The emergency services have been told their vehicles will not be exempt from the Network Rail closure affecting Botley Road in Oxford.

The road is being closed at the rail bridge from April 11 to allow a £161m station improvement project to get under way.

It was revealed last week that the closure would start from April 11 and run until October so utility cables could be rerouted as work begins to create a new western entrance to the station.

READ AGAIN: New date revealed for Botley Road closure 

It had been hoped that police cars, fire engines and ambulances would be allowed through the road block.

Oxford Mail:

But at a meeting on Wednesday, the emergency services were informed by Network Rail this would not be possible for safety reasons.

Network Rail spokesman David Paull said: "We have been in discussion with the emergency services as we have developed our plans and we have explored a number of different options, but unfortunately the risks involved in allowing any vehicles, including blue-light services, to travel through the work site are too great for all concerned.

"We will continue to work with the emergency services to explore any potential ways in which we can assist them with providing their vital support to the local community.”

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Mr Paull added: "We’re getting under way with a £161m project that will give Oxford a bigger, better station with improved accessibility and more train services for passengers and freight.

Oxford Mail:

"We are also improving the road network near the station to make it safer for everyone. To do this, we need to temporarily close Botley Road near the railway bridge so that all the utility services that currently run beneath the road, from 11 different utility companies, can be moved.

"This is an incredibly complex task in a tightly constrained space so unfortunately the road needs to be closed for the work to be carried out safely."

Mr Paull said the county council had been briefed on the decision.

County council spokesman Marc Evans said: "As the highways authority we will work with the emergency services on contingency plans while Botley Road is closed for this work by Network Rail."

Thames Valley Police said it would work with emergency services partners to try to ensure response times were not affected.

Oxford Mail:

A spokesman said: "We have only recently been informed that there will be no vehicle access to emergency services for the duration of the road closure on Botley Road from April to November for the railway works.

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"We have contingency plans in place for a wide range of issues similar to this, so we will be working with our emergency service partners to ensure we maintain our response times to incidents."

Work has already started in the area and the youth hostel in Botley Road is expected to be demolished within weeks.

This will help to create a turning circle for buses.

There will be a similar closure period next year, when the rail bridge will be replaced.

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF