OXFORD has the second highest proportion of ethnic minorities amongst South East towns and cities, a new report has shown.

Some 28 per cent of residents are from an ethnic minority out of the city’s 146,500 population, the Office for National Statistics said.

A ONS report says Oxford has the second highest proportion of ethnic minorities of all the urban local authorities.

Slough was first with 44 per cent and Reading was third, with 24 per cent. London is not included in the South East region.

Patrick Tolani, director of Oxfordshire Equality and Human Rights Council (OEHRC), said he was not surprised by the findings, based on data collected by Government departments.

He said: “Walk down the street in Oxford and count the people and you will see that about one in three are Asian or African, although some of them might be tourists.

“About a third of the city’s population comes from ethnic minorities, but Oxford is very lucky – it is not a segregated society.

“People from different races and backgrounds live alongside each other, particularly around the east of Oxford.”

He said: “People live side by side, but that can lead to people from ethnic minorities becoming isolated.

“Take for example somewhere like Old Marston, traditionally the home of the British middle class.

“There are people from ethnic minorities living there but they have little connection with the political systems that exist, and this can increase the level of their disadvantage.

“Our job is to encourage local authorities and local service providers to find a way to reach out to these people.

“We can help to identify the community facilities like churches that are used by ethnic minorities and the service providers can then try to piggyback those organisations.”

Dr Taj Hargey, the Imam of the Oxford Islamic Congregation, said: “It’s very important that there is social integration between different ethnic groups.”

The report said: “Diversity is a word which describes the South East, both in terms of its people and its landscape.

“The quality of life in many parts of the region is good, although there are pockets of deprivation.

“Life expectancy in the South East is the highest, along with the South West, of any region in the