The cost of car servicing in Oxfordshire is among the highest in the UK according to a new survey.

Personal warranty company Warranty Direct, who conducted the survey, found Oxfordshire to have the eighth most expensive hourly charges for servicing in the country.

The survey, carried out in 57 different parts of the country, found the average hourly rate in Oxfordshire to be £79.14 - a third more than the cheapest part of the UK.

It also highlighted a divide between prices paid in the north and south, with the 10 most expensive vehicle-servicing areas all in southern England, while Scotland and northern England prominently featured in the cheapest service areas.

Chris Conway, manager of Mr Clutch, in Cowley Road, said the company charged a £69 flat rate for a standard service across the country, which did not vary by region.

He believed Oxfordshire made it into the top 10 because businesses in the area had higher running costs which they passed on to customers.

Mr Conway said: "It's all to do with overheads really. Businesses in the south will charge more as they have to pay more in rent, taxes and for parts.

"For example, a spark plug that you pay £3.50 in the north might cost £1 more in Oxford. Some parts might be as much as £20 more, depending on the supplier."

Martin Gilbert, of Martin Gilbert Motor Repairs in Abingdon, agreed that bigger garages were likely to cover their overheads by passing on the costs to customers.

He said: "If you're talking about smaller garages, I would be surprised if they were charging those prices, but if your talking about main dealers - it wouldn't surprise me.

"Some places can charge as much as £100 per hour for what we charge £45 per hour to do. They are main agents and have invested more in their facilities. You see these massive great show rooms with canteens, it all needs to be paid for."

Neil Barrett, of Badgers Vehicle Repairs in Stadlake, near Witney, said he was surprised by the average hourly rate quoted in the survey.

He said: "We charge £35 an hour for servicing, so £79 seems like an awful lot of money.

"We phoned around other businesses when we were working out our rates and found that most businesses charged between £30 and £50 an hour, so we went somewhere in the middle."

Nigel Strick, the head of Oxfordshire's Trading Standards, said garages were entitled to charge whatever they liked, and advised people to get several quotes before having any work carried out.

Mr Strick said: "Main dealers will tend to charge more for servicing as they have access to the specialised diagnostic equipment that smaller garages don't have.

"Also, people need to remember that they may need to have this work done as part of the schedule of works for their warranty.

"Any work carried out that is not in line with the warranty could make it invalid. However, lots of local garages are really good and if you explain to them the work needs to be done in line with warranty then they will be able to tell you if they can do it or not."