VILLAGERS in the southern part of York have hit out at city chiefs over race day road closures - saying they feel "barricaded" inside their community.

Copmanthorpe Parish Council has complained to council traffic bosses after key routes in and out of their village were blocked off for a race meeting which occurred after Royal Ascot.

Council chairman Mike Irwin said villagers were prepared to accept the inconvenience of the road closures during Royal Ascot, when large-scale traffic measures were installed throughout York to minimise inconvenience for residents.

But he said the race meeting after Royal Ascot had also seen major roads blocked off to Copmanthorpe all day, with inadequate consultation.

Tadcaster Road was blocked during the meeting near the Tesco roundabout, forcing locals to drive back into their village via what they said was a dangerous junction on the A1237 ring road. To leave Copmanthorpe, villagers were being prevented from driving into York along Top Lane - the most direct route. This meant they had to drive miles out of their way to get into the city.

City of York Council leader Steve Galloway told a full council meeting last month that the traffic masterplan put in place for Royal Ascot had worked so well it could be put in place at future race meetings - although he urged residents to have their say.

Coun Irwin said: "We've coped with race day traffic for years.

"They decided that because Royal Ascot was so much bigger than other race meetings, they had to impose these sanctions and barriers on us. To put those impositions on us (again) is unreasonable. We're barricaded in. We're not being treated fairly."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "We recognise that the traffic arrangements for Royal Ascot at York caused some inconvenience to residents in certain parts of the city.

"It is always difficult to balance the needs of the city as a whole, with the needs of individual residents, particularly with an event the size of Royal Ascot at York.

"We are currently consulting with local residents and businesses to find out which bits of the traffic plan they found useful and which parts were inconvenient.

"We will use this information as the basis for traffic proposals for future events."

Planning chief Ann Reid said parts of Royal Ascot's traffic masterplan were being put in place for next week's three-day Ebor meeting, starting on Tuesday.

:: Lucy Mair and Sam Jackson asked villagers for their views on the traffic bans.

Shopping precinct manager Sue Spence, 57, said: "Ascot was no problem. There's another way out of the village."

Nursery Nurse Helen Ward, 40, said: "Ascot was brilliant as there was much less traffic. It was easier to get to Tesco."

Nurse Karen Lovatt, 39, said: "It will be more inconvenient for work. The council pays too much attention to tourists."

Housewife Yvonne Dwyer, 41, said: "The race meetings attract tourists into the city, so I think it's a small price to pay."

Peter Gregory, 59, retired, said: "I even had to cancel a hospital appointment because of the restrictions. I felt marooned."

Updated: 10:41 Tuesday, August 09, 2005