Cherwell District Council remains opposed to the High Speed rail project to create a fast link between London and Birmingham, which will skirt Oxfordshire villages including Finmere and Mixbury.

It comes as the consultation period for the environmental statement of HS2 was extended until February 10, after 877 pages of documents were mistakenly omitted from online and computer memory stick versions.

Cherwell is part of an opposition group called 51m, made up of councils situated along the route.

Leader Barry Wood said: “Cherwell's position hasn’t changed.

“We do not support HS2 and we remain a member of 51m, but we are working with communities to secure the best mitigation if the scheme proceeds.”