A DISABLED man has hit out at the council for leaving “sharp grit” on the roads after his young chocolate Labrador had to be taken to the vet with a limp.

Stephen Holt, 58, suffers severe spinal problems and is not able to walk far.

Yet the Carterton man still takes his two-year-old Lab Gunner out every day so they can both get some exercise.

But Mr Holt had to pay out nearly £50 at the vets recently after Gunner hurt a paw on the sharp gritty stones spread across Black Bourton Road, where the pair live.

Mr Holt said: “When Morrisons and Asda came to town they wanted to improve the road, so the council put tar down on the road and these gritty stones as well, to harden the road surface.

“They’re supposed to then roll the chippings into the tarmac but they just left them for the cars to drive over.

“It has not been done properly, a lot of people think that.

“Perhaps I am foolish to walk my dog there, but it is one of the main footpaths.”

Mr Holt said the chips, which are like “sharp pointed triangles”, are now scattered across the footpath and cycle path of Black Bourton Road.

As he suffers from a condition which means his spine is badly curved, so that his chin is almost down on his chest, Mr Holt often uses a mobility scooter to get around.

He added: “I’ve started driving in the middle of the road now, so I don’t get a puncture.

“Gunner has stopped limping now, but he is taking anti inflammatory tablets to help.”

Ron Spurs of Carterton Town Council said he was not aware of any problems on Black Bourton Road.

Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, said a member of the highways team visited the road on Wednesday and confirmed there were excess loose chippings which he would request to be moved as soon as possible.

Spokeswoman Emily Reed explained: “The county council carried out surface dressing on Black Bourton Road in Carterton last August.

“Surface dressing treats roads with a coating of hot bitumen spread over with small stone chippings. It is one of the most cost effective methods available.

“Surface dressing seals the old surface with a waterproof layer, keeping the rain and frost out of the road foundations and significantly extends the life of the road, providing a high skid-resistant surface and helps to prevent the formation of potholes and cracks.”