A city politician has said people "often pitch tents on green spaces" after a couple with an aggressive dog set up camp and needed to be "persuaded" to leave Oxford.

Susanna Pressel, Labour councillor for the Osney & St Thomas ward, explained there had been two rough sleepers camps in the area in recent weeks but suggested this was common practice.

Oxford Mail: Camp near Bulstake Stream.Camp near Bulstake Stream. (Image: Simon Collings.)

One camp was spotted by a resident in the area, Simon Collings, near the Bulstake stream in Osney, while the other, which has now been cleared, was at at the Osney Cemetery near Osney Abbey.

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The Bulstake stream camp is private land while Osney Cemetery is land owned by the council.

Ms Pressel said: "We quite often get people pitching tents in some of our green spaces.

"They do this for a variety of reasons.

Oxford Mail: Susanna Pressel.Susanna Pressel. (Image: Oxford City Council.)

"It is not usually because they have nowhere else to go, since the city council will provide a bed for almost everyone who is actually homeless or help them go back to wherever they have come from.

"If you see any tents in your neighbourhood please tell your local councillors."

Ms Pressel added that Osney Cemetery was "looking beautiful" after it had been cleared up.

She said: "I have been running a project with a few residents to tidy it up."

Oxford Mail: Camp near Bulstake stream.Camp near Bulstake stream. (Image: Simon Collings.)

Ms Pressel concluded the mess had been the doing of a couple with an "aggressive dog".

"The outreach team persuaded or helped them to leave Oxford.

"The council's ODS team is clearing up the awful mess they left behind," she said.