Oxfordshire County Council has been urged to rethink how it tackles road closures during flooding.

During floods in January drivers ignored road closed signs along Botley Road and Abingdon Road. Neither police nor the county council enforced the closures.

Residents were annoyed when flooding to their homes was worsened by bow waves created by four-wheel-drive vehicles and lorries which ignored the signs, a meeting at county hall heard.

But Richard Dix, Oxfordshire County Council assistant director for highways management, told the meeting the only way to ban drivers from using roads in floods was to impose a traffic order closing the road.

But this was impractical because there were between 30 and 40 road closures at the height of the flooding.

John Mastroddi, of Kennington Road, Kennington, whose property was affected by flooding, suggested key roads which had been flooded should be blocked. He said the authorities had to make a decision about whose interests should come first -- vehicles passing through, or residents who wanted to be protected from the waves.

Supt Keith Ringsell, of Oxford police, said: "The thing I have found from this experience is it is impossible to close the Botley Road and Abingdon Road."

Mr Dix added the county council was frustrated by the "unreasonable behaviour" displayed by motorists.

Police and the council had also asked local radio only to broadcast official messages about road closures.