Witney Lawn Tennis Club has won a lengthy battle with Witney Town Council over the condition of its courts.

As landlord, the council is required to maintain the club’s four floodlit tennis courts in West Witney Sports Ground, off Burford Road.

Club officials asked the council to resurface the courts in 2007 but, following professional advice, it only recoated them.

According to club officials, the courts have become “dangerously slippy” and players have injured themselves on the surface. Now the council’s leisure and recreation committee has agreed to spend £28,000 resurfacing the courts.

Club chairman Chris Pyne said: “For the last four years we have been having a battle with Witney Town Council to get the courts resurfaced.

“The council is contractually obliged to maintain the courts.”

He said the club had been continually “prodding” the council over the issue and had considered taking the complaint further.

He said that because the surface had been repeatedly recoated, the drainage had blocked up.

He added: “If there is a slight shower sometimes we get a river going down the courts. They have become very slippy and our main issue is over safety.

“We have had so many people fall and some visiting players have said they are not going to play on the courts.

“The resurfacing should have been done in 2007.

“We have given the council thousands in rent since then and got nothing back.”

But he added: “We are pleased they have finally realised the impact it is having on the members.”

The club has more than 100 members and the courts are used up to 160 times a week by adults and children.

Town council leisure & recreation committee chairman Chrissie Curry said: “The professional advice in 2007 was the courts did not need resurfacing but recoating, and that is what we did.

“But it has got to the state where the courts are not level and there are puddles forming.”

The committee’s decision will need to be ratified by full council on Monday, April 2.