THE letter handed out to shops in High Street yesterday would have made unpleasant reading.

Oxfordshire County Council has told the traders that complications in the current roadworks means it is slashing the promised suspension for a large part of the Christmas shopping season.

No blame can be held against the council and its contractors for the fact there is a delay. Such schemes can hit unforeseen problems which need to be addressed.

However, it can only be hoped that it is genuine in its statement that it is open to negotiations over cutting the suspension.

While it is understandable the council would usually rather accommodate a delay within an overall production schedule if it can, given the expected impact on traders at a crucial time of year, a more sensible option this time would be to carry on working past the planned completion day in May.

Times are tough enough for shops in the current economic climate and anything that is an extra problem should be avoided.