IT HAD its own yellow jerseys – but this was no Tour de France.

Instead, cyclists decided to highlight the crumbling state of Oxford's roads with a 'Tour de Potholes' on Sunday.

Organised by Cutteslowe mum-of-two Allie Noel and campaign group Cyclox, it saw members scouring the streets to report the worst holes in the road using smartphone app FixMyStreet.

They hoped to spur Oxfordshire County Council – the highways authority – into a pothole-fixing blitz in the city.

Mrs Noel, 58, said: "We are really pleased the message about FixMyStreet seems to be getting out there and hope to have a conversation with the county council about our findings soon.

"The ride has reinforced what people already felt – which is they are fed up with this situation."

Mrs Noel said she was "shocked" by the condition of some city roads, including St Giles, Magdalen Street and Banbury Road.

Cyclists on the ride followed county council guidelines and used household objects – such as dustbin lids – to measure the size of some of the potholes.

Mrs Noel added: "There were quite a number where even the dustbin lid was smaller than the craters we put it in."

FixMyStreet allows users to report potholes to the county council with a picture and map location.

Once they have been flagged up, the council has to respond and say what it will do. More than 100 reports were thought to have been made on Sunday alone.

In the past month, the local authority says it has fixed 433 potholes through the service but more than 3,000 remain unfixed.

Cyclox chairman Simon Hunt called for more money to repair potholes, blaming the worsening road conditions on shrinking budgets.

And he claimed worsening roads would put off more people from cycling, despite an increase being a key aim in the council's transport plans.

Mr Hunt said: "Fixing potholes is just as much a frontline service as other areas, particularly for people who are on bikes.

"If the county council wants to tempt more people to take up cycling it is vital people are not worried about whether they are safe enough.

"We came across some really dreadful potholes on our ride. Cyclists have to swerve around them and that interferes with traffic as well as their own safety."

Mr Hunt said he hoped county council officials would join a meeting of Cyclox on August 23 to discuss the findings of the 'Tour de Potholes'.

David Nimmo Smith, the council's cabinet member for transport, said the council had a shrinking budget and had to prioritise spending on social care for children and adults.

He added: "We are looking at different ways of dealing with the highways problem, but the harsh reality is we are unlikely to be able to make the issue of potholes go away without more money from central government."