Mum Chantelle Shayler has protested after being arrested and held in court cells for having no road tax.

The 23-year-old says she was taken in a police car to Witney police station and made to wait in the cells at the magistrates' court until mid-afternoon when her case was heard.

Mrs Shayler lives with her four-year-old daughter Carlee and mother Marion Jesty, in Market Street, Charlbury.

She said: "I was treated like a criminal and am still in shock."

Last year, she was booked for parking illegally in Witney's Corn Street and for having no road tax. She paid the parking fine and heard nothing more about the road tax.

She added: "In April I received a letter at my new home saying I had been fined and had to attend court.

"I wrote back offering to pay the fine in instalments and saying I could not be in court that day as I was on holiday. I had not heard anything since until I received a knock on the door at 8.40am, saying I had to go with the police."

When she finally appeared before magistrates in the afternoon she was ordered to pay 133.

Chief clerk to north Oxfordshire magistrates Chris Bazell said: "Mrs Shayler was issued with two notices for non-payment of fines and issued with a warrant with bail to appear before the magistrates on July 25, which she would have to sign to acknowledge.

"As she did not attend, a warrant without bail was issued."

Police spokesman David Campbell said: "The magistrates' court issued a warrant directing us to make an arrest in respect of unpaid fines.

"Our policy is to achieve this in a low-key and courteous manner. In this instance we chose a day when Witney court was sitting to lessen the inconvenience. On another day the lady might have had to go to Banbury or Bicester.

"She was not placed in a cell at the police station because that was felt to be inappropriate. We then passed her on to the court authorities."