READERS have rallied against the 'messy' state of Oxfordshire's roads after a councillor warned they are not set to improve.

Drivers and cyclists complained about 'dangerous' pothole hotspots following a special report in Monday's Oxford Mail, in which Oxfordshire County Council's transport boss David Nimmo Smith admitted roads will not get better unless significant funding is found.

Reacting to the story on Facebook, Faye Ayres branded the county's roads 'a mess'.

She said: "The same potholes are appearing in the same places that have been filled only a few months before.

"There are three in a row at the industrial estate [Oakfield] at Eynsham – when I drive to work you have to take a wide berth or risk losing a wheel."

Rob Barker emailed in about 'terrible' potholes on the southbound side of Woodstock Road, particularly between St Margaret's Road and Farndon Road.

The 34-year-old, who lives in Kidlington, said: "I work in Jericho and cycle in that way each morning – there is simply no way of staying close to the kerb because of the state of the road, so you have to move out in front of the traffic. It is dangerous for the cyclist and very annoying for the car or bus driver who's stuck behind."

Barry Blake-Cox complained of the crumbling road surface around a manhole cover on Elsfield Way near Cutteslowe roundabout.

The 49-year-old of nearby Kendall Crescent said the problem has persisted for five years despite repairs.

He said: "It's absolutely ridiculous. The sound of the traffic crashing through it would make you think there had been a head-on collision."

The retired college steward warned the road, which was smoothed over once again last week, would fall apart 'within six months' and was like a 'ticking bomb'.

He added: "How long before the manhole cover flips and goes through someone's windscreen?"

Several readers complained on social media about potholes on the A420 and A34, though the county council is not responsible for the latter, which is maintained by Highways England.

Gordon Britton commented on Facebook: "They do the same potholes in Love Lane, Watlington, every year.

"I was talking to one of the guys who do the repairs and he said with what they have spent over the years on redoing the same holes, the whole road could have been ripped up and a new one laid down."

One reader blamed potholes for £280 worth of wheel and alignment damage to his car, and said he planned to claim the cash from the council.

County council spokesman Martin Crabtree stressed that the state of Oxfordshire's roads were 'in line with than the national averages'.

He added: "The work that we have done in recent years means that the condition of our roads is generally stable."