OXFORD City Council has made just one pay out on potholes since 2013.

Despite facing 44 claims and widespread anger about the state of the city's roads during the period, claimants have not been victorious for years.

The successful claim, made between October 2013 and September 2014, cost the council £407.86, following a claim made regarding a pothole in Balfour Road.

Last month, an Oxford taxi driver hit out about having to repair his taxi because of potholes in Oxford and said the work, which cost him around £500, should have been paid for by the council.

READ AGAIN: Taking a battering - Oxford taxi driver says his wheels can't cope with state of the roads

Marius Perijoc said the system was unfair and City of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association (COLTA), echoed his thoughts.

Secretary Sajad Khan said: “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 new statistics, which break down the claims into 12 month periods – from October to September each year – show that three claims were made in the last two months of 2018, 10 in the previous year and 11 the year before.

Four claims were made between October 2015 and September 2016, and eight in each of the previous two 12 month periods.

The city council took over responsibility for potholes in the Oxford (via Oxford Direct Services) from Oxfordshire County Council from September 1 last year, which means that some claims during the period before were made to the county.

Prior to September, the city council only had to deal with claims regarding side roads and not major roads.

Mark Morrell, known as Mr Pothole, explained: "They paid out on one claim, all the others they rejected, which means that they think they have done their inspections correctly.

"That's why they have only paid out once.

"A lot of people get put of because its very difficult to prove claims. Most people don't have the time or finance to disprove it."

He said the number of payouts by the council was 'very low' compared to other local authorities but did note that most of the statistics related to side roads and did not include personal injuries.

He added: "Hopefully the city council can be successful in getting side roads up to standard."

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.”