DOUBLE-deckers that drive down a narrow residential street in Oxford are making houses shake, claim residents.

People living in Littlehay Road say their lives have been blighted by the number 10 bus, which runs from Carfax in the city centre to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington.

By day, Stagecoach operates a single-deck service, but this turns into the U10 Brookes double-decker after 7pm and on Sundays.

Residents, worried that vibrations from traffic could cause structural damage to their homes, have started a petition which they aim to hand into Stagecoach and the university.

Christine Mason, of Littlehay Road, called for an end to the use of double-deckers. She said: "People have complained about houses vibrating and noise is a problem. It is not really built for these gigantic vehicles."

Pippa Boyce, also of Littlehay Road, said: "The vibrations through the house are quite extreme. Anybody who is a home-owner has serious concerns about the well-being of their house."

Another resident, Thaddeus Lipinski, said the road was too narrow to accommodate double-deckers.

He added: "The whole house vibrates. It is like having a small earthquake."

Chris Child, Stagecoach spokesman, said the firm was aware that some residents were unhappy with the use of double-deckers on the U10 route.

He said: "Double-deckers have been used in the past and are chosen for the U10 route to ensure there is room for everyone that wants to travel.

"We don't want to be a nuisance to residents and are looking at alternative options, however we are mindful that there are a number of people that live in Littlehay Road and Rymers Lane that use the service and we must consider their needs as well."

Dick Helling, Oxfordshire County Council's public transport officer, said he was looking into the possibility of making changes to the road layout by Templars Square to allow U-turns, which would cut out the need for buses to run via Littlehay Road.

He said: "Littlehay Road has been part of the route of service 10 for several decades and the size of buses used has changed from time to time over the years. There is no legal restriction on the use of double-deck buses in service along these roads."

He said merging the evening number 10 service with the Brookes bus had led to the council saving £28,000 a year. He added: "We were also able to double the frequency of the evening and Sunday 10 service on this key route to half-hourly."

John Sanders, Cowley and Littlemore county councillor, who has been helping residents, welcomed the study into using Templars Square as a turning point for buses. But he said: "My only concern is this is taking an enormous amount of time and in the meantime residents are suffering, and there is no guarantee when it will happen and if it will happen the way the council is suggesting."