ADDICTS have resumed using waste land under a bridge in Blackbird Leys to take their drugs.

For five years residents have complained about addicts abandoning used needles on the ground underneath Blackbird Leys Road.

The parish council agreed in August to a three-month review to gauge if it was worth spending money fencing off the area, which is next to Sandy Lane recreation ground.

But after a quiet summer where just one needle was found, a total of seven have been collected in the past week.

Oxford City Council’s community response team – formerly known as street wardens – is monitoring the situation and said most of the needles, known as sharps, were found on the Furlong Close side of the bridge.

Response team leader Laurie Taylor said: “You do find that as the nights get darker, we tend to find more used sharps. It may increase over the winter period.”

She said 15 had been found in total this year.

“Putting it into perspective, there were 101 found elsewhere in the city since January,” she added.

The parish council has received building quotes of £3,588 and £4,030 to fence the area off for good.

Miss Taylor said: “I would certainly support it because the area is obviously next to the recreation ground.

“For me there are potential dangers if dogs went down there or kids went down there.

“It’s not good to have an area like that.”

Parish council chairman Gordon Roper said: “The bridge is being properly monitored.

“It was very quiet over the summer but now it seems to be surfacing again.”

Mr Roper said he and city councillor Val Smith would visit the bridge in the coming weeks and see which bits could be closed off.

He said: “This bit is further along than it was before.

“I think they knew they were being monitored and so they have found another hidey-hole.

“We’re going to have a look at that and see whether that bit could be fenced off too.”