Residents of an Oxfordshire village fear their local shopping street is becoming derelict as traders move out.

Wheatley has seen its Co-op and newsagent close during the past year.

Fresh concern has been sparked after family butcher Samuels, on the corner of Station Road and the High Street, announced its closure.

Raymond Bushnell, from Wheatley High Street, blames road-calming measures for a drastic fall in village trade and loss of local shopping facilities. He said: "The butcher has been in the village for more than 60 years, but is being forced to close because of the stupidity of the traffic-calming system. It has reduced parking in the High Street and driven custom away.

"We lost our Co-op last year and the newsagent in March. None of these premises has been taken over because traders see no future in the heart of the village.

"The shop leased by the Anthony Nolan Trust is still empty after three years." Mary Blake, of Littleworth Road, said: "In the past, Wheatley was such a good, viable village. People from surrounding villages would come in to use the bank and the shops. But the traffic-calming work took such a long time to complete that customers found other outlets."

Chairman of Wheatley Parish Council, Roger Bell, said: "Obviously the parish council is concerned about local shops closing, but we do not believe the traffic-calming measures are a significant cause."

The Co-op said the decision to close its store at Wheatley was taken for security reasons after violence towards staff. Traders in the High Street face further disruption from today when work is carried out to improve drainage. It is expected to last no more than three weeks.