A CAMPAIGN group has written 12 letters - to symbolise the 12 days of Christmas – to Oxfordshire County Council opposing plans for a major road scheme in Didcot.

In June, the authority green lighted the next phase of the HIF1 Didcot and surrounding areas major infrastructure project with a revised deal with the government.

HIF1 is the combination of four projects to ensure there is capacity to connect a wave of new houses set to be built to the south of Oxford.

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This includes the building of a dual carriageway on the A4130 east of Milton Interchange, a new road bridge over the A4130, railway line and Milton Road, a river crossing linking Didcot to Culham and a bypass for Clifton Hampden.

Oxfordshire Roads Action Alliance (ORAA), a new alliance formed in November, has now written 12 ‘festive’ letters to the authority.

The titles of each letter are:

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  • On the 1st Day of Christmas my Council promised me a transport system to set us all free!
  • On the 2nd Day of Christmas my Council gave to me two HIF Schemes
  • On the 3rd Day of Christmas my Council gave to me three costly bridges
  • On the 4th Day of Christmas my Council gave to me four waiting hours
  • On the 5th Day of Christmas my Council gave to me five CPOs
  • On the 6th Day of Christmas my Council gave to me six HGV
  • On the 7th Day of Christmas my Council gave to me seven traffic jams
  • On the 8th Day of Christmas my Council gave to me eight miles of tail back
  • On the 9th Day of Christmas my Council gave to me nine miles of tarmac
  • On the 10th Day of Christmas my Council gave to me ten fuming drivers
  • On the 11th Day of Christmas my Council gave to me 11 missed appointments
  • On the 12th Day of Christmas my Council gave to me 12 miles an hour

The first letter reads: “Your transport plans have just arrived and we are so thrilled and excited thinking about how all our lives will be enriched by a new road.

“We cannot believe that you could be so kind. What a thoughtful and clever gift to bestow on us. We are all so grateful.”

The letters come after campaigners protested outside a council meeting in County Hall earlier this month.

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Protesters sang amended Christmas carols including the lyrics, “on the first day of HIFmas, my council promised to me a future supposed to be car free.”

They also held signs reading ‘no new roads’ and ‘HIF1 = waste of money’.

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This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford and Wantage.

Get in touch with her by emailing: gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @geeharland