AN OPTION to extend a £3bn Oxford to Cambridge expressway to include Swindon must be considered, according to campaigners demanding a public consultation on the road.

Three options for the route of the expressway are currently being considered but residents, councillors and campaigners have called for a public inquiry and a chance to have their say.

The Expressway Action Group (EAG) - representing 30 parishes in South Oxfordshire - has renewed calls for a consultation and urged planned to consider the corridor between Oxford and Swindon.

Co-ordinator Peter Rutt said it would deliver more affordable housing due to the lower average house price in Swindon.

He said: "We want Government to look at this opportunity and ask Highways England to model ‘SwinOx' as part of their overall Expressway study, because it could make a big difference to all our communities and deliver a better national asset.

"This is also why we want a public inquiry as planners are being rushed to make conclusions without having time to openly and democratically explore all the options."

The first option would upgrade the A34 and junction nine of the M40 and then run past Bicester towards Milton Keynes.

The second would mean a new road, which would leave the A34 near Abingdon then run through 10 miles of the green belt south of Oxford.

The third option would mean a new road south of Oxford, running through Thame, Haddenham and Aylesbury.