Walkers are puzzled by Thames Water's "closure" of a footpath around a Reservoir because of foot and mouth disease.

The notice asking people not to use the footpath at Farmoor Reservoir was put up last week despite the lifting of 'infected area' restrictions in the county two weeks ago.

Thames Water ask people to keep out until further notice because of foot and mouth.

Oxfordshire County Council is already liaising with landowners and farmers to open footpaths and rights of way where there is judged to be no risk of the disease spreading.

Resident John Woodruffe, pictured right, of Meadow Close, Farmoor, walks his dog, Megan along the footpath towards Pinkhill Lock on the River Thames. He has taken the route since mid-April when a sign asking walkers to keep away was removed.

He said: "I'm getting very frustrated, as are a lot of people in Farmoor. If there was a reason given other than foot and mouth I would probably accept it.

"I had been doing the walk up until Thursday of last week and on Friday morning I was going to walk the dog down there - and lo and behold the sign had appeared.

"My belief, without having spoken to Thames Water, is that it is closed. That's the inference.

"The river is open with canal boats going along it - that's the galling thing. And there's me trying to walk the dog."

Only Oxfordshire County Council can legally close footpaths. Paul Harris, field officer for the county council, said a red sign would have to be put up for a footpath closure to be enforceable.

Following the lifting of 'infected area' restrictions, the council has to ask the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for permission to put up new red signs or restore old ones, in cases where animals have to be moved.

Mr Harris said: "We are not going to chastise Thames Water about putting a sign up. But if it's causing confusion we will work with them to get the sign down, or speak to them to find out the background to the sign, to avoid any misunderstanding."

Hilary Bennett, Thames Water spokesman, said the sign would have originally gone up six weeks ago, but there had been trouble in the area with signs being removed.

She added: "Why this one didn't go back immediately we don't know.

"We put this up to politely encourage people not to use the footpath. We can't ban people from using the footpath. Only the local authority can do that.

"As soon as we receive official confirmation the restrictions are being lifted, our signs will come down. If our signs are still there we haven't had that confirmation."