CAMPAIGNERS from West Oxford yesterday urged officials from Thames Valley Probation Service to scrap plans for a new office near to their homes.

Many residents are worried about criminals, including some sex offenders, using Mill Street to reach the planned centre at Trajan House.

Yesterday, the service staged an exhibition at Oxford Town Hall to give the community an overview of the plans. Justice Minister David Hanson pledged there would be a public meeting on the issue after Oxford West and Abingdon MP Dr Evan Harris and a number of residents travelled to Westminster last month.

Mother-of-two Juliette Sargeant, 38, who lives in Barrett Street, off Mill Street, with her two young sons, said: “There’s no precedent for a probation centre of this size in a residential area.”

Gerry Marshall, chief probation officer for Thames Valley, who was at the event, said: “We have tried to provide as much information as possible for residents. Trajan House is a good location, partly because of its good transport links. For example, offenders in Shrivenham can’t get to Abingdon, but they can get to Oxford. It’s served very well by the train station, the buses and the park-and-ride.”

He added: “We will try to allay people’s fears about the offenders and the route they will take to the centre.”