PROTESTERS against a high-speed rail route through North Oxfordshire have voiced fears the line will damage the county’s economy.

The Government has announced it plans to plough ahead with its £17bn project for the High Speed 2 rail route to link London with Birmingham. It will eventually stretch to Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.

The planned line would see 250mph trains travel through north-east Oxfordshire, affecting villages including Finmere, Mixbury, Fringford, Fulwell and Newton Purcell.

Members of VoxOpp (Villages of Oxfordshire Opposing HS2) are warning the scheme will cause firms to snub the county in favour of moving their business closer to the high speed line stations, set to open in 2025.

Spokesman Mark Barton, who lives in Main Street in Mixbury half a mile away from the proposed line, said: “The biggest issue for us is going to be noise.

“There are no figures available saying exactly how loud these trains are going to be but its going to have a major impact, there’s no two ways about it.

“However the wider problem is to the economy in Oxfordshire.

“I can see businesses migrating away from the county to Birmingham for quicker connections to the capital.

“People with a head office in London and a satellite office in Oxford will also look to move their offices to Birmingham where wages are cheaper and rents are lower.”

Mr Barton, a director of the construction company Regent Building Properties in Henley, added: “The only cities that will benefit are London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. The regions are going to be abandoned.”

Department for Transport spokesman Paul Starbrook said: “A high speed rail network has the potential to deliver huge benefits for Britain.

“It will change the economic geography of the country and will provide a massive boost to businesses in the great cities of the north.

“We cannot afford to not invest in transport infrastructure for the future if the UK is to remain competitive.”