Pressure is building on Oxfordshire County Council in a bid to prevent the closure of Cogges Manor Farm Museum.

A petition signed by hundreds of people calling for the Witney working farm museum to be saved has been circulating in the town and schools. It will be presented on Wednesday before a meeting of the county council's social and public services scrutiny review committee.

The future of the farm has come under review as the council seeks to save £250,000 in its museum service. The 20-acre site could be sold and staff made redundant as part of an overhaul.

But campaigners are not prepared to surrender without a fight and were busy at the weekend convincing visitors at the end-of-season closure of Cogges of the need to preserve the working Victorian farm and museum.

Judy Poole, front right, from Newlands Mill, Witney, was dressed in Victorian costume with a placard around her neck calling on the public to join in the fight to prevent closure.

She said: "It is inconceivable that they should be thinking of closing Cogges Farm.

"It is a wonderful educational resource and a unique piece of English heritage. We must fight to save it."