Residents say they are furious they were not told a travelling funfair had been given the go-ahead to set up on land behind their houses.

People living in Hudson Street, Bicester, said the first they knew about the fair was when caravans and lorries started pulling up on Sunday.

But it wasn't until the following day, on Monday afternoon, that residents received a letter from Bicester Town Council telling them about the plans.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: "We are incensed about it. It's so close to tenants and they started setting up before we got the letter. We thought it was gipsies moving in. I think it's the wrong place to put a fair."

Town councillor Carol Steward said, although most residents had been told last week, an administrative error meant a handful of people did not receive the letter until after the fair had started setting up.

Mary Hatwell's fair, which usually goes on Pingle Field, had to be moved this year because a new sports pavilion is being built on the old site.

And, after a travelling circus caused £4,300 damage by churning up wet grass on Sunderland Drive open space in March, councillors decided to ban fairs and circuses from the town's sports pitches.

Mrs Steward said: "We had to look around the town for appropriate places or lose the facility. Over the years we have had no trouble, and we have had no reason to think there would be this time.

"Wherever we put it, it will be near houses. I have every sympathy with someone who doesn't want it in their backyard but do we just not have one any more? We have so few open spaces that we can use.

"If it doesn't work we will look at it again."