In pictures: Cracked tarmac, deep potholes and unusable passing places on country lane near Banbury following road closure

The A361 was closed for 18 days in December after a sinkhole appeared on the road near Wardington.

During that time, severe damage was caused to Appletree Lane, a small country lane that drivers used as an alternative route.

Oxfordshire County Council put a diversion route in place so that heavy goods vehicles avoided country lanes.

However, many lorry drivers still used the small country lane to get from Banbury, via Cropredy, to the A361 near Chipping Warden.

This has resulted in the tarmac on the road becoming cracked, inch-deep potholes dotted across the road, and severely churned-up and deep muddy passing places and banks.

At the time, Jen Jackson, a Cropredy resident who works in Chipping Warden, said: “It’s chaos, with cars getting stuck everywhere and people having to get out and push their vehicles out of the mud.

“There’s no way heavy goods vehicles should be using that road anyway, and because of the muddy road surface, it’s becoming dangerous.”

Since the reopening of the A361 at Wardington, traffic and in particular heavy goods vehicles are using the lane much less frequently.

However, the road is still badly damaged and still poses a threat to motorists, especially if forced to use one of the heavily churned-up passing places.