'Full' signs have been appearing outside Seacourt park-and-ride for the first time, while Oxford's other park-and-rides have been operating close to capacity.

But traders were steadfastly refusing to get over excited about any last-minute Christmas rush, insisting trade has remained steady.

Shoppers repeatedly turned away from the 800-space park-and-ride, in Botley Road, or faced with long queues to get into the Westgate car park may have guessed new records were being set in city stores.

Over the counters, however, there was little evidence that Oxford was enjoying a bumper Christmas.

Bill McCardle, of the city centre management company OX1, said: "Nowhere appears to be experiencing any great increase in trade. Most of the traders that I have spoken to report that trade has been steady. This is what they had been expecting and I think they are happy with that.

"I would say overall it is a fairly good performance, but nothing to shout about.

"I have spoken to town centre managers in Reading, Newbury and Aylesbury and they are saying the same thing."

Craig Muir, director of the Covered Market Traders' Association, was upbeat, reporting that trade in the market was marginally up on last year.

But he said the impact of Christmas Day falling on a Saturday, the Covered Market's busiest day, had still to be evaluated.

Redbridge and Pear Tree park-and-ride continued to have spaces, thanks in part to the creation of the 485-vehicle Water Eaton park-and-ride.

The city council's transport and parking manager, Graham Smith, said: "At Seacourt we have been running at capacity for a few weeks now and have installed "full" signs so people are aware this. But the fact it is so busy between 7am and 9am suggests many users are commuters, not shoppers."