Pictures showed the front of the double decker kissing the honey stone front of the old NatWest building at around 10.45pm on Friday night (September 1).

The crash followed calls for buses to be re-routed away from the historic town centre, and instead turn at the purpose-built turning circle north of Old Woodstock.

Buses on the S7 route are understood to have been turning in the town square following changes to the route in the spring. 

Woodstock Town Councillor Sharone Parnes said it was ‘now obvious’ that the larger buses should no longer be able to turn in the town square.

“Based on the scene in the town centre on Friday night, it feels that if the parking charge machines don’t destroy some of the businesses in the town then the large buses manoeuvring round the town square might,” he said.

READ MORE: Improvements made to Oxford and Witney bus services

County Councillor Andy Graham told the Oxford Mail he had asked for an ‘urgent meeting’ with Oxfordshire County Council’s chief executive and cabinet member for highway management Cllr Andrew Gant.

“My patience is now at an end and I think it’s time that we actually made a decision and step to it, which is to ask Stagecoach to re-route back to the original bus turning at the other side of Old Woodstock,” he said.

“I just think it’s totally unacceptable. It’s untenable.”

He said the council had had discussions with Stagecoach, even pondering whether wing mirrors could be re-engineered in order to make it easier for the vehicles to turn.

“I think the crash actually goes further. It actually shows the buses can’t turn safely and when we’re putting pedestrians at risk this can’t continue,” Cllr Graham added.

Cllr Andrew Gant said on Saturday afternoon: “I take this incident very seriously. It is too soon to say exactly what caused the accident.

“Of course, I’m always very happy to meet other councillors and stakeholders at all times.”

Stagecoach West has been approached for comment about the crash.

Thames Valley Police, whose officers were called to the crash on Friday night, said it did not answer queries about road traffic collisions except those it had issued press releases about.

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