We moved to the Oliver Road area of Cowley nearly 30 years ago and have seen a drastic change. It was a quiet, smart, sought-after area with young families and middle aged to elderly couples occupying the properties. Now it is very different. Houses have been turned into flats, some are rented out and corner plots have been sold for development. The decline has been huge.

From one end of the scale, replacing pretty gardens, we now have scruffy fronts with broken walls, lines of unsightly wheelie bins and cheap gravelled areas which spit out all over the place.

Double parking, large tradesman vehicles and speeding down the streets is a daily occurence. The shop end of Wilkins Road is a disgrace to those who have know better days.

At the other end of the scale, we have had our car vandalised several times and credit cards stolen. We are often woken in the night by street rows and speeding cars.

Suspicious street dealings go on during the early hours leaving little to the imagination.

What will it be like over the next decade is anyone’s guess. It leaves most of us with only one choice – move if you can sell.

W BUCKINGHAM Cowley