WITNEY’s historic Buttercross has been declared unsafe and has been fenced off for further investigations to be carried out.

The drastic measure was taken by Witney Town Council on Friday afternoon.

Damage to the historic building in Market Square had been spotted on Thursday, and the town council immediately called in a building surveyor.

A statement on the town council website read: “As a result of a structural survey undertaken on the Buttercross, the town council's surveyor has requested that the building is securely fenced off to prevent risk of injury to people.

“The structure is unsafe, and should not be accessed.”

Janine Howells, the town council’s amenities manager, said the council was awaiting further reports from the surveyor on the extent and nature of the damage.

The site is thought to date back to pre-Saxon times, when it was used as a religious site, but the structure has been altered and rebuilt over the years. Its name derives from its 16th-century use, when farmers’ wives would sell their excess butter and eggs from the site.

The current building is medieval, but features a clock that was added in 1683 by William Blake of Cogges.

Local historian Jane Cavell said the town would not be Witney without the Buttercross.

“It is the symbol of Witney,” she said.

“It is such a characteristic little building that it is irreplaceable.”