County council bosses bowed to pressure from traders today to ensure the Christmas shopping period is not significantly interrupted by roadworks.

Yesterday council contractors delivered letters to traders in High Street alerting them that a complication in the 10-month resurfacing scheme meant a previous agreement would not be honoured.

Traders had been advised the roadworks were going to stop on November 22 and re-start on January 11, suspending the work for 49 days.

But letters handed to traders said the suspension was being cut to 27 days — from December 10 to January 7, leaving shop owners concerned it would hit trade at a time when some traders do 40 per cent of their annual business.

Phillip Scaysbrook, who runs Hoyle’s traditional games shop, told the Oxford Mail the council had “gone back on a promise” to traders.

Today, however, the county council had a change of heart and set out a new timetable to accommodate the needs of traders.

Rodney Rose, the council's Cabinet member for transport implementation, said: "We have heard loud and clear what traders have had to say. They are quite right.

“These remain difficult economic times and the people who run businesses on the High Street deserve a fair run at the Christmas period.

"For that reason, we propose an alternative finish date of November 18 with a re-start on January 11 and hope that this better suits traders."

Paul Smith, a spokesman for the county council, added: “Oxfordshire County Council is proposing a November 18 finish date for the current phase of its work to upgrade Oxford's High Street — in response to traders who expressed concerns about delays to the overall scheme impacting on the Christmas shopping period.

“The council had originally targeted November 22 as the date when the break from roadworks for Christmas shopping should take place.

“However, the scheme is currently running with a three-week delay because of the discovery of materials in the road surface that needed to be removed.

“The overall scheme is now scheduled to finish at the end of April with roadworks recommencing after the Christmas period on January 11.

“With a three-week delay to catch up on, the council had looked at a December 10 finish before the break for Christmas.

“However, it was very much flexible to suggested alternative schedules and, following concerns expressed by traders, it now proposes a November 18 finish, with the current three-week delay being accommodated during April.”

Graham Jones, a spokesman for the Oxford High Street Association, said: “It is very pleasing the council has reconsidered after traders complained.

“This is a big thumb-up for Christmas but we would still like a meeting with the council because we do not want the roadworks to run into the tourist season.”