People campaigning to keep a historic bridleway open will meet tonight (Thursday) to discuss their strategy.

Ramblers, horse riders, cyclists and BMW workers who use a bridleway which runs through the Cowley BMW plant are urged to attend a meeting at Oxford Town Hall, at 7.30pm, to try to stop the car company closing the path.

The firm says the path is a security risk and has offered to build a £500,000 new one alongside the Eastern Bypass. But Troth Wells, of the Oxford Area Bridleways Association, which has launched a petition against the plan, said: "People going to work on the industrial estate, horse riders on their way to Shotover and walkers use the path regularly.

"The alternative, of walking along the by-pass, is not only much longer but will be noisy and unpleasant. Horse riders will not be able to use it, there is no alternative provision for them.

"The Government has acknowledged there are an increasing number of horse riders in urban and suburban areas and they should be catered for. BMW are going against that."

The Oxfordshire branch of the Ramblers' Association has already pledged to fight BMW when the future of the path is decided at a court hearing.

A BMW survey showed that 90 per cent of the 40 pedestrians and cyclists who use the path each day are factory employees.

But ramblers propose to collect their own evidence about use of the bridleway before the court case.

BMW has spent five years researching ways to close the path and is now launching informal public consultation. It wants to preserve part of the path in Watlington Road as a staff entrance.

Alexandra Brooks, of BMW, said: "It's not just security, we also want to develop the site. We already have a rail link and we would like to expand on that. We don't want to continue transporting the Mini by truck, the road structure can't cope.

"We are thinking of the next 10 to 15 years in the future, we need to ensure the long term success of the plant.

"We have been meeting stakeholder groups such as the Bridleways Association and talking to people about this. We have been talking about an alternative route for horse riders and we are looking at various options."