AS THE dreaded closure date (December 29) of Oxford Stadium creeps ever closer, I continue to be both astonished and very angry at the sequence of events that have led us to this point in the saga.

There has been speedway racing at Oxford Stadium since April 1939 after the great success of grass track racing at Sandford in the 1930s. Seventy-three-years have elapsed since then while the stadium, built in what was known as Spring Lane on the outskirts of the city long before Blackbird Leys was even thought about, has provided the base for thousands of people to regularly meet and enjoy the sporting activities held there.

Of course, ownership of the stadium has changed several times but surely, after all these years, the real owners are the people? Are not the custodians trusted to run the facility efficiently on our behalf?

Who are these faceless, greedy people who think they can come along and tread all over the ordinary citizens of Oxford? Where do they think the next generations of stadium sports lovers will find their leisure and entertainment? Do they even care? I would say, judging by events in the last five years, no, they do not give a jot about the ordinary people in the street.

All the companies associated with this proposed closure are not just tinged by this sad episode but badly coloured to their detriment.

I would say – hands off our stadium, it belongs to us!

RICHARD TYRRELL

Banbury Road

Kidlington