A few months ago, someone came up with the bright idea that Marston village in Oxford needed traffic calming road garbage.

Initially, we thought this to be someone's idea of a sick joke, thought up by some jealous individual determined to ruin what is left of this semi-rural environment.

Admittedly, it can be used as a rat run, though it doesn't actually save you much time.

We hadn't noticed much antisocial driving through the village, so we were surprised when we were invited to attend a presentation, adjacent to the Church, where we could view the options being suggested.

For the first time, I was able to get a county council representative to admit that it was policy to positively use council taxpayers' cars as traffic calming devices.

The young man who stated this appeared a little nave and inexperienced so probably hadn't been taught by his elders not to admit this.

We were told that this was purely exploratory and that we would be told of the proposal at a later date, so that we could make written comments.

This never happened and surprise, surprise, the next thing we know, the village road is being dug up.

The bits of asphalt and concrete that they are now constructing to stick out in the road and make the road single way at several points, in a chicken run sort of way, are now an accident waiting to happen, in an area where there wasn't a problem.

Pavements have been replaced, in many places to a worse standard than before.

Let's hope that when a serious accident does happen, those on the county council responsible for pushing this through are held legally liable.

MICHAEL HEAVEY Oxford Road Old Marston Oxford