FIVE villages in north Oxfordshire have banded together in protest against a proposed high-speed Rail route through the county.

The High-Speed Rail 2 (HS2) line was planned in 2009 to provide a fast train line from London to Birmingham by 2025.

The planned line would travel through north-east Oxfordshire, affecting villages including Finmere, Mixbury, Fringford, Fulwell and Newton Purcell.

Concerned villagers have formed an action group called Villages of Oxfordshire Opposing HS2 (VoxOpp).

Chairman Bernie Douglas, pictured left with, from left, Steve Lyons, Mark Barton and Jeremy Mortimer, said the main objective was to raise awareness and to get answers.

Mr Douglas said: “A train running at 250mph every three minutes in each direction is not something you can just close your window to and ignore.

“This will change the character of the landscape for good, as well as uprooting lives and sometimes whole communities.”

Transport minister Philip Hammond is visiting Oxfordshire later this month and VoxOpp is working with other action groups to question him.