Campaigning residents have called for a dangerous road to be widened as part of a proposed new housing development.

Mawema Tshioni collected more than 60 signatures calling for Northway, on Oxford's Barton estate to be widened, if 150 new houses are built at the site of a former school.

Mr Tshioni, of Overdale Close, said: "That road is a nightmare. It's been giving us a headache for years because it's too narrow.

"This has been requested before by individual residents, but nothing has ever been done. I got the petition together to show the whole community wants it done."

He said residents feared the road would become more dangerous if the development, proposed by building company Barratt Mercia for the Barton Village School site, went ahead, first because of construction and delivery vehicles, then because of residents' cars.

He said: "It's difficult to get a car and a bus down there and I am planning to get another petition together, collecting bus drivers' signatures."

Thomas Ford, 58, an Oxford University porter, also of Overdale Close, said a bend in Northway, near the proposed site, was particularly dangerous. He said the distance between the road and the fence was 12ft, so there was room to widen it.

Mr Ford said: "It seems stupid to put more houses here without widening it."

Sue Holden, of Barton Community Association, did not know of the petition but supported its aims.

Mick McAndrews, who represents Barton on both Oxford City Council, which is responsible for granting planning permission, and Oxfordshire County Council, which is responsible for highways, said: "If we can get that road made safer by widening it as a planning condition, that would be great.

"If not, we will have to accept 150 houses are important as a high number of them could be social housing."

Nobody from Barratt Mercia was available for comment.