Villagers claim drivers and livestock in Oxford are being put at risk by a long-running wrangle over who is responsible for maintaining a fence.

Both the city and county councils are refusing to step in to fix the fence on Godstow Road, in Wolvercote, which has been damaged by livestock put out to graze on Wolvercote Common and Port Meadow.

The wooden post-and-rail fence was put up by the county council more than a decade ago, but it says that was only done as a matter of goodwill and it is not responsible.

But the Wolvercote commoners committee said they now feared cattle would be able to wander on to Godstow Road, putting road users at risk.

Former committee chairman Peter Adams said: “We have been arguing with the county council over who is responsible for maintaining the fence for a number of years.

“Both the city and county council have refused any responsibilty for repairing the fence.

“I understand that the county council’s legal team says the commoners should repair the fence and that they only put it up as a gesture of goodwill.

“But we have also taken legal advice and have been told that as the council is the highways authority it should take responsibilty.”

Mr Adams said that so far there had been no incidents but added: “We have patched up the fence where it needs it with string and whatever we can find, but it is only a matter of time before cattle start getting through.

“If a car hits a cow, the vehicle could easily overturn.

“We obviously want to avoid a situation where a driver is harmed because cattle have got on to the road.”

Commoners committee secretary Andrew Burchardt added: “We believe the county council has a responsibility to repair the fence.

“We have written to the chief executive of the council to put the matter in their hands.”

County council spokesman Marcus Mabberley said the council was seeking further clarification from the commoners committee with regard to its position on the fence.

City council spokesma Louisa Dean said: “The fence is not our responsibility.”