A PETITION against a major new road through the Oxfordshire countryside has been handed into 10 Downing Street, carrying more than 15,000 signatures.

Layla Moran, Lib Dem MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said today that 'the end is nigh for the Expressway' as she joined a cross-party group of MPs and community activists to deliver the No Expressway Group’s petition to 10 Downing Street.

During the General Election, the Conservatives promised a ‘review’ of the Expressway, although no further official announcement has been made on the future of the project.

Ms Moran has called for the Expressway to be scrapped and replaced with a fully electrified East-West Rail.

She said: “There are rumours at the moment that the Expressway is about to be cancelled by the Conservatives, but this is no substitute for a formal announcement from the Government. I hope the delivery of the petition will encourage the Government to scrap the motorway project soon.

“But this is also about what comes next. We need more sustainable transport, and that’s why I’m looking for the Government to commit to a fully electrified East-West Rail in the Expressway’s place.”

Last week, Henley MP John Howell said he thought the Expressway would likely be scrapped in the March 11 government budget.