Three generations of the same family are pleading with the city council to back down from plans to close a popular play area.

Barbara House, 63, spent many hours in the park off Girdlestone Road, Town Purze, Headington, as a teenager.

Her daughter Belinda, now 45, also enjoyed playing the the park - known as The Grassy - when she was younger.

And now Belinda's children Mark and Katie Neal, aged 12 and eight, also regularly visit the spot.

The family is among dozens of people on the estate who believe the council should not close the area.

But it is one of 14 earmarked for closure as part of a controversial plan, which has sparked outrage across the city.

Barbara House said: "It is disgusting that they are going to get rid of the play area.

"I have fond memories of coming down here 40 years ago, but what's important now is that the youngsters have somewhere to play.

"There is nowhere else on the estate for teenagers to go. All they need is a meeting place and an area to play football."

Fellow resident Nicola Green, 45, added: "My five lads have played here all their lives. The council has sold off a lot of the school playing fields and soon there is going to be absolutely nowhere for the kids to play. It is a backward step and more should be done for them.

"This is not a big area, but it is all they have got and it seems utterly ridiculous that the city council should want to close it."

The area is predominantly used by teenage boys to play football and they are so desperate to save their beloved Grassy that they have offered to maintain it themselves, by pushing a lawnmower over the grass every few weeks.

Joe Green, 18, said: "If it meant we could keep the park, then a few of us would definitely come down here to keep the place looking clean and tidy.

"We look after this place at the moment, it doesn't get vandalised and we don't make a mess here. It's just somewhere that we like to use a lot of the time."

Eliott Howes, 17, added: "There really isn't anything else we can do down here. Without the area to kick a football about in, we would have to just hang around the streets. I don't think we are asking for a lot."

City council spokesman Chris Lee said no decisions had yet been made and he would not comment further.

He said: "I can't say any more at this point. The original proposal was rejected and it went out to consultation again. A final decision will now be made by the executive board of Oxford City Council."

City councillor David Rundle, chairman of the council's north east area committee, said: "This is exactly the sort of community engagement that we want to see.

"We know that many play areas are cherished and I'm confident that, with local support, we can ensure that those few well-used areas which the officers suggested for closure last year can not only remain open but actually thrive."