OXFORDSHIRE’S roads got worse last year for the first time in five years.

The harsh winter has been blamed for an increase in potholes, cracks and worn-out roads.

It comes after the Oxford Mail reported last Monday how 14,000 potholes had been filled in across the county since December by Oxfordshire County Council.

But at the beginning of the month, there were still 2,331 left to be filled in.

Council cabinet member for roads, Rodney Rose, said: “This is the result of not one, but two harsh winters. We have £9m worth of repair schemes set up in place to be completed by October, around the county.

“We are on top of the emergency repairs, so are now concentrating on bigger sections and structural maintenance.”

A council report to a cabinet meeting next week said the council was failing to meet Government targets on road conditions. It said: “The overall improving trend was reversed last year, due mainly to the effects of the harsh winter.”

Mr Rose said £3.5m of extra Government money will have been spent on repairing long sections of road by later this summer.

He added: “To completely resurface all the roads would take around £70m.

“We don’t have that money, so we can’t do the work as often as we would like.”

In February, the county council approved £13m cuts to the transport budget, including road maintenance.

But Mr Rose said: “I actually think we are doing much more with less money.”

Malcolm Denton, who was left with a £400 repair bill after his Mini hit a pothole last year, said: “We can’t keep hiding behind harsh winters. If the climate is changing, we need to prepare properly.

“In fairness, the council are getting around to all the potholes, but it’s taking a lot longer than it should.”

The Marcham resident added: “The general road infrastructure for the sheer amount of vehicles that use the roads isn’t good enough.

“For the amount of road tax we all pay, road safety should be improved.”