Latest figures from Oxfordshire County Council have revealed that the number of cycling accidents has reached a 10 year high, amid growing fears that government budget cuts are leaving the council without enough money to maintain the county’s roads.

In 2014, incidents involving cyclists rose to 376, which included four fatal crashes, 75 serious crashes and 297 ‘slight’ crashes, the highest figures since 2004.

Oxfordshire County Council has committed to investing in better cycling infrasructure, which involves creating ‘cycle super routes’, ‘cycle premium routes’ and ‘connector routes’ for cyclists across Oxford over the next 15 years. However, Simon Hunt, chairman of cycling group Cyclox, said the 'poor' state of the roads was posing a danger to those on bikes.

Tom Jones, head of policy at Thompsons Solicitors which has an office in Oxford, said: “These are worrying statistics from Oxfordshire County Council. Sadly Oxfordshire is not alone and these local figures reflect a national trend - Department for Transport statistics show that Tory government cuts are stretching local authority budgets to the absolute limit. Councils are having to choose whether or not they are able to carry out vital maintenance work to our road network.

“We must never forget that behind every statistic is always personal and family trauma and at worst a tragedy. Passing the buck to local government is both cynical and short term. Local authorities need protected road safety budgets to prevent the number of cycle accidents continuing to increase.”