Guitarist Graham Coxon has denied he is to leave rock group Blur after reports of rows with lead singer Damon Albarn.

The guitarist said reports of rows with the group's singer were untrue.

"I've known Damon Albarn since I was 12," Coxon told NME.com.

"Any arguments we have are very quickly resolved - we're beyond any really serious bust-ups.

Blur picked up five Brit awards in 1995

"Honestly, I'm in Blur and enjoying making the new album."

Blur's management confirmed to BBC News Online that the band were not splitting up.

The denial came after press reports that relations between Coxon and singer Damon Albarn had been deteriorating for months.

The two had been rowing and Coxon no longer wanted anything to do with the group, the Daily Mirror said.

Blur have been in the studio working on a new, untitled album which is expected to reach the shops in January.

Coxon had not been in the studio with the group recently, but has recorded parts that could be included on the CD.

Coxon has also been working on his own solo album - his fourth - due out in October.

Other members of Blur have enjoyed great success with their solo projects.

Critical reception

Albarn's "virtual" band Gorillaz has been a commercial and critical success, while bassist Alex James has had novelty hits with Fat Les.

Coxon's record has been more mixed, with a poor critical reception for this third solo album, Crow Sit On Blood Tree, last year.

Coxon (centre) and Albarn (right): "Rowing"

Blur formed in Colchester in 1989 and had their first hit with the single There's No Other Way in 1991.

Their music, an individual mixture of indie rock, "baggy" influences and mod references, was honed by the albums Modern Life Is Rubbish and Parklife in the early 1990s.

The group won five Brit awards in 1995 and in the same year beat Manchester rivals Oasis to the number one spot with the single Country House.

In the late 1990s, the band moved away from Britpop and took on rock and garage influences.

The move kept the band at the forefront of popular taste and 1999's album 13, produced mostly by William Orbit, was another number one.

Albarn recently released a solo album recorded Mali Music, with a group of African musicans.