Children are looking forward to a safer journey to school after it was announced pedestrian crossings would be added at traffic lights at two busy Oxford junctions.

Teachers and councillors were delighted to hear traffic lights would be upgraded at the Oxford Road/Between Towns Road and Garsington Road/Hollow Way junctions, in Cowley, following years of campaigning.

But Oxfordshire County Council has warned the work, which starts on January 4 and coincides with essential gas mains replacement work by Transco, will cause major disruption for motorists.

A section of carriageway in Oxford Road, from Between Towns Road to Hollow Way, will be closed from February 28 and temporary traffic lights set up while Transco carries out excavation work. The replacement scheme is due to take four weeks.

Permanent traffic lights will be replaced with new lights at the junctions and pedestrian phases installed at both.

At present, pedestrians have to wait for lights to turn red before crossing. The new pedestrian phase will allow them to press a button to control lights and "green men" lights will show them when it is safe to cross.

Roads and footpaths will also be resurfaced at both junctions.

Hilary Webb, headteacher of Our Lady's Primary School, said the changes would greatly improve safety for its 310 pupils, who regularly walk from the Oxford Road school to Our Lady of Christians Church and Old Temple Cowley Field, in Hollow Way. She said: "We are absolutely delighted about the improvements. It is something we have been campaigning for over two years.

"It will certainly improve safety in and around the school."

Mrs Webb said funding had come from the school's successful bid two years ago to the county council's Better Ways to School scheme, which aims to improve safety and encourage pupils to walk to school.

Temple Cowley county councillor Biddy Hudson said: "I am pleased we have been able to make safety improvements at these two junctions.

"I have been campaigning for this for many years and it will certainly be a benefit to the local community."

David Robertson, the county's executive member for transport, said the council decided to link the improvements with Transco's work to minimise disruption.

Motorists and commuters have faced long delays throughout this year while Transco carried out replacement work along the whole stretch of Cowley Road.

Mr Robertson said: "It's going to be a major disruption, but it would have been much worse if we had carried out the work separately and I think this is a good example of partnership work and forward thinking."