Furious drivers have branded roadworks which brought Abingdon to a grinding halt as the last straw.

Queues have built up all week in Drayton Road and Ock Street due to sewer work in Marcham Road.

A three-mile journey home took motorist Brian Thomas more than 40 minutes on afternoon.

One lane in Marcham Road, which links the town centre with the A34, has been dug up outside Abingdon Community Hospital.

Drivers say they have had enough after a series of schemes that have made it hard work driving through the town.

The sewer scheme is due for completion tomorrow.

Mr Thomas said: "Why was not more thought given over to this, by using a better traffic signalling layout or, better still, opening up the gated road through the industrial estate and putting in diversion signs?

"Abingdon is dying and the authorities aren't listening or caring about the chaos, which is becoming part of our everyday experiences in this town.

"Will someone have the courage to give me back my town, or am I going to have to continually bypass Abingdon?"

David Morgan, 82, said it had taken him 40 minutes to drive a one-mile journey from the town centre to the hospital for an appointment.

He said: "I know they have got to do it, but I wish they would do it at night. It has definitely got worse. This place is dying, look at the shops closing."

Thames Water spokesman Amy Dutton said the company was supervising the work being carried out by contractors for a housing developer.

She said: "The developer is using a private contractor to divert a sewer on the site, as they are building houses.

"We're on site supervising the diversion, to ensure it's carried out to our standards."

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Paul Smith said its only involvement had been to suggest that the work took place during the school holiday.

Traders have blamed Abingdon's controversial traffic system, introduced at the end of 2006, for hitting their takings by driving shoppers away from the town.

Local businesses have clubbed together to pay for an independent review of the system.

Lesley Legge, the leader of the town council, said: "Abingdon town centre has been gridlocked on at least two occasions this week.

"As soon as I was aware of the problems, I asked the county council for signs to be placed in the town centre, warning motorists to avoid Marcham Road when they could choose an alternative route.

"Why were signs not considered at the start to divert traffic, when the county council knew that these works in Marcham Road were going to be carried out?"