Angry villagers have handed in a petition calling on Oxfordshire County Council to build a footpath on a busy and dangerous stretch of road.

Villagers in Appleton, near Cumnor, are so determined to get a path built along Netherton Road that the parish council is prepared to help fund the project.

The petition, which was signed by 150 residents, was handed to the county council's highways committee yesterday. It calls for action after what they say has been 35 years of inactivity and buck-passing.

Rose Uren, of Netherton Road, said: "The parish council has tried for years to get the county council to build a footpath, but without success.

"They say it cannot afford it, but there seems to be money available for re-building the footpath along the A420 main road between Besselsleigh and Cumnor, not once but twice over the last ten years."

She is worried about the safety of parents who have to walk along Netherton Road twice a day to take children to and from school.

"With no path, an uneven and seldom cut grass bank, damaged road edges and quite heavy traffic, it is a nightmare.

"I believe there will be a major accident along this stretch of road."

Margaret Reading, chairman of the Appleton-with-Eaton Parish Council, said: "Enough is enough. The parish council is right behind the campaign."