Didcot girls on subway mission (From Oxford Mail)

Didcot girls on subway mission

12:56pm Friday 19th March 2010 in

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TEENAGERS have launched a campaign to improve safety at a notorious Didcot underpass.

Pupils at Didcot Girls School said they are scared to walk through the Cow Lane underpass alone following a series of violent attacks.

The Year 10 pupils are calling for CCTV and better lighting to boost safety in the dingy subway.

Since July, the underpass has been the scene of 15 crimes, including knifepoint robberies and an attack in which a man’s jaw was shattered.

As part of their GCSE in citizenship, the students have launched a poster campaign, collected a 120-signature petition, met police officers and conducted a survey of 100 underpass users.

Eighty one of the people questioned said they would feel safer if the underpass were monitored by CCTV.

Natasha Chorlton, 15, of Ladygrove, said: “I have to use the underpass everyday and it is very scary. My mum won’t let me walk there at night.

“There have been a lot of robberies, and it can be really intimidating. When there is a gang there, you think you are not safe.”

Ellie Simpson, 15, of Fleet Meadow estate, Didcot, said: “It has a really bad atmosphere because people know what has happened there and the criminals have never been caught.

“CCTV might not stop the muggers but they would know there is a good chance they will be caught.”

Charley Booker, 14, of Ladygrove, said: “The underpass is one of only two ways of getting into Ladygrove and everyone around here is scared to use it.

“We just hope our campaign will bring about improved safety.”

The county council is responsible for lighting in the tunnel, while the district and town councils fund CCTV.

Thames Valley Police spokesman Chris Kearney said: “We will always take on board everything they have to say on issues like this, and work with them to make improvements in the local community.

“Obviously, it is all dependent on funding, so that is something we would have to go away and speak to the town and district councils about and see if there is the money for it.”

The town council’s deputy leader, Tony Harbour, said: “The council fully supports what the girls are trying to do. With the CCTV, although we’re concerned about the level of violent acts there has been, there is a financial implication.

“If the girls come up with a funding solution that would be fantastic, but it is expensive to install and then there are ongoing running costs.”

bellery@oxfordmail.co.uk