A woman has been accused of making up an allegation that she was raped beside a busy road outside of Oxford.

The 26-year-old will appear before magistrates next month after she was charged yesterday with wasting police time over the reported incident on the A420, close to Buckland, near Faringdon, in November last year.

Police launched a massive manhunt after they were told the woman had been attacked and raped in a lay-by.

Officers investigated her claims that she was flagged down by someone - initially said to be a woman but later reported to be a man - who appeared to be in a state of distress between 9.15pm and 9.45pm on Monday, November 28.

The woman told officers a second man wearing a balaclava mask then emerged from the bushes and threatened her with a knife.

She said she was dragged from her car into nearby bushes and raped.

Police said she had suffered knife wounds. She went to Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

Appealing for witnesses, police said they were told the woman was ordered to get back into her car afterwards. She then drove home.

It sparked a massive police operation in the area.

Police carried out detailed searches in fields around the lay-by and hundreds of motorists were stopped by officers looking for witnesses.

Days into the inquiry, police said they were following up leads from 36 people who answered their appeals for help.

Last month, police said a 26-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Thames Valley Police spokesman Victoria Bartlett said last night that the woman who had been charged would appear at Didcot Magistrates' Court on Thursday, May 18.

Ms Bartlett added that the police would not be releasing the woman's name before the court hearing.