A town council has broken its silence over the weekend closure of a well-used sports ground.

Bicester Town Council announced that Whitelands Farm Sports Ground would be closed on Saturday and Sunday until further notice on Tuesday, October 29, in a public statement.

In a statement, the council said: "The circumstances are both unfortunate and unavoidable and we will do everything we can to return the service as soon as possible."

A number of town councillors told us previously that they were not informed about the weekend closure and the Oxford Mail was repeatedly referred to clerk, Phil Evans, for comment. 

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Today (November 11), Mr Evans issued a statement about the closure. 

He said: “Due to an unexpected staff shortage, we are actively recruiting new team members to support our operations.

"Our team is working diligently to maintain our opening hours to the fullest extent possible, and we expect to return to normal hours shortly.

"We sincerely thank residents for their patience and understanding during this time.”

Mr Evans did not provide a reopening date.

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Last week Conservative councillors called for an emergency meeting of the full Bicester Town Council, which must legally be arranged within the next seven days.

The councillors blasted the council for offering no "public communication as to why" and giving residents "no plan" about when it might reopen.

The sports ground, located on Whitelands Way, is Bicester's "premier sports facility" used for sports including football and rugby.