'Christmas cancelled' by water works road closure

Thames Water is planning 15 weeks of road closures in Christmas Common

Plans for road closures while a water main is replaced would "cancel Christmas" in a village famous for growing Christmas trees, local businesses have said.

Thames Water announced rolling road closures would be in place through Christmas Common, near Watlington in Oxfordshire, for 15 weeks.

The Tree Barn farm, which has previously provided Christmas trees for venues including Buckingham Palace and Downing Street, said any road closure would be at its "very busiest" time of year for harvesting and sales.

The utility company has apologised for the disruption, but said it was an "essential upgrade".

It said it planned to replace 1.5 miles (2.3km) of a clean water main.

The company said the road would be closed in manageable sections, allowing continued access to homes and businesses via signposted diversion routes.

The Tree Barn plants 17,000 new trees each year, and said up to 2,000 cars a day visited the farm to buy trees in the weekends in the run up to Christmas.

Jane Ingram said the road closure came during the Christmas tree farm's busiest time of year

Co-owner Jane Ingram said even a partial closure would cause "untenable" tailbacks.

"Customers won't stand it - they'll arrive tired, hungry and cross. We will lose custom," she said.

"If they close the road completely and say 'access only' then we're out of business and it's a complete waste of our year.

"We obviously get paid for the trees only after we've sold them

"We've got some big bills to pay now - we've got a lot of labour. There'd be a very large hole we'd never be able to fill."

Reiner Hecken, publican at the Fox and Hounds in the village, said any road closure would "devastate" local businesses.

'Aging infrastructure'

"The timing of this closure will cancel Christmas in Christmas Common, a period that both businesses rely on for survival and which gives the village its unique seasonal identity," he said.

"While the works may be necessary, the complete lack of engagement and the timing show a disregard for the impact on small, rural businesses and the wider community."

Thames Water said: "This essential upgrade is being carried out due to the history of bursts.

"By replacing the ageing infrastructure, we aim to significantly reduce the risk of future incidents and improve the long-term reliability of the local water supply."

The exact origins of the reasons for the name of Christmas Common are unknown.

Theories include that it was related to a Christmas truce during a Civil War battle in the area, or that it came from an old family name or the abundance of holly.

Oxfordshire County Council said: "Thames Water has requested to begin in the autumn to ensure the works can be completed before ground-level temperatures drop to levels that could prevent excavation and pipe-laying activities."

"While we understand the timing overlaps with a busy trading period for local businesses, the risk of prolonged disruption to water supplies, if the works are delayed, is significant. The council has worked with Thames Water to ensure that access to properties will be maintained and that disruption is minimised wherever possible."