Bonn Square in Oxford, which reopened last Friday following a £2m revamp, was cordoned off on Wednesday night amid safety fears, after the temperature plummeted.

Contractors sprayed cleaning materials on to the square to prevent chewing gum from sticking to the surface, but when temperatures dropped they realised it could cause people to slip over.

As a result, the square was roped off.

It was reopened at 9am yesterday.

Louisa Dean, a spokesman for Oxford City Council, said: "We cordoned off Bonn Square as a precautionary measure after a team of contractors applied a water-based product and found that after several minutes the liquid was freezing.

"We had been applying liquid to prevent the build up of algae, dirt and help with the removal of chewing gum.

"The contractors stopped worked immediately and cordoned off the affected area. As a further precaution City Works gritted the affected area. "