RESIDENTS have hit out at Oxford City Council, claiming it has failed to properly repair potholes on their road – despite two attempts to permanently fix them.

Householders say potholes in Whitehouse Road, off Abingdon Road, are still a problem and posed a danger to motorists and cyclists, escpecially children, even though remedial work has been carried out twice.

The road was first repaired in spring 2012. But the repairs, supposed to be permanent, failed and after the extremely cold weather the council says the road became damaged again.

Last month the authority organised repairs to the road again but said that the contractors’ work fell below set standards and so it will have to be redone.

Residents have slated the council for the recurring problem.

Leanne Kelly, of Whitehouse Road, said: “It was at the end of July last year when they first covered over the potholes, but it never worked and left loose stones on the road and so it ended up being worse than before.

“They then came back a few weeks ago to deal with it but you can already see the potholes again. It’s a waste of our money.”

Ms Kelly, who has two children, Erin, nine, and Darcey, 10, said: “It’s a problem when children ride bikes along the road. It’s important for kids that it is safe.”

Jane Carter, 69, said: “It’s just as bad out there. It’s a waste of money.” Justine Cather, who has two children aged eight and 11, added: “It’s horrible for cycling and driving and it’s especially dangerous for kids cycling.

“The last time they fixed the problem was six weeks ago. But they have just patched it up and we are back where we started.”

Eva Oliver from Oxford City Council said that essentially the road needed to be rebuilt.

But she added: “With budget priorities we were only able to carry out pothole repairs last year. Due to the cold weather the road was damaged again and we have carried out further repairs.

“They were both intended as permanent fixes. We will seek to recover the cost of this year’s work from the contractors, as it was felt the work carried out last year didn’t reach necessary standards.

Confusion over responsibilities

  • Oxford City Council is responsible for almost every residential street inside Oxford. Oxfordshire County Council is responsible for repairs covering the main roads.
  • But there are no exact rules on which streets the city council is accountable for and a spokesman for the county council (Owen Morton) said officers from both councils together identify repairs needed.
  • Oxford City Council does not try to fix potholes temporarily and always looks for a permanent job. About 10 per cent of repairs are temporary.
  • It will not fix holes permanently if the location could require additional roadworks or if the defect is in a location that will be resurfaced soon.