A COUNCIL maintenance firm has denied that it considers ‘class’ when undertaking resurfacing works in Oxford.

Oxford Direct Services, which delivers road maintenance for the city council, made the comment after residents claimed works in Cutteslowe stopped at the exact spot where walls once divided two housing estates by class.

Earlier this week a graffiti artist sprawled ‘Class War’ where Wentworth Road meets Aldrich Road.

The works stop at the former spot of the Cutteslowe Walls built in the 1930s to separate middle class and working class homes.

In response, Oxford Direct Services managing director Simon Howick said the renewed end of the road was not favoured for repairs over the other.

He said: “The simple fact is that Wentworth Road was significantly more worn than the adjoining roads.

"Oxford Direct Services conducts regular surveys to assess the condition of all roads within the city.

"We allocate repair budgets and carry out road maintenance based on engineering decisions alone and this was the case with Wentworth Road.”

Mr Howick also pointed out that the firm resurfaced Aldrich Road ‘some years ago’ to protect it from degradation, and this year improved the footways.

He added: “Political or ‘class’ considerations play no part in this process; nor would they ever.”