A trail of graffiti is blighting an Oxford estate just yards from where teenagers volunteered to tidy up a vandalised bridge.

Police and Oxford City Council have appealed for information after a spate of graffiti in Cutteslowe and Sunnymead, North Oxford.

The graffiti tags of the vandals — which are being painted over and cleaned-up — have appeared on the walkway towards the footbridge over the A40, the Jackson Road underpass beneath the A40 and on Cutteslowe Park Pavilion.

Last summer, about 30 youngsters took part in a community project to paint over similar bouts of graffiti plaguing the A40 bridge.

Now police and the council are warning youngsters they are on their trail.

PCSO Helen Webber said: “We are stepping up patrols in the area and working with other agencies such as park rangers and youth workers.

“People don’t want to use the underpass when it looks like this.

“It is just tags, and nothing artistic.

“If youngsters want to do this then they can come to us and we can see if we can find a project similar to the A40 bridge.

“This is the top priority for the area. We will eventually catch up with whoever is doing this. The best thing they can do is to stop doing this right now.”

The most notable tag which has blighted the underpass and footbridge displays the letters ‘BCA’.

Yobs have also covered the Cutteslowe Pavilion with stickers emblazoned with tags.

Some of the vandalism has included abusive words aimed at Oxford City Council.

The graffiti has been regularly cleaned or painted over as part of the probation service’s community payback scheme.

Ian Thompson, a neighbourhood co-ordinator at Oxford City Council, said: “It is amazing that all the good stuff that was done last year has not been touched.

“But this nuisance has been going on for a few months now.

“We have been working hard to capture those who are behind this but have been unsuccessful.

“This is currently the worst area in Oxford for this kind of graffiti and vandalism.”

Last summer, more than 30 youngsters helped to design a mural of the infamous Cutteslowe Walls as part of a scheme to clean up the graffiti-covered A40 footbridge.

Youth leaders worked with teenagers to create other designs, including youths wearing hoodies and incorporating the Cutteslowe OX2 postcode.

Anyone with information on the graffiti taggers should call police on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, or email northoxford @thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk mwilkinson@oxfordmail.co.uk