DRIVERS were forced to navigate through gridlocked roads last night as roadworks heightened in North Oxford, with delays reportedly dragging on for an hour for a one-mile journey. 

The A40 revamp took a turn on Monday when Oxfordshire County Council closed off the south side of Wolvercote roundabout, on top of closures already in place on all but one other exit.

Godstow Road, Woodstock Road, the westbound Northern Bypass and Sunderland Avenue were already shut, forcing drivers through a bottleneck in Five Mile Drive.

An Oxford Mail reader tweeted that his 0.8 mile journey through the roadwords took one hour. 

Diversions were in place through the Botley Interchange.

The southern closures are due to run tonight and tomorrow night from 7pm until 6am, before lifting at the weekend - click here for details.

Emily Reed, a spokeswoman for the county council, heaped blame on drivers who failed to follow diversions signposted on the roadside.

She said: “We have found that over the last couple of nights that some people have not followed the signs for the diversions and got stuck on a longer route as a result. 

"We have asked our contractor to look at the traffic management on the roundabout to see if there is anything we can do to reduce the queues for anyone who does not follow the signs.

“Night works are disruptive for residents and people on the roads and that is why we have kept them to a minimum.

“People have been made aware of the night works at Cutteslowe and Wolvercote roundabouts via traffic news, email bulletins and signs in the area including the variable message signs."

If you were stuck in the traffic, we would like to hear from you via news@nqo.com or 01865 425429.