Residents who complained that their potholed road hasn't been resurfaced in 42 years were stunned to be told the average wait is 103 YEARS.

Homeowners on Horsham Close in Banbury, Oxon., say their badly-damaged road has not been resurfaced since 1983.

So they asked if Oxfordshire County Council could carry out repairs along the cul-de-sac.

But they were stunned to be told that, according to the latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey (ALARM), the average road repair cycle is 103 years.

Ian Bowyer and his wife Elaine moved to the street just 18 months after the property was built and branded the waiting time as ridiculous.

Grandad-of-one Ian, 66, said: "We've lived on this road for 42 years, it was 18 months old when we got it. It hasn't had a full resurface in the 40 odd years. It keeps getting patched up but when you get the frost it comes up again."

"It‘s really bumpy, too bumpy. Other roads in the area are getting done, but ours isn't for some reason."

"There's lots of potholes that keep coming up but they just do a quick patch job. Like all pot holes, once you get moisture, it freezes and comes up again. "

"Outside the front of us there's a small turn in area for the lorries and there's quite a big part filled with water. "

"They just patch roads and they keep coming up again. "

"I don't know how they could get a 103-year wait. If that's true, that is ridiculous. I've got a feeling, unless there was a serious accident, I don't think it'd be done. They keep complaining the council hasn't got any money, but they aren't replacing anything at all."

"103 years to wait for a road is unheard of. It's more than most people's lifetime. We didn't even know about it, which is even more ridiculous."

Retired print finisher Dianne Hart, 76, lives with her family on the road and says the conditions make driving dangerous.

The grandma-of-three said: "I've lived here with my son-in-law for nearly 30 years. It's just getting worse, they obviously tried to do little bits of it."

"Because we have a big driveway they all turn on this bit. It's the same as the top of the road, you can come in and the state of the road takes the steering out of your hands, it's that bumpy."

"I read about the 103 year wait this morning on Facebook. How can they get 103 years? Why should we have to wait that long?"

"We won't have a road in 103 years time."

"When they repair it, it's not done as a whole street, the patches don't work. It really needs servicing the whole way. It's patches but the water just sits and builds up."

Grandad-of-two Philip Smith said the road was littered with shoddy repairs and that the council had repaired around cars.

The 79-year-old former grounds maintenance supervisor said: "They filled in a few holes this year, but it wasn't a great job. They never asked us to move our cars so there's a load of unfinished bits. It's a cheap and nasty job, not done properly. It's never been resurfaced, just look at it."

"I'd never heard of the 103 year wait but what a stupid idea, the roads are bad. That's absolutely stupid like a lot of things at the council. They waste money hand over fist and can't provide services."

Dad-of-two Stuart Cuckney, 59, added: "We've lived here for nine years. It's bad on the top, they've had a go at the pot holes but it's not fixed. You definitely notice it when you drive down it."

"75 per cent of the potholes aren't marked. It seems the council aren't bothered."

"It will need doing before then (103 years), its needs must not time. You don't wait. They're doing it on the top, so just do it here."

"103 doesn't scare me as I've only got 20 years left in me. But you do definitely notice it, is bad. My 86-year-old mum always says you're bloody road, but you don't expect it to be sorted."

Andrew Crichton, county councillor for Banbury Hardwick, said the road was desperate for maintenance.

Cllr Crichton said: "I was out on Horsham Close in my division in Banbury a few weeks ago, and spoke to a resident who claimed that their road has never been resurfaced."

"They moved into their property in 1983, and 42 years later, the road has had nothing but remedial works when it has been dug up for utilities."

"The road is in a parlous state and desperately needs resurfacing. Does the cabinet member agree with me that 42 years is too long, and please can Horsham Close be added to the schedule for resurfacing?"

After raising the issue with Cllr Andrew Gant, the council's Cabinet Member for Transport, he revealed that resurfacing was facing a 103 year wait.

He said: "The funding received by local authorities, unfortunately, means that not all roads can be resurfaced within the timescales we would prefer. As such, our policy is to take a risk-based approach."

"This considers the need for safety through inspections and repairs, alongside preventative measures such as large-scale resurfacing and surface treatments."

"This is not just an issue for Oxfordshire, but a national one. The latest ALARM survey shows that the average resurfacing cycle for all types of roads in England is every 103 years."

A spokesperson for the council said: "The main road linking many of these closes, Sussex Drive, was resurfaced a few years ago. Because of budgetary restrictions, we have to prioritise roads based on a number of factors, including prioritising roads that receive more use."

"Members of the public can report issues via Fix My Street. If this is done along with photos, defects can be actioned quickly."