Experts are to draw up a list of the most dangerous stretches of Oxford's towpath in a bid to get on top of a maintenance backlog.

A voluntary agreement is to be thrashed out between Oxford City Council and County Hall to prioritise which parts are in most need of repair.

The agreement, known as a concordat, would also establish exactly which authority was responsible for what.

The news comes two months after Ben Halsey-Jones died after falling into the River Thames while cycling along a flooded path in Port Meadow.

Until now, stretches of towpath have been repaired on an "ad-hoc" basis with confusion over which authority is responsible for which part.

Now members of the Town Hall's high-level environment scrutiny committee have pledged to push for written confirmation to ensure tragedies like those involving Ben do not happen again.

However, experts said there was a minimal risk of similar accidents occurring.

A report circulated to city councillors today said there was a "real but small" risk of holes forming in the towpath due to flooding.

But they did say a section could collapse while submerged in an extreme case, adding these would become "unexpected hazards" for pedestrians and cyclists.

They also warned of a massive backlog of work, scant money available for repairs and that work would have to be carried out during months when the towpath was less busy - probably September or October.

Scrutiny committee member Sue Roaf, city councillor for Wolvercote, said: "Isn't the death of one young man enough? It's not a small risk - it's an unacceptable risk."

Labour group leader Bob Price added: "(carrying out repairs on an) ad-hoc basis is inadequate.

"(We need to) establish a firm maintenance concordat so we can have a commitment the paths don't fall into disrepair again."

At the heart of the confusion is that responsibility for the upkeep of stretches of towpath is split between the Environment Agency, Oxfordshire County Council and the city council.

It also emerged yesterday that estimates for the repair and maintenance of streets and footpaths have produced quotes of more than £15m and did not include the full refurbishment of Oxford towpath.

Meanwhile, no further action is to be taken after an internal investigation found no evidence a city council officer acted improperly over the maintenance of the towpath close to where the tragedy happened.

City councillor Sushila Dhall wrote to chief executive Brian Dinsdale asking why repairs to the stretch of path between Rainbow Bridge and Fiddler's Island Bridge in Port Meadow had not been undertaken sooner.

Ms Dhall said: "It would be a good thing if there was more clarity and more money was available.

"It seemed to me in this last episode the county was responsible as the highways authority, but the city was responsible for carrying out day-to-day maintenance.

"It seemed clear - but still nothing happened.

"The sooner (there is an agreement in place) the better."

City council officer Michael Lawrence said Mr Dinsdale was satisfied with the way the officers had acted.