Fellow users of the A44 say they fail to see what Jeremy Clarkson is talking about when he calls it a dangerous road - and believe it is no different to other roads in the area.

Woodstock mayor Colin Carritt, a former county highways engineer, regularly uses the road and thinks the 50mph speed limit is right as it "draws drivers' attention to the fact it is not the easiest road to drive on".

He said: "A long time ago the A44 used to be a dangerous road, but the 50mph limit was introduced, as were double white lines and special warning signs at various points along the road, and that has helped significantly. The volume of traffic is creeping up, but it is still nowhere near what it was.

"The accident record on the A44 is not dissimilar to other roads in the area. It is not an accident blackspot and I would not support Jeremy Clarkson's view that you 'dice with death' when on the road."

Mr Carritt said increasing the speed limit would not be appropriate. He also said scores of people in Woodstock supported the action group A44A, which was set up by residents of towns and villages along the road to try to reduce the number of HGVs using the route. He said: "We are supportive of the A44A and have campaigned hard to encourage drivers of HGVs to use alternative routes. One of the problems is that lorry drivers are not keen to use the A40 because it is so congested."