AN OXFORD college has criticised a letting agent for releasing its student housing too early, which forced students to queue outside in the rain for two days.

Somerville College's principal Dr Alice Prochaska said it was 'irresponsible' of North Oxford Property Services (NOPS) to make its houses available in November and causing panic and stress to its students.

NOPS director Robin Swailes said his company did not encourage them to queue and that they did so because the 'best student properties in Oxford' were up for grabs.

Last week students queued outside the Walton Street business for up to 48 hours to get the best pick of houses in North Oxford and Jericho.

The college's principal Dr Prochaska, who revealed she had asked NOPS to delay releasing its properties, said the timing was 'unfair'.

She said: "By the time the list is released the students have only been in Oxford for four or five weeks and it's really difficult for them and they are working out their friendship groups and trying to find a house.

"We experience students suffering from stress and our tutors have also been worried about their quality of work - some even pleaded with us to let them miss tutorials so they could queue.

"It is unnecessary and deplorable for them to release their houses this early - in fact it's downright irresponsible."

Each year around 65 students miss out in a Somerville College ballot to secure a room for the next two years, meaning they have to search the city's property market along with students from other colleges.

Somerville College bursar Andrew Parker said: "It's just mad creating a situation where students are sitting out in the rain for two nights in order to meet an artificial deadline.

"There should at least be a better queuing system in place, either paper or electronic."

JCR President at the college Alex Crichton-Miller said: "They have no reason to release their properties so early - it's ridiculous.

"The way the whole thing is handled is pretty ridiculous really.

"It's such an outdated way to sort out student accommodation when everyone has a lot of work to do."

North Oxford Property Services managing director Robin Swailes said: "We were not the first agent to release property to students in Oxford in 2016.

"Traditionally students have been queuing outside our offices for 26 years, we don't encourage them to queue and they normally do so because they have a particular house in mind they have seen on our website or that their friends live in.

"They queue because we have the best student properties in Oxford."

He added that the company paid for four gazebos to be put up this year to protect the students from the rain and provide them with bacon sandwiches and cups of tea every year.