OXFORD University has failed in its attempt to ban animal rights campaigners from demonstrating in Oxford, but has succeeded in preventing protests outside buildings where exams are being held.

Mr Justice Holland said he wanted to visit the site of the controversial £20m laboratory in South Parks Road before reaching a decision on whether or not to extend an exclusion zone for animal rights protesters.

In a hearing at the High Court, in London, this week, the judge also changed the terms of a temporary injunction order passed last month.

That order banned animal rights protesters from using klaxons, whistles, sirens, megaphones and other noise amplification equipment during demonstrations opposite the site.

It also banned protesters from using cameras and video recording equipment between 1pm and 5pm on Thursday afternoons in the designated 50-metre exclusion zone.

Mr Justice Holland granted demonstrators permission to use one megaphone for one hour during their weekly protests.

The judge said he was unfamiliar with the area and planned to visit Oxford on Thursday, May 4, to form a view about the merits of the application.

He added: "I am wholly unwilling to get involved in these issues without being advised as to the views of the relevant senior officer of Thames Valley Police.

"It would be irresponsible of me to get involved without understanding what the position of the police is."

A spokesman for Oxford University said: "We are pleased that the court has recognised that the examination period is a stressful enough time for students without the additional concerns of noise, disturbance and abuse from campaigners.

"It is wrong that any member of the university, or those associated with it, should be subjected to intimidation and disruption.

"However, it is particularly important that our students, who have worked hard over a number of years, should be given the opportunity to sit their exams in peace."

Robert Cogswell, of the non-violent animal rights group Speak, said he was pleased with the outcome of the hearing.

He said: "We have got the injunction we wanted. We have got another month to prepare our defence. We never wanted to disrupt students. We have been here for two years and never had any complaints."

Fellow Speak campaigner Mel Broughton added: "I am very pleased. I think the judge recognised what the university was seeking went well beyond what was needed and recognised how draconian it was and infringed on the legal right to protest."

Oxford University's barrister, Charles Flint, had argued that the extension of the exclusion zone was necessary as university premises were spread out throughout the city and the whole of the university was the target of intimidation and harassment.

The judge, who was shown a compilation DVD of lab demonstrators, went on to make an order preventing any protest in the vicinity of the two venues where examinations will shortly be taking place.

Describing the examples of extreme protest behaviour on the DVD as "daunting viewing", he said that such an order was a "reasonable and justified response".

The court will sit again on Thursday, May 18, to make a final ruling on the extent of the exclusion zone.