A prestigious car rally, due to be staged in Oxfordshire next month, is getting a less than warm welcome from some.

Residents of Charlbury have said they expect disruption and noise while the event takes place.

The world's leading rally crews will be among the 160 cars taking part in a two-and-a-half mile special stage of the Network Q Rally, in the grounds of Cornbury Park on Sunday, November 22.

Thousands of spectators are expected at the event which includes high speed jumps in front of Cornbury House.

Publicity for the event promises the park will be turned into "a cacophony of screeching motorsport excitement for the first time ever, by the arrival of the Network Q Rally of Great Britain".

Other events held in the park this year, including Ford and Mini fairs as well as sprints up the main drive, have led to complaints from people in the town.

The chairman of the town council, Nicholas Potter, said: "We have had letters of complaint during the year and there has been a lack of official consultation from the estate and the organisations of the rally about this latest event. "We are not against the event and hope it will put Charlbury on the map but the last thing we want on a Sunday morning is hundreds of cars coming through the town centre to get to the entrance of the park."

Mr Potter added: "Cornbury is a very good venue when people are in the park - and I can see the park needs to earn its keep - but I believe they could construct other entrances away from the town.

"It is the town council's view that a number of people are fed up with some of the events that take place in Cornbury."

Insp Roger Hepworth, of Chipping Norton police, said: "We are working with Cornbury Park to minimise the disruption to Charlbury town but any large influx of traffic, which the rally is going to cause, is bound to lead to queues of traffic.

"We will try and minimise any disturbance as much as we can."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.