Cowley Road traders are urging people to join a march protesting about rent rises next Saturday (October 8).

The businesses are appealing for customers and East Oxford residents to sign a petition and support their march from Cowley Road to the Town Hall at 10.30am.

Erica Steinhauer, owner of Bead Games and 1001 Bohemian Nights, said: "We are asking people to show solidarity by joining us to deliver the petition. We will go from the bottom end of Cowley Road near the Plain.

"We will walk on the pavement up to the Town Hall then disperse. We will not be disrupting the traffic, we are here to serve not to disrupt.

"It's very important to show the support -- it would be really great for people to come along."

A number of shops, including Bead Games, Bombay Emporium, Galeria Brasil, and Coopers newsagent, plan to shut up shop during the march to give residents a taste of what the Cowley Road could be like if the rent rises go ahead.

Ms Steinhauer added: "The others that are supporting our actions will have a big black cross in their windows which will graphically show which businesses are at risk."

The traders have now formed a group, which met on Tuesday night to discuss how to improve business, and decided to arrange a programme of activities in the run-up to Christmas.

Ms Steinhauer said: "A feeling of being threatened has made us realise what we have in common. We will be organising Christmas activities and hope that Christmas lights could be put up on The Plain.

"That would be a small recompense for the massive losses we have made."

The traders say they have been badly affected by the ongoing road works and rent rises from private landlords as high as 140 per cent.

Many businesses along the Cowley Road have been busy collecting signatures in preparation for the march on the town hall.

Jenny Tsakiris, who runs Meli with her husband Giannis, said they already had over five pages of support for their plea for council intervention. One of them would march on Saturday, she said, while the other looked after the shop.

Two doors down, at the Music Box, signatures have been collected and owner Gary Good plans to march alongside his fellow traders.

He is happy with his landlord after he negotiated a fair increase, but said he had sympathy for those around him facing big increases in rent.

He added: "You don't get anything if you don't try."