The Cow Lane Bridge underpass in Didcot may be temporarily reopened after an avalanche of complaints -- but not before April.

County councillors have been bombarded with criticism over their handling of the closure of the town's north-south link between the Ladygrove estates and the town centre.

The road will be closed to traffic for nine months while work is carried out on the new £5.3m road between Station Road and lower Broadway.

Most of the closure signs did not go up until the day the underpass was shut.

It remains open for pedestrians and cyclists, although this is not made clear on temporary signs. But even they could not use the underpass at the weekend after vandals tore down portable 8ft-high metal fencing on both sides of the bridge and smashed lighting.

Many people have complained at the lack of warning that the underpass was closing and say they are facing longer journey times.

Town council leader Mike McNulty said he was calling for an urgent meeting with the county council's director of environmental services, David Young.

County councillor Neville Harris, who lives in Ladygrove, said he was disappointed at the lack of communication between Babtie, the contractor, and local councillors, who had had no opportunity to discuss the closure.

He said he had met a senior council council official and contractors on site and was assured that the position would be reviewed in April, with a view to reopening the road to traffic temporarily.

Cllr Harris said: "In my opinion the arrangements could have been much better managed."

Parents have also complained about the unexpected month-long closure of Brickfields subway, at the eastern end of the new road, a safe route to school for many children from Ladygrove.