SECURITY guards have been put in place at more Oxford tower blocks as residents continue to be dogged by anti-social behaviour.

Evenlode and Windrush Towers in Blackbird Leys now also have a 24-hour security presence to combat the problem of youths getting into the buildings and causing havoc.

They join Plowman Tower in Northway, and Foresters Tower in Wood Farm, as the latest sites to experience the issues, which have been making people’s lives a misery.

Oxford City Council, which manages the blocks, has upped its efforts to protect residents after a spate of incidents where intruders have smashed doors, set off fire alarms and abused others.

It is paying for security to guard the entrances and patrol the buildings until at least February, when it hopes to have upgraded the CCTV and entry systems.

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City councillor for Blackbird Leys Linda Smith said: “Oxford City Council have taken the step of providing security in the tower blocks after a spate of anti-social behaviour and vandalism and problems with the CCTV and secure entry system.

“Residents I spoke to last weekend in Evenlode Tower were reassured by the presence of the guards and appreciative of the measures being put in place by the council to secure their homes.

“The hours worked by the guards is being kept under review and their deployment is expected to last at least until the beginning of February when we expect the issues with the CCTV to be resolved, as the necessary equipment has been ordered.”

When the Oxford Mail visited Evenlode Tower on Tuesday, the front door had been kicked in with the glass smashed.

Residents have described seeing large groups of teenagers hanging around at night and have expressed fears for their safety.

The local police team has also stepped up its efforts and John Dillon, the chairman of Blackbird Leys Parish Council, has urged residents to report any incidents to PCSOs as soon as possible.

He said: “To anyone worried about this, I’d say to contact police as soon as they can.

“Then they can inform us and, if we can offer any help, then we will.”

The city council has spent £21 million on refurbishing all five of Oxford’s tower blocks in a project that began in January 2016.

It had to spend an extra £1 million on replacing the cladding at Evenlode and Windrush towers after the Grenfell disaster.

At Plowman Tower, fire crews were called before Christmas after youths smoking on the top floor triggered the alarms.