MORE resources are being poured into Oxfordshire's roads to tackle the effects of a tough winter.

Oxfordshire County Council has drafted in more staff to deal with problems on its road network - and a new 'dragon patcher' will begin operating later this month.

The machine – named because of its nozzle that blasts potholes with flames - has already fixed thousands of potholes in the county since the first one was first deployed in 2016.

Repeated cycles of ice, thaws and snow have created poor weather conditions for roads over the past few months, leading to a rise in reports on Fix My Street, from 3,000 before Christmas to 7,000 during January.

These reports include defects people have spotted in signs, lines and blocked drains as well as potholes.

The county council has drafted in more staff to carry out inspections and contractors Skanska are sending out more teams to carry our repairs.

Inspectors are now working across Oxfordshire assessing the public’s defect reports and ensuring that any that pose a safety problem are dealt with first and non-urgent problems logged for attention later.

An additional dragon patcher will be in action on the road network from mid-February travelling round on an ‘inspect and fix’ basis on the rural network.

The council has received an extra £1m from the Department for Transport to deal with the impact of bad weather.