Sir – On Saturday, July 23, I visited Oxford in order to go to the Ashmolean Museum and to do some shopping. I knew the city would be crowded at this time of year, and on a Saturday, but I was shocked by the huge numbers of overseas students and visitors.

I left the Ashmolean early, as it was such an unpleasant experience trying to look at the exhibits and being jostled and blocked by such large groups of students.

By this time I realised I had made a mistake in going to Oxford, but I still wished to visit the bookshops and do other shopping if possible. However, I could hardly push my way through Carfax and the other main streets, and certainly couldn’t easily reach the shops. By this time I was thoroughly fed up and exhausted — students were even eating on the pavements.

I, therefore, abandoned my plans and caught an earlier train home to Hampshire. The students were even sprawled over the steps leading up to the station. It must be awful for Oxford residents at this time of year.

I later spoke to a resident, who told me that Oxford has 70 language schools. I cannot verify this, but if true, then it is no surprise that the city was so crowded.

Apart from foreign students, there must have been hundreds of thousands of other overseas visitors. The overcrowding was even worse than London.

I think that if the Oxford authorities don’t act to deal with this problem, then people like me won’t visit the city any more; I will certainly think twice before I visit again, even at other times of the year, and I have heard other people say the same thing. Please don’t let Oxford become a theme park.

Beryl Addison, Chandlers Ford