Sir – The county council is once again planning to put hundreds of people in South Oxfordshire under house arrest for a whole day.

Preposterous as it may seem, those who live on the 20-mile route of the Henley Challenge Triathlon will once again be forbidden to use their own roads except under escort. No one may visit them, even on a bicycle. All businesses on the route have to close.

Over a much wider area of the county, social and communal activities are once again to be killed stone dead. In the country, roads are the lifeblood. Businesses that cater for weekend events and activities suffer big losses. It is very disappointing that the council still thinks that nothing is of value except the triathlon. No one wants to discourage sport but this thing is totally out of proportion. The cycle distance is 112 miles – over four times longer even than that of the Olympic Triathlon – and competitors cover the 20-mile route several times.

The council closes the 20 miles of main roads and minor roads from dawn to dusk, with no break in the middle.

There was never any kind of consultation with the people affected on whether this damaging event should happen, except recently on whether to change the route slightly and damage different people.

People around here are getting more and more angry about the council’s disregard for how country people live. A highway authority’s job is to keep highways open. A policy to the contrary looks rather like an abuse of power. Who in the council took the decision to support the event? County council elections are coming up in May and we will need to know clearly where the candidates stand.

Arthur Weir, Maidensgrove, near Nettlebed