Cowley Road traders have been told their efforts to claim rate rebates because of recent roadwork disruption is "laughable".

Some businesses are planning to lobby for a rebate claiming they have lost thousands of pounds in turnover because of lost trade caused by a £1.6m scheme to improve traffic flow and safety on the notorious stretch of road in East Oxford.

At the height of the works some businesses claim customers could not get to the shops.

The city's Green group has been accused of cynical "vote-grabbing" just six months before the local elections by calling for the city council to take into account the effect of roadworks when setting the annual rent increases for businesses.

But at an executive meeting (on November 7), former city council leader John Tanner said: "I find it odd traders should be asking for a reduction in rent when they have just got themselves a greatly improved road.

"The whole point about roads is that from time to time we have got to repair them. "Most of the traders make a lot of money -- and long may that continue -- but there is not the crisis that one or two traders claim there is.

"We have got to ask why we are being lobbied?

"It's because one or two people think they can reduce their costs, but what about traders on the Botley Road and Abingdon Road?

"The idea we should reduce their rents because of disruption I find laughable."

The city council is landlord to a number of shops along Cowley Road and sets rents annually.

It also collects business rates on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council.

Erica Steinhaeur, who runs Bead Games, claims to have lost more than £20,000 in turnover because of the disruption.

She is planning to petition the county council, as the highways authority, for a rate rebate.

Ms Steinhaeur, who refused to reveal what her annual rent or turnover is, said: "In a sense they (city council) have a point, which is why there are stringent procedures for claiming rent rebates and I'm going down that path. "I had no tourism over the summer, a lot of people could not park or get near us for weeks and the cumulative impression was that Cowley Road was a drag.

"During the day it was extremely unpleasant."

Cowley Road traders have already staged a protest outside Oxford Town Hall in their bid to fight rent rises, which they fear could remove all their profits and kill off their businesses.

At one stage traders draped black crosses across their windows as a symbol they were mourning the loss of income the work on the traffic scheme had caused.

Green group deputy leader Matt Sellwood added: "These are exceptional circumstances -- there have been roadworks and they have had a serious impact on business."