Workmen have caused £100,000 damage to a new pavement in one of Oxford's main shopping streets, city council officers have claimed.

A £400,000 scheme to put expensive new paving outside Debenhams, in Magdalen Street West, began last June as part of a city council project to improve the city centre for pedestrians.

But just days after work finished last week, contractors for the county council carried out resurfacing work, damaging granite slabs and almost all the York stone paving kerbs, which cost 180 each.

The city centre improvements caused traffic congestion - and now further work will have to be done. Amanda Morrison, who has been co-ordinating the project for the city council, said the cost of repairing the damage was about £100,000.

She added: "This is very upsetting and has undone all the good work that has been carried out.

"The granite slabs were supposed to be taken out and then put back after the resurfacing work but unfortunately a crowbar was used to get them out.

"The improvements were finished and looked perfect.

The team who did the work for us travelled from Bristol every day. They are craftsmen and will be heartbroken. The whole street, right from Debenhams down to the Randolph Hotel, has been affected."

Ms Morrison said the county council would now be expected to buy more kerb stones to replace the ones which had been damaged.

Eddie Luck, the county council's assistant director of transport development, said: "This is something we tried very hard to avoid happening. It may have been something to do with one of the rollers."

Wayne Saxon, contracts manager for contractors Isis Accord, said: "This is very embarrassing. The company accepts responsibility for the damage and will pay for putting it right."