COMMUNITY leaders have vowed to permanently clear up a drug-dealing, litter-strewn hotspot.

The problem area under Blackbird Leys railway bridge has long blighted the lives of people living nearby.

A makeshift path has been trodden alongside the railway line connecting Furlong Close and Linnet Close on the Oxford estate.

Concealed from the estate’s true paths and streets, residents say the area attracts gangs of youths at night.

They say needles and other evidence of drug use, empty beer cans and even human excrement have been found there.

The gangs have been reported to police for throwing rocks at houses and causing problems for those living in surrounding streets.

As reported in the Oxford Mail earlier this week, Alexis Birkbeck, a former resident of Little Field, Blackbird Leys, moved away after a gang broke in to her house and stole her kidney dialysis fluid which was found discarded under the bridge.

The chairman of Blackbird Leys Parish Council Gordon Roper went to see the area first hand after the Mail highlighted the issue.

Mr Roper said he was shocked to read of the problems and that a clean-up would take immediate priority.

He said: “The police and parish council are working together on this; I went there with two police officers after I read the article and we have surveyed the scene.

“There is some concern that a lot of the rubbish is on Network Rail’s property, so we can’t go on there to clear it up.

“There was some glass and a mattress which have been cleared away.

“I would urge people to come to the parish council meetings and tell us about any issue as we can sort it out.”

Kevin Gosling, a former senior street warden for Blackbird Leys and Rose Hill, said more patrols were needed to keep the area clear.

He said “When we used to patrol the streets my colleagues and I used to notice that teenagers, as well as adults, used to frequent the bridge on a regular basis, so we decided to investigate what was going on.

“We found drugs paraphernalia everywhere, needles, beer cans, even human excrement. It stank of urine.

“It was horrible and disgusting. We know because we used to pick up the evidence and dispose of them safely.

“We used to patrol the area on a regular basis as it was clearly a hotspot, but we managed to move the problem away and make it more comfortable for the poor residents.

“I wonder whether the wardens still go there now – trust me, they should.”

Thames Valley Police and Network Rail have attempted to stop youths throwing stones, with little success.

Mr Roper and city councillor Scott Seamons have both contacted the train company to request more help.

Blackbird Leys Parish Council next meets on Tuesday, June 25, at the community centre in Blackbird Leys Road.