A councillor who fought an 18-month campaign for street wardens in Bicester was banned by officials from being photographed with one.

Labour councillor Les Sibley, who represents Bicester West on Conservative-controlled Cherwell District Council, said he was trying to highlight that Banbury's street warden scheme had been so successful that he wanted to extend it to Bicester.

But when Mr Sibley turned up for what he said was a pre-arranged photo opportunity at Banbury's street wardens' office, he found the door locked. After calling officers at Cherwell, Mr Sibley was told he could not be pictured.

Mr Sibley said: "As a councillor I am an employer and the street warden is an employee. Someone's obviously trying to stop me being active."

But Cherwell District Council spokesman Pat Simpson said officers were following the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity, as the proposal to extend Banbury's street warden scheme to Bicester was not yet council policy.

She said: "Until and unless it was council policy we can't put our resources, in this case the wardens, towards promoting that. It would be prejudicing the decision before it was made."

The proposal to introduce street wardens in Bicester was made by a working party with both Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour members.

It is due to be discussed by the council's executive on Monday, November 6.