Angry residents whose cars were smashed by vandals are so frustrated at the police's response they are threatening to take the law into their own hands.

People living in the King's End area of Bicester say they know who is behind the vandalism spree that they claim left 13 cars and a shop damaged three weeks ago.

But they said despite one resident witnessing the attack on her car and getting a good look at a suspect, police have failed to take action.

And now they claim they are being taunted and threatened by the suspected vandal - and have warned they may form a vigilante group to sort out the problem themselves.

Amanda Benning, 33, of Kingsclere Road, watched the vandal put a brick through the windscreen of her Ford Fiesta.

She said: "I actually heard a thud. I caught him trying to put a brick through the windscreen. I got a good look at him."

Miss Benning, a lorry driver, said her car had to be scrapped after the damage because it was too expensive to repair.

She added she had been frustrated with the police's response.

She said: "The guy has threatened me to drop the charges. He said he's going to beat me up - and the police say phone back in a week's time. They don't care that I was threatened.

"He said to me, 'Shame about your car, isn't it?' "It's been three weeks. I have to be walked home because I'm scared of walking up the road.

"Do the police want a vigilante group? If the police won't do anything we will.

"There's going to be a war breaking out in this road. But this is what we don't want - we want help.

"We are living in fear. He's just walking up and down the street like he owns the joint and we are terrified about what he's going to do next."

Fellow resident Graeme Linfitt, 36, of Kingsclere Road, said he feared he too would take the law in to his own hands unless something was done.

Mr Linfitt, who works for the Ministry of Defence, said three car windscreens were smashed while 10 more had their wing mirrors or aerials ripped off during the spree three weeks ago.

He said: "It looks from the footprints like he actually jumped on the bonnet of my car and then jumped full pelt on the windscreen.

"There's two options - taking the law into our own hands or getting the police to do something.

"If they are not going to take any action I will do it myself."

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said officers had received reports of five instances of criminal damage in the area that weekend and were investigating.

Anyone with information should call Bicester police on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.