THAMES Water works which have caused long delays for drivers across Oxford will continue until Wednesday.

After another morning of heavy traffic on the A34, the company confirmed it has a work permit until Wednesday for the repairs on the Oxford ring road between the Kennington roundabout and the Hinksey Hill junction.

One lane has been closed to fix a leak, causing traffic to back up to Pear Tree on the southbound carriageway and northbound to Marcham during this morning's rush hour. 

Thames Water stressed it was working with Oxfordshire County Council to keep disruption to a minimum throughout the vital repairs.

Spokesperson Abby Turner said: “Reducing leakage and ensuring a resilient water supply for our customers is a key priority for us and a big part of our future plans.

“This work to fix a leak on the A423 is essential to protect supplies.

"We’re sorry for the delays, but a lane closure is needed for our engineers, who are working around the clock, to carry out the repair safely.

"We understand this can be frustrating for drivers and we’ll continue to do our best to finish as quickly as we can.”

The work began on Wednesday and the company has a permit for seven days.

It has already caused miles of congestion during the morning and evening rush hours, with traffic on the ring road stretching as far as Cowley earlier today, while vehicles were queuing up Boars Hill from 7am.

READ AGAIN: Thames Water works cause delays on A34 between Abingdon and M40

Yesterday morning, queues backed up past Oxford on both sides of the carriageway between Abingdon and Junction 9 of the M40.

Later on, Oxford Bus Company experienced delays 'for over an hour' on most local services during the evening rush hour.

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