Buses are to get priority at traffic lights at a busy crossroads thanks to new technology.

Oxfordshire County Council has upgraded the traffic signals at three junctions in Carterton with the aim of reducing bus journey times.

The new ‘smart’ system uses a live feed from the buses to help control the traffic lights and prioritise green lights on the buses' routes.

The new system aims to be more cost-effective than current remotely-operated traffic light priority methods and will be easier to scale up, said the council.

The locations are the crossroads at Brize Norton Road/Burford Road; Burford Road junctions with Upavon Way and Upavon Way junction with Monahan Way.

A spokesperson said: "We will monitor the bus travel data as it comes through.

"We’re looking to run the system for a few months to see what journey time improvements it has made."

The work was carried out using £12.7 million of funding from the Department for Transport for bus improvements in Oxfordshire.

It will support measures over the next three years, including cheaper fares for under-19s, new rural services, bus priority improvements across the county and proposed traffic filters in Oxford to reduce journey times and support the introduction of new zero emission electric buses.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways management, said: “Effective public transport is key to many of our priorities as a council.

"Combined with many other measures we are working on with our partners, this funding will put us on a positive path to making bus travel more attractive and environmentally friendly than ever before.”