EYE-CATCHING neon signs signposting people to domestic abuse support have brought a splash of colour to Blackbird Leys.

County-wide charity Reducing the Risk is hosting a workshop event to raise awareness of the issue and mark International Women's Day today.

Staff from a range of backgrounds including the NHS, charities and Oxford City Council will be trained up on how to spot signs of abuse in the people they work with.

Stencilled signs will bear the Oxfordshire domestic abuse helpline number, and questions such as 'Are you afraid of your partner?' and 'Is your friend being controlled?'.

Training development manager Michelle Plaisted-Kerr said: "We wanted to do something to raise awareness and not brush it under the carpet.

"The questions are focused on the coercive side of domestic and sexual abuse. It's not necessarily the physical abuse but the grooming process."

In 2016 Oxford City Council named 'hidden' crime and violence in the home as one of its key issues to target in the Leys as a priority.

A total of 666 violent and sexual offences were recorded in southeast Oxford the year before, of which a large proportion were understood to be domestic incidents.

Since 2015 repeated 'controlling or coercive behaviour' in an intimate or family relationship has been a criminal offence under the Serious Crime Act.

Reducing the Risk supports those affected by domestic abuse in Oxfordshire as well as training champions from different sectors to spot the signs and act on them.

Mrs Plaisted-Kerr said: "What we are finding is that abuse becomes quite entrenched and has been going on for quite some time.

"The person may not understand what's going on in the relationship because a lot of perpetrators will be lovely and charismatic, but you haven't got to be hit to be hurt.

"People don't understand the meaning of coercion. It can be someone driving fast in a way that scares you. It's the things a person doesn't say, because they're small."

About 30 professionals will attend the training day in Blackbird Leys Community Centre, exploring types of abuse and where they can suggest victims go to get help.

The spray-painted signs will also appear elsewhere in Oxford after being piloted in 35 car parks across South Oxfordshire last year.

Anyone seeking advice on domestic violence in Oxfordshire or wanting to join a similar workshop in the future should visit reducingtherisk.org.uk