IF you thought disruption caused by digging up the roads was only a 21st century issue, think again.

Health and safety has changed, however - cordons and high-visibility uniforms came later, according to these photos.

One picture shows Little Clarendon Street being well and truly dug up, with shoppers having to carefully pick their route along the pavement to avoid plunging into the void.

Likewise, one cyclist braves the works on Magdalen Street in 1977, with a massive hole awaiting anyone who veers off course.

From Botley Road to Western Bypass, roadworks have been a problem for Oxford drivers for decades.