We have received the following news bulletin from the Environment Agency with  a new date for the re-opening of the road.  This is not good news and we have made our feeling’s known.  There was a meeting on Wednesday attended by District Councillor Atack and all parties concerned to sort out traffic arrangements for the Cropredy festival which will be going ahead.  Full details of these will be available soon.

Oxfordshire CC have this week been repairing all the potholes along the Chacombe road and on the Thorpe Road out of Wardington.  Any new potholes should still be reported to them Tel 0845 310 11 11 or via the OCC website

Extended road closure on A361

 Following discussions, the Environment Agency and Northamptonshire County Council Highways Department have agreed new design specifications for a section of the A361 Banbury to Daventry Road.

 Northamptonshire County Council closed the road (north of Junction 11 of the M40, near the village of Chacombe) in March this year to allow the Environment Agency to raise the level of the road to reduce the risk of it flooding. It is one element of the flood alleviation scheme for Banbury.

Northamptonshire County Council, which maintains the road, requested an amended design after a site inspection earlier this month. It is now expected the work will be complete by the end of October.

As a result, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire Highways will be working with the organisers of the Cropredy Fesitival about traffic arrangements for the weekend of 11-13 August.

Ian Tomes, Environment Agency Flood Risk Manager, said: “We know that the delay in reopening the road will come as a disappointment to local people, who had expected it to be reopened last week. Working with our contractors, we will do our best to make sure the road  is reopened as soon as possible.”

Further updates on the A361 and the progress of the Banbury  Flood Alleviation Scheme will be placed on the Environment Agency websitehttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/banbury