City bus commuters claim a five-mile journey across Oxford is taking an hour and 20 minutes because of road repairs.

Roadworks at Hollow Way

The chaos is likely to continue for at least six weeks as Transco makes urgent safety repairs to damaged gas mains.

Temporary traffic lights have been installed in High Street, Cowley Road and Hollow Way, Cowley. Permanent signals are also located along the route between the temporary lights.

Regular commuter Andrew Beal, 44, a facilities manager who works in the city, said he catches his bus at Carfax at 5.05pm. The journey usually takes 20 minutes, but recently he has not been getting home to Blackbird Leys until 6.25pm.

He said: "It would be bad enough at the best of times but in this humid weather it's murder and no-one seems to care. I've been trying to get answers from the council, but I just get passed around from one department to another, with everyone disclaiming any knowledge of what's going on.

"On top of the frustration of sitting in a bus for an hour and 20 minutes, I've been getting home to a ruined evening meal. Everyone on the bus has been seething.

"The council urges people to leave their cars at home and to use public transport and this is the result. It's rubbish. I could walk it quicker."

Lisa Roach, 32, who also lives in Blackbird Leys and commutes, said: "I'm told this is going on for six weeks and I've had enough already."

Mrs Roach, who works in a city centre store, added: "I'm going to get a bike. That's the only answer, but I'm not sure cycling is safe along the Cowley Road. A woman cyclist was killed in a collision with a bus there only a few weeks ago." Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Paul Smith said officers were aware of traffic flow problems around the roadworks on Cowley Road. The work is necessary because of damage to gas mains and the repairs are the responsibility of Transco, said Mr Smith.

He added: "We are working with Transco, who are responsible for the roadworks, to solve these problems.

"There are also problems with motorists parking their cars very close to the roadworks to visit nearby shops. This has not been helping matters and we are working to make sure this situation does not continue to hamper traffic flows."

Mr Smith said the county council had not received any complaints about hold-ups in Hollow Way or the High Street at Longwall Street.

He added: "We are certainly open to suggestions about how these roadworks can be better managed."

Stefan Soanes, acting operations manager for the Oxford Bus Company, confirmed that schedules had been hit at peak periods, but said he was "on the whole pleased with performance in trying conditions".

He added: "Conditions on Monday were exceptional because of the torrential rain during the evening rush-hour. Mostly, though, we're coping pretty well."

No-one from Transco was available to comment.