A ROADWORKS contract for public works in Oxfordshire will be extended, with the end costs expected to total £100m when it finishes.

The road maintenance contract with construction firm Skanska was due to expire on March 31, 2023, but will now run until March 2025.

Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet signed off on the extension earlier this year.

According to a report to the council, the total costs of the contract over the period between the 2022/23 financial year and the 2024/25 year is £100m when adding up ongoing 'revenue' costs and big project 'capital' costs.

The council's assistant director of operations, Paul Fermer said the extension could be an opportunity for 'new ways of working particularly around carbon reduction'.

The extension was also welcomed by the Labour opposition highways spokesman, Damian Haywood.

But Mr Haywood called on the council's Tory leader Ian Hudspeth to lobby central Government for more roads funding.

He said: "We are very short on resource and that only comes with significant more cash."

Mr Hudspeth said he would lobby for the cash at any available opportunity.