A SOCIAL club in East Oxford run by volunteers has been made homeless due to its "liberal" stance on cannabis.

East Oxford Community Social Club, based in the East Oxford Community Centre, in Princes Street, has been served with an eviction notice by the community association which runs the centre to leave the premises by April 12.

The move was made after the community association discovered Thames Valley Police intended to take the social club to a licensing review over concerns about how the place was being run.

Social club committee member and former chairman David Allen said: "The thing the police are failing to appreciate is how far we have taken this place.

"When we took it on it was full of antisocial and drug problems and this committee has done an enormous amount to overcome a lot of that."

He said police drug dogs had found cannabis on two people in the centre on one occasion but, on a number of other times, the dogs were sent into the club and found nothing.

Mr Allen said: "They think that we are too liberal with people on cannabis use but you're talking about a small, stretched committee trying to run a club.

"When we found out the police were unhappy we immediately responded. We agreed a strict policy and instructed our door staff they should stick to zero tolerance on drugs and we also contacted the crime prevention team and asked for assistance with the problem."

He admitted the club had declined an offer of help from police following a meeting in November.

But he said this was because he believed the committee was making good progress on its own and that an increased police presence could give the impression that the club was "dodgy".

He added: "As far as I'm concerned this is cultural cleansing of the Cowley Road. They want it to be nice and squeaky clean and everything to be perfect."

The club holds its annual meeting on Saturday, where its future will be discussed.

Mr Allen said: "If someone else runs that side of the business, or it's run as a franchise, things could change for the better.

"But it would be a great shame, because it is a unique little place - and the stuff that happens there couldn't happen anywhere else."

At a meeting of Oxford City Council's east area committee, East Oxford police inspector Brian Cooper said he had "real concerns".

Community association chairman Sarah Lasenby said: "We don't have lot of problems with them, and we hope to find a solution."

The centre is owned by the city council.