RESIDENTS and business owners braved the rain and coronavirus fears to make their voice heard and challenge against the closure of an Oxford street.

The Jericho Traders Association is unhappy with Oxfordshire County Council's decision to close Walton Street in Jericho.

The council has closed the road in an attempt to improve air quality and reduce congestion in the area.

However, about 20 members of the community joined together to protest the closure.

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Geoff Taylor, who has owned designer furniture and homewares store Central Living in Little Clarendon Street for 22 years, said: "I've been in Little Clarendon Street for around 30 years and I'm concerned about the street closure that's been thrust upon us, we all pay substantial business rates.

"We've lost a of people using the street as a thoroughfare as we have a lot of clients who come from afar.

"I've seen a substantial drop in clientele which automatically means a drop in trade.

"All our neighbours have suffered equally, it's a lovely community area which has been blown apart by this.

"All it does is is move the traffic on to St Giles."

Oxford Mail:

Pip McAllister, a resident part of Jericho Connections, a group of residents who have got together to campaign against the road closure.

The resident of 30 years said: "From the people I've spoken to, I would say we are more against than for this.

"We're protecting our community with what started off as a petition to the council in November, and the petition is now coming up to about 1,000 signatures.

"We then set up a Facebook group that has took off and now has about 200 members.

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"There's also been a lot of support from the elderly who are not on social media.

"The majority of the businesses have been here for 20 to 30 years and have had to weather all sorts of storms."

Another of those business owners, James Salter, who has run hair salon Cowboymod in Walton Street for 25 years, said: "I live and work here and one affect on me is getting my son to school in Wallingford.

"I have clients who come in from the Cotswolds, Milton Keynes and Bristol and those people aren't going to come if they can't actually get here."