For hundreds of years Wytham village has remained a charming, unspoiled place of thatched and shingle-roofed cottages.

The calm of this quiet little village nestling in the countryside outside Oxford was rarely disturbed. Until now.

When roadworks began on the A34 last week Wytham was transformed as cars and lorries began to flood through the narrow roads in the village as motorists tried to avoid the gridlock on the ring road, despite signs telling them that the Wytham road was for access only.

As recently as yesterday the driver of a car transporter trying to get through the village damaged one of the cars he was carrying and was forced to turn back because the roads were simply not wide enough.

Charles Swint, who runs the Village Store and Post Office with his wife, Susan, said the situation in the village was intolerable. "When you see that things are terribly wrong as they are here and the people responsible do not do anything, it makes you very angry," he said.

He added: "I have been outside directing traffic and these drivers simply do not know where they are."

Mr Swint said that because the signs at the entrance to Wytham village were unclear, lorry drivers were turning into the village, rather than following the diversion signs which would take them back to the ring road. Although there is a sign warning lorries over seven-and-a-half tonnes not to go through the village, this was either not understood or ignored, he said.

"We need clearer signs so lorries don't come down here and we need traffic lights on the ring road to ease the congestion. "This would not be an inconvenience if the lorries could be kept out, the cars are not a problem," he said.

The confusion over the road signs at the entrance to Wytham was amply illustrated just two days ago when three continental lorries caused chaos in the village when they left the A34 and got hopelessly lost, ending up outside the White Hart pub in Wytham.

"My wife and I were in the shop and we looked up and saw two lorries stuck outside the pub. It turned out that the drivers were French, but luckily one of them spoke English," said Mr Swint.

"I directed them to the farm so they could turn round, but as they came back another lorry came round the corner in the other direction and all three were stuck - it was chaos." The driver of the third lorry turned out to be from Czechoslovakia and failed to understand a word anyone said to him. After much arm-waving and broken English the jam was finally cleared and the Czech lorry shot off towards Wolvercote, never to be seen again.

Michele Taylor, an environmental researcher at the University Field Station in Wytham, said lorries were constantly going up to the farm to turn round and head back out of the village.

"It is unbelievable what is going through here, it's absolute chaos," she said.

Angela Simmons, the project manager responsible for the A34 works, said: "We are very concerned about the number of HGVs going through Wytham. They are breaking the law and we have asked the police to prosecute any HGVs going down that route.

"We have also asked for a new sign to be put up and have asked whether a member of the site staff can be placed at the entrance to the village to direct the traffic." Drivers hit for £20 by police Motorists taking a short cut through Wytham to bypass the gridlocked A34 were stunned last night (FRI) when traffic police handed them £20 fines.

Police told drivers that they were being fined for contravening an access prohibition which had been clearly sign-posted.

Officers were responding to complaints from villagers who were disturbed by heavy goods vehicles and nose-to-tail traffic.

But police may now refer the matter back to the Highways Agency for clarification because some drivers said they had misinterpreted the signposts and thought they were allowed to travel through the picturesque village. Sgt Phil Murphy, of Bicester traffic base, said: "We responded because we were getting complaints from residents about heavy goods vehicles and other cars jamming the road in the village.

"We didn't go down there with a view to persecute motorists who may well have misunderstood the signs."

"It's quite likely that we will refer the matter back to the Highways Agency for clarification but for the moment drivers are advised not to travel through Wytham."

The Oxford Mail's chief sub-editor David Walker got caught out on his way home. He said: "I was a bit surprised. I'm sorry for the people of Wytham but I was just trying to get home. The signs should be more obvious."

Drivers are being asked to pay £20 fines. They have 28 days to pay and don't get penalty points on their licence.

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