A town councillor plans to disrupt the official opening of Woodstock's town centre improvements on Saturday morning because he says town residents' democratic rights were ignored.

Philip Redpath will wear a morning suit and place a symbolic cobble in the centre of the newly paved Market Place outside the town hall as mayor Ian Lenagan officially opens the alterations.

The area was used for parking and covered with cobbles until they were replaced by paving stones in March.

A petition held on the cobbles issue in April showed 370 residents were in favour of replacing them with 292 against, but Cllr Redpath insists that democracy has not been served.

He said: "It's nothing to do with the cobbles, it's about the democratic process. A member of the public got the ten signatures she needed to call for a referendum relating to the removal of the cobbles, but they were taken away prior to the election."

Martin Overbury, the West Oxfordshire District Council project officer with responsibility for the improvements, said the scheme enhanced the area.

He said: "The parked cars have been removed from the front of the town hall, which has given the opportunity to view the wonderful Grade II Listed buildings around the square."