A bleak report predicting gridlock on the A34 could give Didcot fresh hope of stopping thousands of new homes being built.

The Highways Agency predicts that by 2026 the A34 in Oxfordshire will become one of the most congested roads in the South East.

Experts say the road will not be able to cope with traffic generated by planned housing growth, including 9,000 new homes at Didcot.

Didcot Town Council, which is opposed to further expansion of the town, claims the new report provides clear evidence that the current housing strategy is flawed.

The findings are part of the Highways Agency's submission to the South East Plan (SEP) public inquiry.

The draft South East Plan - a blueprint for housing development across the region until 2026 - includes 47,200 new homes for Oxfordshire with the focus of growth on Bicester, Didcot and Grove.

Town council leader Margaret Davies, said: "As far as I am concerned it throws the proposals into disarray. It simply does not stack up to put housing 10 miles from Oxford - whether it's at Didcot, Bicester or Grove.

"For people to get to work, to a hospital or go shopping they would have to use the A34."

"If growth goes ahead, then villages to the north of Didcot are going to suffer even more traffic than they have now because vehicles will be forced to use inappropriate routes."

Mrs Davies said the only way forward was to review the Green Belt and provide more new homes closer to the city, off Grenoble Road.

She added: "Nobody could argue the area to the south of Grenoble Road needs protecting."

The report's findings are based on predicted traffic levels in 2026 if the proposed housing developments - supported by Oxfordshire County Council - went ahead and no action was taken to alleviate pressure on the transport network.

The report reveals that the A34 is already operating above capacity and that Oxford city, the only major hub in the region, attracts more than 22,000 car based commuters from the outlying districts every day.

Measures to improve the situation could include travel plans for schools and businesses to encourage sustainable transport, priority lanes for buses and car share vehicles, intelligent traffic signalling and toll charges.

But the agency has ruled out widening the A34 due to environmental constraints.

As reported in Saturday's Oxford Mail, the county council's cabinet member for transport, David Robertson, said he was not surprised by the predictions.

He ruled out development in Oxford's Green Belt and said improving public transport was the key to reducing traffic.