Potholes. A full explanation from Liz Leffman (Roads)

Wed 4 Mar, 11:19

The B4022 Great Tew road is in terrible shape as many say. There is a particular problem at ///adjuster.hence.acid where the road bends and some 450m North of the road in to Great Tew. 

The wise people at OCC stated on the 13th January 2026: "After a thorough investigation and risk assessment, we have determined that the issue warrants attention within 28 days." That was 22 days ago. Reminds me of Dad's army. Or 'ello ' ello. 

Wed 4 Mar, 11:06 (last edited on Wed 4 Mar, 11:27)

The pothole problem at that curve entering Spelsbury has been going on for some 10 years - it gets repaired and a year later there is a big hole again. Some say water comes out from a blocked well at the property opposite, this can be seen. There is a gully about a metre southeast of where the water comes out. The water has only one way to go and that is in to the corner where the potholes happens if the gulley gets blocked. Let's hope they cleared the gulley as well. The pothole problem at the bottom where the road crosses the Taston brook is caused by a stream coming out of the field at ///upholding.beamed.apricot. That water sits at the lowest point and has nowhere to go, eroding the road surface (water is highly corrosive). The reason the water comes out of the field should be investigated and repaired before the repair of the road is made. 

Finally there is a very nasty foot long and 5 inches wide 6 inches deep pothole in the middle of the road at the bottom of Pound Hill. There are three reports on Fixmy street for this one - someone put some red paint around it the other day. 

Wed 4 Mar, 09:01

I am concerned about the state of the road between Charlbury and Spelsbury, especially near the sewage station.  Unfortunately due to the rain, TW have had to have a vehicle there continuously to pump sewage and prevent it from spilling and the vehicles turning in and out of there have eroded the surface very badly.  It's also very wet there due to water that runs down the road from a garden at the entrance to the village which has been a problem for a very long time.  I do understand that for cyclists this is a very difficult patch to negotiate but until the sewage problem is sorted it is going to be difficult to fix the road at that point.  

Wed 4 Mar, 06:25

The nasty pothole on the bend into Spelsbury was fixed yesterday, the rest of the road is still bad but hurrah on that one! 

Tue 3 Mar, 14:41

I travelled to Banbury today for work. I went via Great Tew road. Scarily bad. I was lucky to be able to drive round them today, but if another car was coming in the opposite direction, well… I chose the longer journey on the way back via the roundabout on the outskirts of Chippy. Adding mileage and time spent at four way traffic lights. I didn’t mind the extra time, just glad my car is still in one piece.

Mon 2 Mar, 22:59

Further to Christopher's thoughts re: cyclist injury, having today swerved & crawled my way to Spelsbury I seriously believe this will be where such an incident will occur. Disgraceful state of affairs: Gant et al should be jailed!

Sun 1 Mar, 19:48

I've just spent quite a bit of today driving through Gloucestershire ferrying kids about and can confirm it definitely isn't immune to potholes. Including on A roads.

Sat 28 Feb, 17:49 (last edited on Sat 28 Feb, 17:57)

Same leader, entirely different circumstances

Fri 27 Feb, 19:15

As the individual who first turned Charlbury into a Liberal stronghold back in the 1994 when elected as a councillor , I find the complacency of the current crowd embarrassing and dangerous. Car tyres and suspensions are being destroyed, and it is probably only a matter of time before a cyclist is seriously injured/killed by a puddle covering a deep pot hole. As Mr Ambrose says, Mr Gant should  have resigned or been sacked by now . There was leadership when the cabinet minister for SEND was dispatched, where is that leadership now? Very sad. 

Fri 27 Feb, 17:50 (last edited on Fri 27 Feb, 17:50)

That Andrew Gant is in charge isn't a state secret. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7vj8r1m48po

Are the surrounding counties better when it comes to pothole repair? Yes they are.

https://maps.dft.gov.uk/local-road-maintenance-ratings-map/index.html

Paul's original post refers to an OCC plan called  Highway Asset Management Plan. I have been asking for a plan to sort out the pothole emergency for some months. Is this the one? Nope. https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/documents/s62085/CA_SEP2022R10%20HAMP%20Annex%203%20-%20Highway%20Infrastructure%20Asset%20Management%20Plan%202022%20V1.2.pdf

The only key performance indicator with any relevance to pothole repair in 28 pages of civil servant speak is on page 18: "respond within two hours to any occurrence or incident so serious as to render the highway unusable or un-safe". Respond with what? The statement is useless. 

I am of the opinion that monies that should have been spent of pothole repair has been used for other matters. Prove me wrong!

Fri 27 Feb, 16:08 (last edited on Fri 27 Feb, 16:17)

Sigh.... someone told me the other day that when they come from Gloucestershire into Oxfordshire they envy the fact that our roads are better than theirs.  Made me smile - hope it makes someone else on this thread smile too. That would make a refreshing change from ill informed criticism - especially when this includes pointing the finger at named individuals. 

Fri 27 Feb, 09:57

I appreciate that Charlbury is a Lib Dem stronghold, so my comments will probably be unwelcome, but our MP is absolutely right to hold OCC to account. The comments about government grants and spending may be correct but they are a smokescreen. 

Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire are not treated differently by central government, yet the roads in Gloucestershire are way better than those in Oxfordshire. This is because Gloucestershire chooses to spend almost DOUBLE what is spent in Oxfordshire and has prioritised proper proactive roads maintenance, gully emptying and road resurfacing. 

Contrast that with not very reactive and poor quality pothole repairs and patching, excessive spending on 20mph limits, an inaccessible P&R scheme on the A40, Oxford City LTNs, and failure to hold Network Rail to account for the mismanagement of the Botley Road bridge replacement with the imposition of a "temporary" congestion charging scheme in consequence. Not good enough. Andrew Gant should resign or be sacked.

Sat 21 Feb, 15:59

Interesting story in the The Oxford Clarion this week about road funding from central government to OCC being cut. If you want to see the full story, including screenshots of the mentioned letters, then it is here (or you can read the text below):

https://oxfordclarion.uk/clarion-weekend-20-february-2026/?ref=oxford-clarion-newsletter

A war of words over potholes has erupted between Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways, Andrew Gant, and (checks notes) the Prime Minister, with Gant claiming the PM had made a “disgraceful and untrue statement". Buckle up, this one’s a rough road.

Last week, Olly Glover, LibDem MP for Didcot & Wantage, spoke up in Prime Minister’s Questions asking about a £24m cut in road funding from central Government. The PM responded that funds had been increased and he should ask OCC where the money had gone. Glover requested clarification from Gant.

In a strongly worded letter, Gant pointed out that the Government’s own ratings had scored Oxfordshire “green” for spend on highways, citing top ups and borrowing to make up a shortfall, following a Conservative policy of “managed decline” and real-terms cuts from Whitehall. Gant called the PM’s comment “a slur on the dedication and professionalism of officers and contractors”, saying it shows a “complete lack of understanding of the pressures local government is under”. He invited the PM to visit Oxfordshire “to see how a well run council delivers for residents against ever deepening cuts imposed by his Government”.

Wed 18 Feb, 08:49 (last edited on Wed 18 Feb, 09:22)

Hi Paul

Potholes are not WODCs responsibility which is why they were not mentioned in their recent brochure

As the weather improves you will start to see the potholes filled.

This is why we have a problem at the moment:

Oxfordshire is currently experiencing one of the most challenging periods…

Long post - click to read full text