AN Oxford taxi driver has hit out at the state of the city’s roads after being forced to repair his alloy wheels multiple time due to potholes.

Marius Perijoc, 35, said he felt Oxford City Council should help him pay for around £500 worth of damage to his Mercedes E Class taxi.

He believes it is not fair – given the amount motorists pay in road tax and that he is providing a service to the city – that he has to pick up the bill for damage caused by potholes, and a local taxi association agrees with him.

Mr Perijoc, who lives in North Oxford, explained: “My wheels cracked four times in 14 months. I’ve repaired them twice and had to buy two new wheels because of the bad quality of the roads in Oxford.”

He suggested that the council does not want to take responsibility for the problem, explaining that claimants have to jump through a number of hoops before the case is even considered.

He continued: “Considering the fact that I pay around £2,000 per year (for insurance, road tax and an MOT) I don’t think it is fair that the council won’t pay the damage caused by the roads.”

After sending his complaint, Mr Perijoc was told – via a letter from insurance company Zurich – that the council was “unable to offer any compensation” after the incident on Becket Street because the council has a “good system of inspection in place” and all safety defects are identified and worked on.

But, asked specifically about Mr Perijoc’s case, Paul Molony, Retail Aftersales Director for Mercedes-Benz of Oxford, said: “The wheel failure is due to external influences, generally poorly maintained roads and subsequent impact. Any cracked rims are not due to a manufacturing defect.”

City council spokesman Tony Ecclestone said: “The council will consider a claim if it details a specific defect, precise location, date and time of any incident.”

ALSO READ: What is Oxford's worst road for potholes? 

The city council took over responsibility for potholes in the city (via Oxford Direct Services) from Oxfordshire County Council earlier this year.

However, the City Council was not able to immediately clarify how much it had paid out for potholes claims or how many claims had been made.

Oxford Mail:

Sajad Khan, Secretary City of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association (COLTA), added: “Black cabs are on the road 24/7 and we can clearly see the condition of the roads in some parts of Oxford are horrendous.

“We spend hundreds of pounds every six months on repair bills to our taxis which are directly attributed to the bad condition of the roads. The heavier vehicles such as buses and lorries do most of the damage.

“When there’s talk from our local authorities about modernising the black cab trade in relation to investing in zero emissions capable vehicles, perhaps more importantly, they should be working towards restricting heavier vehicles on certain routes who are proving to be a financial burden due to the consistent damage they cause.”

Nationwide, damage to cars from potholes has more than doubled in 12 years because of the ‘steady deterioration’ of roads, according to the RAC.

The organisation said that in the past year it has had 14,220 callouts to vehicles likely damaged by potholes.

Mark Morrell, who is also known as Mr Pothole, said: “In an ideal world, the council should pay for it.

“It’s very difficult, I have helped hundreds of people with their claims and it depends on the evidence.

“I estimate one per cent of people get recompense when they claim.”