Buskers have hit out at a strict new set of rules which aim to clamp down on street musicians in the city centre.

A "busking code of practice" issued last week bans all use of amplifiers and says buskers can only play for a maximum of one hour a day.

But musicians with loud instruments, such as drums and bagpipes, can now only play for 30 minutes a day.

It comes after a row over bagpiper Heath Richardson, who divided opinion with his playing.

Previously, performers could play all day if they took a two-hour break after one hour - half an hour for loud instruments - or moved to a new designated pitch, of which there are nine in the city.

Battery-powered amps were also allowed.

The council has promised to review the new scheme after the summer.

But Peter Strakos, a guitar-playing singer who busks once a week in Oxford, said: "The buskers who are coming to Oxford won't be able to make enough money in an hour.

"It has more or less killed busking in Oxford as we know it.

"It has been going on for years and I am sure many people love it. If you sing or play guitar without amplification, nobody can hear you.

"It comes down to how much will the council follow the rules."

Mr Strakos plays a gig at The Bridge nightclub, in Hythe Bridge Street, every Friday before busking in Cornmarket Street on Saturdays.

He said: "There are many students and tourists and I think the council does not realise we make a big contribution to the tourism."

On Thursday, professional bagpiper Stuart Maclaughlan came down from Sheffield to play in Cornmarket Street.

But the 42-year-old, who had not visited Oxford in 10 years, said he was ordered away by an Environmental Health officer.

He said: "I think it is disgusting. The restrictions are out of order.

"I have never had anything like this before in my life, in 17 years of playing professionally.

"I work in 70 or 80 cities and I won't ever visit Oxford again. I am just disgusted at the attitude from Environmental Health.

"I accept that not all people like the bagpipes, but I am only doing a job. There are traffic noises in the city that drown out buskers, so the office workers must expect some noise."

Councillor Colin Cook, chairman of the central south and west area committee, which approved the new code, admitted it was a result of complaints against Mr Richardson.

He said: "We are loathe to see the dread hand of local government intervening on such issues - we were always hoping things could be resolved on an informal basis.

"However, that did not happen and so we had to try to come up with some sort of changes which would strike a reasonable balance between the needs of office workers and the need for a vibrant, cultural city centre."

He said non-musical performers were unlikely to be affected by the rule change and said buskers who broke the rules may not be punished if no complaints are received.

Bagpiper Heath Richardson was at the centre of a busking bust-up last year, when workers in Cornmarket Street set up a petition to stop his performances.

The musician responded with a petition of his own, which he said received 1,000 signatures - of which 75 per cent were from Oxford residents.

Mr Richardson, who said he has always abided by Oxford's busking code, said: "The previous rules were really good because everyone got a turn in a spot and could move around, but it has all gone to pot."

Having previously been able to earn £25 an hour, Mr Richardson, who last played in Oxford on Wednesday, now makes about £10 an hour.

He said: "It is not really going to be worth it at all any more."