Flower beds on an Oxford estate are being neglected because of Oxford in Bloom, according to residents.

The Horspath Road area in Cowley has been dubbed the 'forgotten estate' by residents, who say they are often ignored.

But the city council said the beds had been neglected because of confusion over whether it or local tenants were responsible for maintaining them -- not because of commitments to Oxford in Bloom.

Rosemary Pearson, 72, of Normandy Crescent, said she had spent five weeks trying to get the council's parks department to clear 2ft-high weeds from two beds outside the shops in Horspath Road.

Mrs Pearson, a tenants' representative on the Cowley Forum, said: "We call ourselves the forgotten estate because we always get left out.

"The gardeners are so busy with Oxford in Bloom that these flower beds are left to grow full of weeds.

"They are more than 2ft high now -- it's disgraceful.

"I've tried pulling them out myself but I couldn't manage it. Everyone's complaining about it."

Lye Valley ward councillor Dan Paskins said: "Oxford in Bloom is one of the parks department's responsibilities, but these flower beds have been a source of confusion about who is responsible for them.

"It's not really anyone's fault but I can completely understand why people feel that way when they see all these lovely flowers around the city and then come back to their estate, where it's looking horrible."

"I'm not interested in whose responsibility it is, the most important thing is that it gets sorted out because it's a real eyesore and a real nuisance."

Mr Paskins is helping with a number of initiatives to give the area a boost, including refurbishing the Community Resource Centre in Horspath Road.

He said: "People there feel the council could do more for them.

"The council will be investigating how we can do this and it's something I have been trying to do.

A meeting is being organised between the parks department and the tenants' forum to discuss which is responsible for maintaining the flower beds.