A SIX-WEEK closure of Old Abingdon Road in Oxford for an archaelogical dig will no longer be needed.

The Environment Agency was planning to close the road from Monday but has now found a way to keep it open throughout the dig using temporary traffic lights at the junction of Old Abingdon Road and Kennington Road.

The works will now start one week later than previously advertised, on Monday, October 31, and will still be completed by the first week of December, the EA has said.

The agency is carrying out archaelogical dig as part of preparations for the £120m Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme.

The EA is planning to dig a 7km channel from Botley Road in west Oxford to somewhere near Kennington to divert flood water away from the city centre.

Under the current plans the channel would go underneath Old Abingdon Road.

Part of that road is believed to be a continuation of the Grandpont, the route of a medieval causeway with Anglo Saxon origins.

The EA has said this causeway is an important element in understanding the topography and development of medieval Oxford.

Trenches will be dug in the road to locate evidence of the medieval causeway and explore the extent of any remains.

This will take place by peeling away layers of the ground mechanically. Any archaeological features found within the trenches will then be excavated by hand by a specialist.

Flood scheme director Joanna Larmour said: "We know this will cause some minor disruption in the short term.

"We hope people travelling in Oxford will be understanding of this and see the wider benefits that the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme will have for the city in the future”