ENGINEERS will be working through the night to try to fix the burst water main beneath Oxford's Botley Road.

Thames Water said a five inch main had burst tonight between Binsey Lane and Ferry Hinksey Road.

The road has been closed while engineers dig up the carriageway to fix the problem.

It is not set to reopen until about 12.30pm on Sunday as the road will need to be resurfaced.

A spokesman said no homes were believed to have been flooded and water supplies to nearby properties had only been temporarily disrupted before being rerouted through another pipe.

It is not yet known what caused the pipe to burst but Thames Water said it could have been the recent cold weather.

The road - a key route into the city - will be closed on what is expected to be one of the busiest shopping days in the run up to Christmas.

A Thames Water spokesman said: "It will be all hands to the pump. We want to get it fixed as soon as possible."