COUNTY council figures suggest Oxfordshire's population could increase more quickly than previous thought.

Council statisticians believe the county's population by 2026 could be 814,400.

But last year, council statisticians thought there would be a population of 791,200 in the county by then.

The increase in population is likely to be the result of controversial house building across the county.

Most councils want to build 100,000 extra homes by the mid-2030s – although there are doubts in some authorities as to whether they will be needed.