TRANSPORT bosses last night said there was nothing they could have done to avoid “horrific” traffic gridlock across Oxford yesterday.

A combination of emergency repairs, road closures, an accident and a broken-down vehicle caused problems across Oxfordshire’s roads.

Transport chiefs defended emergency gas repair work in Botley Road saying there was no choice but to carry it out as Magdalen Bridge was closed for May morning celebrations.

Southern Gas Networks said its staff worked late on Tuesday night to repair the leak.

But drivers were left questioning why – after lengthy queues – there were no workmen at the site when they eventually passed the works just after 9am.

Magdalen Bridge was closed to traffic from 4.30am to 9am for the celebrations, leading to major delays in East Oxford. By 7am traffic was queuing in both directions on Donnington Bridge Road and there were also long queues on the ring road south of the city, Abingdon Road and the A34 northbound, which was affected by a broken-down vehicle.

Southern Gas got Oxfordshire County Council permission for emergency works on Botley Road on Friday.

It said it then monitored gas levels to ensure they were at a safe level so work could go ahead on Tuesday.

Explaining the timing, spokesman Chloe Boyce said: “We have all sorts of gas leaks over our patch. We have to prioritise the work that needs to be done in that moment in time.”

Crews were on the scene throughout Tuesday until the work was completed at about midnight, she said.

A road repair team arrived in the morning and finished by 9.30am, though barriers and the traffic lights remained so it could set, she said.

Asked why this could not be done overnight, she said: “We didn’t know how long that repair was going to take. If we knew what time we were going to finish we would have had the team lined up.”

She said: “We would like to thank everyone for their patience while we carried out this essential repair.”

County council deputy leader Rodney Rose said the council had to allow emergency works to take place.

He said: “If people wake up in the morning and there is no water in the shower and no gas on the hob to make the coffee, they would think differently.”

A broken-down vehicle on the A34 northbound between Marcham and Hinksey Hill caused delays, while a collision between two cars on the B4017 in Cumnor saw traffic back up on to the A420.

One person was treated at the scene for head injuries following the smash, reported at about 7.30am.

Stagecoach reported delays on its 2, 18, 700, S2, S3, S4 and S5 services.

Oxford Wood Recycling director Kim Styles, 57, took two hours and 20 minutes to travel from Headington to Milton Park, near Abingdon.

He said: “I have lived in Oxford all my life and I have never seen anything like it.”

He said Marston to St Clements and Iffley Road took an hour before he attempted another route from Cowley Road to the ring road, through Stadhampton, to get to work.

He said: “If it continued like that I would have to stop working there. It would just send me mad.”

Louis Moore tweeted: “45mins to get from the start of Botley to Seacourt Tower? Oxford you have outdone yourself. Bravo.”

And Jan Bartlett, senior partner at Cowley Road’s Premier Lettings, said her usual 20-minute journey from Dry Sandford took her an hour and 20 minutes.

She said: “It was rammed solid, it was horrific. I would say people in East, West and North Oxford would have been delayed for an average of an hour.”

Oxford Bus Company operations director Phil Southall said: “We put the usual diversions in place first thing to cope with the closure of Magdalen Bridge. “We had extra supervisors out putting things right after the event, but this took some time. It took a long time to get back to normal. “The roadworks on Botley Road added to the problems. We experienced some delays on the City4,City5 City 35 and the CityX3/13 routes.”