Villagers north of Oxford are furious after county council bosses put up a Welcome to Oxford sign for drivers approaching Gosford and Water Eaton.

The road sign, on the old Bicester Road, has been erected just yards from another sign showing the Gosford parish boundary.

Nearby Kidlington is keen to maintain its identity as a village separate from Oxford, and residents in both communities are concerned that the new sign confuses matters.

Carl Smith, clerk to Gosford and Water Eaton Parish Council, said: "The Oxford city boundary is next to the North Oxford Golf Course, which is a long way from this new sign. Our chairman Muriel Prestidge is absolutely livid, and I think most people would like the sign to be taken down because it is misleading and inaccurate."

He said the council would be investigating whether the sign, one of six put up by Oxfordshire County Council on the approaches to Oxford, need planning permission.

The signs, all outside the city boundary and on routes to the park-and-ride car parks, are intended to alert visitors to Oxford's attractions, including museums, theatres and historic buildings.

John Cramer, principal county engineer, said: "All the signs are just beyond the city boundaries, and we are trying to give people advanced notice of what they can expect to find in Oxford.

"It would have been too confusing to put the signs right next to the city council's own signs, which show Oxford's boundaries.

"This is part of our overall signing strategy which was considered by the Oxford Transport Strategy working party, and is part of our overall plan to welcome people to Oxford.

"We are not suggesting that Oxford's suburbs have stretched this far."