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DRIVERS whose cars have been damaged after driving into deep potholes on Oxfordshire's roads have claimed nearly £42,000 in less than two years.

Last year Oxfordshire County Council shelled out £25,653 and so far this year has paid out £16,043 to annoyed drivers.

In 2016, the authority paid £1,827.91 to a single motorist whose vehicle had been damaged on the B4526 in South Oxfordshire.

Other large sums paid out include £1,739 and £1,725 after damage caused on South Oxfordshire roads.

And this year's largest successful claim was for £1,130, caused by a pothole on the A4260, just north of Oxford.

An Oxford resident sick of the state of the roads near his home in Blackbird Leys said something must be done by both Oxford City and Oxfordshire County Councils.

Brian Chadwick, who has lived in the area for over 20 years, said: “It’s dreadful. It clearly needs some work. They’re really bad."

But he said the number of claims was not representative of how much damage around the county because people will not make a claim.

He added: “All of the people cannot be bothered. It’s too much of a rigmarole. You have got to go to a garage and get a report done."

The county council said the poor state of roads in Oxfordshire is a 'national situation', but the government insists it has given millions to Oxfordshire sort out the problem.

Of 75 successful claims around the county in 2017, 30 of them have been for less than £100. The smallest was for £17.50 after damage was caused on a road in Charney Bassett.

Major roads in Oxford such as the Cowley Road and Abingdon Road are controlled by the county council while the city council maintains the others.

The £41,696.83 claimed over 2016 and 2017 is way down on what the council paid out in the 2012/13 financial year, when payouts topped £67,899.

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Paul Smith said: “There is nothing unique or unusual about Oxfordshire in terms of claims relating to pothole damage or potholes in general. This is a national situation. As is the case with all councils each claim is considered on its individual merits.”

But a Department for Transport spokesman said: “We are giving Oxfordshire County Council £2.3m this year which is enough to fill more than 43,000 potholes.

“On top of this, we are providing nearly £90m over five years for road maintenance, which the council can use to stop potholes before they develop.”

The spending will last until 2020/21.

Susan Trafford previously appeared in the Oxford Mail in January when she said roads in Kennington were pothole-ridden.

While she said things have improved since, she said she is sure the roads will deteriorate quickly when cold weather hits.

She said: "In the next frost, [the potholes] will open up. They're going to go again. They haven't done it properly. Years ago they used to dig it out and then they filled it again. It's just a patch-up job now."

The Oxford Mail found one pothole which has mushroomed near a bus stop on the county council-maintained Cowley Road.

City councillor Tom Hayes had urged the county council to produce a 'better-surfaced, pothole-free Cowley Road with clear cycle symbols'.

But work to improve conditions for cyclists and motorists may not begin until next summer at the earliest.

The city council, which maintains minor roads in Oxford, said it was taking the 'appropriate level' of action to tackle the city's pothole problem.

Spokesman Chofamba Sithole said: "We undertake routine and responsive inspections of the Section 42 road network and undertake repairs to defects that meet the appropriate level of intervention."