A drain in Ferry Road - just off Marston Road - burst this morning, forcing residents to wade their way through sewage water.

Residents say they saw Thames Water and Oxford City Council vehicles on the scene at 9am after last night's torrential downpour. 

Ferry Road resident and retired police officer, Bill Holman, said this was not a new problem.

The 69-year-old said: "The drains bursting due to bad weather has been a problem for the past 25 years.

"The trouble is we have an ancient sewage system which hasn't been updated in 100 years yet our population has gone up.

"That system has to take sewage from Headington, Barton and the John Radcliffe so it's inevitable it will burst with bad weather."

A spokesman from Thames Water said the Marston footpath is still accessible by bike or foot but advised residents to don some wellies.

His daughter, Louise, who lives on the same road and is an assistant headteacher at Wood Farm School, said she did not fancy wading through sewage.

She said: "The footpath might be open but I don't really want to head out and walk through the sewage, we've seen people do before and it's not nice.

"I was going to walk into town but now I don't think that is an option."

Jana Coles, another resident on  Ferry Road, said the was pleased with the way Thames Water we're dealing with the issue.

The 33-year-old said: "This morning the water was bubbling a lot further up the road but now it is getting smaller and smaller.

"The path looks bad still but our road is fine and thankfully none of our houses are damaged."

The road is still partially closed to vehicles.