SOME solace could be on the horizon for drivers in Bicester as the council has pledged to repair potholes in the coming weeks.

Frustrated motorists will welcome the news that 'major structural patching' is planned for Bicester Roads after bad weather battered the highways.

But works will only cover those potholes that are top priority across the county and drivers fear that if left to worsen they will eventually cause an accident.

Bucknell resident Chris Donlan said: "Just when you thought that the potholes on Howes Lane couldn't get any worse, it would appear following the recent cold snap that they have manifested themselves into craters.

"Not only do you take your life into your own hands driving down the middle of the road to avoid them, but if you were to stick to the law and allow your wheels to crash through them, then you would need roadside assistance to collect your vehicle by the time you got to the roundabout with Middleton Stoney Road."

Howes Lane in Bicester is one area Oxfordshire County Council has said it will be tackling in coming weeks following the recent bad weather.

But Kings End resident Edward Pearce said the problem is wide-spread and he has paid up to £800 in repair costs from pothole damage close to his home and around the town.

He said: "It has been dreadful for the past year.

"The council seems to fill them up but it doesn’t seem to last and what happens is cars go over them and just spreads it all over the pavements.

"They are really bad in Kings End and the trouble is there are all these cutbacks to repairing the roads, but in the end you are just paying out twice as much when they do get fixed.

"It is annoying financially, and I feel it’s ridiculous that we pay all this tax and yet the roads where we live are like this."

Oxfordshire County Council has said it planned to carry out temporary repairs to the worst of the potholes on Howes Lane yesterday.

It has then pledged to undertake 'more major structural patching works' the week beginning March 26.

Oxfordshire county councillor for Bicester West, town mayor Les Sibley, said: "Howes Lane is a very narrow and heavily used arterial road around Bicester which has seen an substantial increase in it's volume of traffic, especially by HGV vehicles.

"This in turn has had a negative impact on the existing road surface, compounded by the adverse weather conditions leaving the road in a sorry state of repair."

"The temporary quick fixing of the potholes is unavoidable and is an ongoing problem for Highways because of the extremely high demand for repair work not only in Bicester but also the rest of the County.

"When weather conditions are more favourable highways will be in a better position to provide more permanent repair work to our roads."

County council spokesman Martin Crabtree said: "The roads in Bicester are no different to else where in Oxfordshire or indeed elsewhere in the UK.

"The severe winter weather has had a major impact on the road surfaces and we are having to repair a large number of potholes.

"Significantly improving the overall condition of the road network requires a great deal of money and, as we have a limited budget, we target our resources very carefully.

"Potholes that pose a safety risk are dealt with as top priority."