Prostitution is being downgraded as a priority for police in Cowley following a residents' survey.

It had been one of Cowley officers' three top priorities as identified by members of the public.

But after a poll of hundreds of people in the area - with just five or six specifically mentioning prostitution as a major issue - officers have decided to place it in with antisocial behaviour, with drug dealing and traffic issues the other priorities.

Cowley Inspector Graham Sutherland said: "It is the lowest of the issues, but it is still in there as an issue.

"It is not being ignored, we are still doing a lot of work with the Women's Initiative on Street Health and we are still patrolling the streets and identifying the girls, but I am satisfied the numbers of prostitutes working is very low."

Since last August, when Insp Sutherland vowed to crack down on prostitutes, a number of uniformed and covert operations have been carried out trying to catch working girls and their clients.

But just one kerb-crawler was caught during the patrols and Insp Sutherland said he was confident no more than nine women were working in the Cowley Road area between Magdalen Road and the Oxford Road junction with Edmund Road.

He said: "It is still necessary to keep working towards assisting the prostitutes towards a much healthier and safer lifestyle."

He called on neighbours to contact police if they believed prostitutes were back working in their street and promised to respond to any such calls promptly.

But Lye Valley city councillor Sabir-Hussain Mirza, who lives in Cowley Road, said he believed the problem was just as serious.

He said: "The numbers are increasing, not decreasing. When I park women are always asking me if I want any business. It is a problem and I think it is worse than ever."

People in the neighbourhood said they believed the work officers were doing in the area was having an effect.

Marsh Harrier pub landlord Ian Robbins lives in Marsh Road across from Cowley Marsh park, which had been pinpointed by Insp Sutherland as a hotspot for prostitutes.

He said: "I take the dogs out for a walk every night in the Marsh and I go around the areas where the problem used to be and I do not think it is there.

"The efforts of the police have been much appreciated by everybody and I am sure they will continue."

Philippa Elms, 64, of Howard Street, said prostitutes who used to cause major problems in her road appeared to have moved on - but she called on police to continue taking the issue seriously to prevent girls returning to the area.

She said: "I do think they should still treat it as a priority because it was every night and not just night time. It's not very nice."