APPALLED residents have hit back at developers for creating 'a sea of mud' that has prompted safety fears about roads across Bicester.

Grubby construction vehicles are being blamed for the slurry of mud sprawled across the town's road network during Bicester's development boom.

Locals say the number of developers trailing mud through the town is growing as more and more construction projects get underway.

One member of the Motorcycle Action Group, John Broad, said: "If you listed all the streets round Bicester with big developments going on, every one of them is plastered in mud.

"In many places the problem is also being exacerbated by developers employing a road sweeper to attempt to clear the material but these just turn the mud into a slurry.

"It is absolutely lethal for road users especially motorcyclists and cyclists.

"We are supposed to be promoting cycling and walking as part of the garden town approach but I certainly wouldn't want to cycle down these roads.

"Wheel washing must be a condition of planning acceptance in all future planning approvals or Bicester will sink under a sea of mud."

Muddy hotspots baring the brunt of the problems include Middleton Stoney Road, Banbury Road and Whitelands Way.

Bicester town mayor, Les Sibley, has called for enforcement of wheel washing for construction vehicles.

He said: "Road standards are already appalling and with all the HGV movement around Bicester once several more developments get underway it is just going to cause havoc.

“We are just going to end up being knee-deep in a sea of mud.”

As development of more than 2,000 homes continues on the Kingsmere estate, residents said although they expected some level of dirt and minor disruption, they were 'being overlooked by progress'.

Kingmere Residents Association committee member, John Bentley, said: "We acknowledge we're in a state of flux but please consider the people who are living in the area."

Another member, Teresa Lamb, said: "As well as the problems the mud may cause on the roads – making driving conditions more hazardous, obscuring line markings and potentially blocking drains – the amount of mud on the paths is also a nuisance.

"St Edburg's School must be facing a constant battle to keep its entrances clean with children, parents and visitors having to walk through a quagmire to get there."

Ms Lamb said the state of roads has now got so bad road sweepers are having little effect.

Kingsmere's developer has confirmed each of its house builders are obliged to provide adequate wheel washing facilities on site to prevent the transfer of debris and mud.

Countryside Properties director, Andrew Carrington, said: "To supplement this, Countryside has provided a site wide wheel wash facility located towards the exit of the haul road.

"We are aware of certain areas of concern and are working with the individual house builders to manage the situation, we are also using road sweepers on Whitelands Way and Pioneer Way to help alleviate the mud."

The lead developer for Bicester's eco town also confirmed it is working to combat recent muddy build up.

A2Dominion project director, Steve Hornblow, said: "We take a great deal of care to minimise the impact of our work on residents and their neighbourhoods.

"Recently, due to the wet ground and higher levels of traffic the site has become muddy.

"To reduce the impact of this we’ve had multiple road sweepers, a water bowser and a tractor cleaning both the site roads of the public highway."

Graven Hill's developer added that there is a manned power washer at the site gate for clearing muddy vehicles before leaving and said it carries out regular checks of local roads.