IN his heyday Duncan the Dummy entertained thousands of commuters from his platform above the A34 at Botley.

His variety of costumes and unflappable persona turned him into a local celebrity before he was deemed a 'safety hazard' and moved on sparking public outrage.

But the acclaimed shop dummy is still working the city's 'elevated platform over main roads' scene and bringing nostalgia to many.

The mannequin has always belonged to 2Cousins Powered Access, a Cowley-based firm, which has used him to promote its brand in recent years.

Managing director Jason Prisley said Duncan's re-appearance in recent years had sparked a lot of feedback.

He said: "We put an old Oxford Mail article up on our LinkedIn page and we had a lot of feedback from people who remembered Duncan.

"They told us how they used to drive past him everyday - it has brought back a lot of memories for people.

"It's a bit jovial and went down well with the children, a lot of people said their kids used to demand they drove that way in the holidays to see Duncan and what he was wearing."

In September 1995 Duncan was deemed a safety hazard by the landlord of 2Cousins' Botley site and the firm were forced to move him to Cowley.

These days Duncan is tucked away in Garsington Road doing his thing in front of a smaller audience.

A consummate professional though, his commitment and star quality has far from diminished.

The South African-born Mr Prisley said: "In 2015, after England were knocked out of the Rugby World Cup I dressed up in the South African kit.

"For the general election we gave people to choice to vote Duncan, instead of Miliband, Cameron or Clegg.

"And of course he's still got his Christmas outfit."

Most recently the acclaimed shop dummy was papped in the Oxford Mail in a story about the Cowley-based 2Cousins Powered Access firm and how demand for its cherry-picker and boom-lifts had increased following a ban on ladders in the workplace.

The firm were the first in the world to buy a scissor lift from JCB, following the digger firms' foray into the industry.

The mannequin was front and centre of a photocall - dressed in Oxford United's kit - confirming his return to action.

Mr Prisley said: "From a business perspective, it's brand recognition.

"I don't think he gets any extra hires for us but he's very much part of the 2 Cousins brand."