Police have appealed for neighbours to help them stop drug dealers returning to an Oxford street.

For years drug addicts and dealers have congregated near a playground and alleyways in Falcon Close, Blackbird Leys.

Residents said they feared the problem would get worse with the arrival of better spring weather.

But neighbourhood officer Sgt Rob Axe said if the community provided more information, he would ensure patrols would visit the road to deter dealers.

Mother-of-five Sonia Denmark, 37, said drug users had plagued the area since she moved in 10 years ago.

She said addicts would wait at the playground for cars to arrive.

Deals would then be made from a car or down a nearby alleyway leading towards the railway line, she added.

Mrs Denmark said: “Sometimes you can see the people that are waiting are addicts, because they’re agitated waiting for their fix.

“When the warmer weather gets here, there will be more dealing. People are more likely to stay waiting for ages in the sun.

“My worry is my kids or anybody else’s kids in the street are going to pick up a syringe, or if a drug deal goes wrong and someone owes money, they are going to cause a fight.”

Drugs are one of three issues people in Blackbird Leys have asked police to prioritise.

The other two are parking and antisocial behaviour.

Sgt Axe said he had not been aware of the problem of the alleyways until it was raised by the Oxford Mail.

He said: “If it’s a constant problem, it needs to be looked at. Now we know, we can target patrols and try to prevent it.”

“We act on information from the community — they tell us what’s happening and we take it on as quick as we can. The more people that come forward, the more we will be able to do.”

He added that two people were given fixed penalty notices for possession of Class A drugs in Falcon Close last month.

And Suhail Nazir, 48, from Falcon Close, has been charged with cultivating cannabis and will appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

Residents can contact Sgt Axe and the Leys neighbourhood policing team by calling 08458 505505.