Residents and traders claim they were not consulted over plans to close Donnington Bridge Road in Oxford this summer.

The road will be shut to traffic except emergency vehicles, buses and taxis, and for access for residents, from July 10 to October 8, because of roadworks on Abingdon Road.

It will be closed Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm and Saturdays, 7.30am to 6pm, so work can be carried out on Weirs Lane.

The closure is part of ongoing work throughout the year to improve Abingdon Road.

But businesses and residents on Abingdon Road and side streets near the Weirs Lane junction, say the closure will disrupt them and have complained they were not consulted.

The first time many of them knew about it was when they received a letter informing them of a public meeting held on Monday, at St Luke's Church, Canning Crescent. The meeting was called by Jacobs Baptie, the scheme's designers, contractors Isis Accord and Oxfordshire County Council.

John Brooks, of Isis Creative Framing, in Northampton Road, said: "Lots of people haven't had letters about this. None of the people affected along Abingdon Road have been consulted.

"To get a fair reaction a consultation must have a wider scope. I thought I was coming along to discuss options but I have come to find it has already been decided."

Mohammad Afzal, who runs the Select and Save shop, suggested the work should be carried out at night.

He said: "It will be difficult whenever it is carried out. Will I be entitled to compensation for loss of business?

"If the forecourt to my shop is damaged, will it be resurfaced as part of the work to the pavements?"

But the idea was welcomed by residents of Weirs Lane and Canning Crescent, who say it was a scheme they chose when they were consulted at a public meeting on March 2 by the county council and Jacobs Baptie.

Pat Mulvihil, of Oxfordshire County Council, said: "It was not possible to contact everyone affected along Abingdon Road.

"There are safety and quality issues about working at night. There are environmental problems as the noise would disrupt residents. As for compensation for loss of business, we don't do that -- the work is a statutory duty. If we damage anyone's property, we will fix it."