RESIDENTS of an Oxford estate are demanding an apology from a national newspaper over an article that painted it as a hotbed of drug abuse, drunkenness and crime.

The piece in the Daily Mail, which claimed Blackbird Leys "has a reputation you couldn't even give away on eBay", has also provoked anger from the local MP and police.

The Daily Mail's feature writer, John Edwards, spent time recently with the Oxford estate's four female Police Community Support Officers. In a resulting piece entitled 'Can the Plastic Police tame the Blackbird?', he wrote of seeing residents drunk before lunchtime and people with the physical signs of heroin abuse, adding that the area was "bad territory".

But the MP for Oxford East, Andrew Smith, who lives on the estate, branded the article "over-the-top" and Chief Supt David McWhirter from Thames Valley Police called it sexist, adding the author was stuck in a timewarp.

Now the estate's county councillors, city councillors and parish councillors are penning a joint letter to the Daily Mail asking for an apology on behalf of Blackbird Leys.

In the article, Mr Edwards wrote: "Some of these people hanging around were drunk already and plainly had the glazed eyes and boil-flecked faces you get from too much heroin.

"It's known as far away as Japan that Blackbird Leys has a reputation you couldn't even give away on eBay.

"You would have to put in half a day at the library to count up all the murders, attacks, drug convictions, deals, robberies, car thefts and anything else that comes to mind which would land you in prison. This is bad territory. Not all bad. The bad bits are just easier to find."

He also refers to drug dealers hanging around on every street corner and describes the PCSOs flashing their white teeth and checking their reflection in shop windows.

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith, who has lived in Blackbird Leys for 27 years, has been contacted by constituents.

He said: "It's sensationalist tabloid writing at its worst. It's an exercise in putting the boot into Blackbird Leys, something which over the years has been an easy option for some of the tabloids.

"It is annoying to see any attempt to typecast the estate, but people will get on with their life and take pride in their community because so much good goes on here."

Criticism of the PCSOs angered the city's most highly ranked officer Chief Supt David McWhirter.

He said: "I think we've got some really good PCSOs and the ones that work in Blackbird Leys are really good officers.

"The article was sexist and written by someone who appeared to be in a time warp. It is a pathetic piece of journalism. It's a pity because Blackbird Leys is a place which has been coming along well and regenerated itself."

A joint letter has been written by Oxford city councillors and Oxfordshire county councillors from the estate and the Blackbird Leys Parish council Brian Lester, parish council chairman, said: "I'm disgusted with the negative attitude of the Fleet Street trash.

"This guy has totally misrepresented the PCSOs, the estate and the residents."

County councillor Val Smith said: "We've got a good strong community spirit and it is most unfair somebody can float in for one day make assumptions and publish them as fact."

City councillor Lee Cole said: "I know we've got a few problems but nothing like that. He's got a bit carried away, like it's something by Barbara Cartland or Mills and Boon."

The column appeared in the Daily Mail on Wednesday, September 6.