Council working hard to tackle pothole crisis
23/02/2026
“We know how important the condition of our highways is for our residents”
by Esme Kenney, Local Democracy Reporter
Oxfordshire County Council says it is “working hard with every resource” it has, in order to tackle the ongoing pothole crisis.
More and more residents are complaining about the state of Oxfordshire’s roads amid the ongoing rain and cold weather.
Earlier this week a man was hospitalised after crashing into a huge pothole outside The Red Lion pub in Old Marston while riding an e-scooter.
The Government has put a £167.9 million investment into pothole repairs in Oxfordshire over a four-year period.
The county council said they were adding “significant” local funding on top of the Government’s cash injection.
They added that this would allow “a larger and more sustained highway maintenance programme to be delivered, including resurfacing, surface treatments, drainage repairs, and targeted structural improvement across the county’s road network”.
The annual cost of maintaining Oxfordshire’s roads in their current condition is £49.9 million a year, meaning that even with the Government’s funding it still falls short of what is needed.
The county council has more than doubled the number of repair crews to 16 in recent years due to the recent cold snap.
A council spokesperson added: “We know how important the condition of our highways is for our residents.
“We are working hard with every resource we have and this will continue in coming weeks.
“Repair methods include a Dragon Patcher machine, which seals repairs with stone chippings and hot bitumen emulsion; and Bobcat machines, which can remove large areas of damaged road surface in minutes.
“While reactive highway work is vital, particularly for potholes that cause an immediate danger, the council’s emphasis is on maintenance work to prevent potholes forming in the first place, which is much more cost-effective than repairing them afterwards.
“We have invested nearly £14.5 million since 2024 on its largest surface dressing programmes for at least 20 years, treating around two million square metres of carriageway. This will continue in 2026.”
The council added that the current problems with potholes were “driven by exceptional rainfall and flooding” and that they were not unique to the county.
“Weather in 2026 thus far has led to perfect conditions for creating new potholes but also makes life difficult in terms of being able to undertake effective repairs.
“This is especially the case on roads that quickly become affected by floodwater from adjoining land in more rural locations.”
The £167.9 million is not a guaranteed as the full amount, with 50 per cent of the fund being dependent on the performance of the council.
More information on the performance-based measure will be given in due course.
Didcot and Wantage MP Olly Glover raised the issue of potholes during Prime Ministers Questions almost two weeks ago.
In response, Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Glover should be asking the council why they were not using the “record amount of money” the Government had provided for potholes.
Transport chief Andrew Gant hit back at the Prime Minister’s comments, calling them “untrue and unfair”.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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