Villagers could benefit from a vastly improved transport service in rural areas under a new proposal being discussed by Oxfordshire County Council.

The council's Environment Scrutiny Committee is to investigate the possibility of using Post Office minibuses to provide transport links as part of a review of bus services.

The scheme would involve using minibuses to collect mail from post boxes which would also offer people a ride, for a charge, to the nearest town.

The idea is the brainchild of Cllr Julian Cooper, who represents Woodstock. He suggested it could be a useful way of ensuring public transport to rural areas, some of which have one bus a week but twice-daily mail collections.

He said: "This type of service will enable such hamlets as Worton to receive a daily service."