Twenty-nine Oxfordshire roads are in a severe state of disrepair - and ten are to be get immediate attention.

A lack of investment, combined with recent flooding, has caused potholes to spring up on a number of routes, and county council engineers say it is now time for urgent action.

From April, more than £10.5m will be spent on maintenance and repairs to roads and pavements.

The spending was approved by county councillors yesterday (Feb 22) at the highways and road safety sub-committee.

Ten roads have been nominated for immediate repairs.

Richard Dix, the county's chief engineer, said he had worked in local government in Oxfordshire for 25 years and the situation had never been this bad.

He said money was the key to tackling the crisis, which was why the funding was now being set aside for the project.

"This is start of the road to recovery but there is still a lot of work to do, he said.

Liberal Democrat councillor Terry Horton said that for the first time for several years the council had been given substantial funding from the Government to improve roads.

Conservative Kieron Mallon called for improvements in gritting and in tackling leaking springs which sometimes caused black ice. He said: "Last week, between Wychwood and Hook Norton, a ten-year-old boy was killed on a hill which the county does not grit. And on the A361 Daventry to Banbury road a young woman was tragically killed because of a spring which occasionally floods the road."

Residents in Barton and Headington in Oxford, have also complained about the poor state of local roads.

The areas due for immediate attention are: The Hyde, Abingdon; Mill Lane, Chinnor; Old Wharf Road and Claypits Lane, B4508 to Woolstone Turn, Uffington; Wilson Avenue, Harpsden Road to Reading Road, Henley; Wigginton Junction south of Wigginton to A361; Crowsley Loop, north to south junction, Sonning Common; Western Avenue, Henley; Radford Bridge to A44, Kidlington to Radford; A41 to Village Widnell Lane, Piddington; Watermans Lane, Henley.