Residents in villages around Oxford say they are being driven mad by rat-runners avoiding roadworks at the city's biggest roundabout.

On Monday, a contraflow system was put in place on the A40 near the Green Road roundabout in Headington.

The measures, which include manually-operated traffic lights at peak times, will be in place for 10 weeks and will cover a 400m stretch on either side of the Sand- hills junction.

Now, drivers are seeking out alternative routes through villages including Horspath and Wheatley to avoid the jams.

Carolyn Woodcock, 41, of Manor Farm Road, Horspath, said the road through the village had suffered rush-hour jams since the roadworks started.

She said drivers who ignored chicanes and failed to stick to the 30mph speed limits were a danger to pedestrians and cyclists.

The mother-of-two said: "It's a real nightmare. Drivers are leaving Oxford's Eastern Bypass at the BMW factory and turning right through Horspath and Wheatley before joining the A40/M40 at junction eight.

"In the morning drivers are going from junction eight and then Wheatley-Horspath-Cowley and at night it's the other way round.

"Some drivers are also going through Garsington and cutting through to Blackbird Leys - there are a number of different routes but it's affecting lots of villages."

Joan Morters, headteacher of Wheatley Primary School, said the rat-running would coincide with national Walk to School Week, which starts on Monday.

She said: "Parents, teachers and community police officers will walk with the pupils to make sure they are safe.

"The rat-running is present all year round, but it is much more noticeable now the work has started at the roundabout.

"There are narrow paths throughout the village and we need a crossing at the bottom of Ladder Hill and a fixed crossing outside the school in Littleworth Road.

"The rat-running has really focused our attention on the problems that we already know exist."

David Turner, Liberal Democrat county councillor for the Chalgrove division, which includes Garsington, said: "Residents in Garsington say the rat-running has definitely increased.

"It is fortunate that we managed to get speed cushions installed in Wheatley Road and Oxford Road beforehand, which at least slows the traffic."

David Robertson, the county council's cabinet member for transport, said: "The last thing we want to do is to send traffic through these villages, but drivers these days have sat-nav machines, or they will use their own initiative.

"Staff will not be working at night during the roadworks but we will be implementing a series of measures to minimise the delays."

The £3.75m redesign of the roundabout which has been dubbed the hamburger is due to finish in December.