and Sting and wife Trudie. A council spokeswoman said: "We class the removal of footpath signs as an act of vandalism. Our officers have been informed and will take action to ensure it is replaced."

The couple have been granted a special licence by the Church of England to marry at St George's, a 14th century village church in nearby Shimpling and afterwards guests will party for two days at the house.

The wedding will culminate on Sunday afternoon with a football match and brunch.

Meanwhile, Schiffer today signed a £450,000 deal with Hello! magazine to cover the wedding. The arrangement covers the British edition of the magazine and the Spanish and French editions of Hola!.

Schiffer's modelling contract with L'Oreal cosmetics, a major Hello! advertiser, is thought to have been pivotal in the deal.