Mike Griffin and Trish Bowman at the cemetery entrance in Oxford Hill, Witney Mourners say their lives are being put at risk because of poor access to Witney's new cemetery -- but the problem may not be solved until 2008.

The £400,000 Windrush Cemetery opened on former farmland last May after seven years of planning and construction by Witney Town Council. It has been praised for providing much-needed burial space.

But pedestrians and cyclists say they fear someone will be killed because access to the cemetery's only entrance and exit, in Oxford Hill, leading from the A40 slip-road into Witney, is so poor.

One driver said leaving the cemetery by car was dangerous because the entrance was at the top of a dip in Oxford Hill and it was difficult to see cars approaching from the A40.

Visitors travelling to the cemetery by foot have to cross the busy Oxford Hill, off the A40 sliproad into Witney, because there is no footpath leading directly to the entrance.

Mike Griffin, 71, who lives off Corn Street, visits the cemetery with partner Trish Bowman to pay respect to five-year-old Witney girl Sonia Rodrigues, who died in a car crash on the A415 near Cokethorpe School last September. He said: "There is a grass verge leading to the entrance, but it's impossible for wheelchair users or parents with pushchairs to use and has got overgrown.

"We like to cycle up to the cemetery, but it feels like you're taking a big risk. The cars come up so quickly from the A40 sliproad and you can't see them approaching until it's almost too late.

"We have spoken to other people and they feel the same. There are children going up to the cemetery to see Sonia's grave, and it's dangerous. The cemetery is lovely, but the access hasn't been properly planned at all."

Witney Town Council, which is responsible for the cemetery, admitted there was a problem -- but said nothing could be done until a decision was made over the Cogges Link Road.

As part of a legal requirement agreed to at the planning stage, the town council will have to move the cemetery's entrance to the link road if plans get the go ahead. Oxfordshire County Council is due to make a decision this year, but work on the one-mile link road would not finish until 2008 -- and the town council said it could not afford to fork out thousands for a footpath in the interim.

A town council spokesman said: "Unfortunately, our hands are tied at the moment. We know access isn't ideal, but we could not put the entrance in on the existing Cogges Hill Road because of the plans for the link road, so we are just waiting to hear about that and hope to have a decision this year.

"We know it is not the ideal situation, but it would cost a lot of money to get a path installed and we don't want to do that if it's going be worthless."

Paul Smith, county council spokesman, said there were ongoing discussions between the council and the town council over the link road.