Plans to make Blackbird Leys Park in Oxford safe at night are in danger of being scuppered by wrangles and delays.

Blackbird Leys parish council secured a cut-price deal with electricity bosses to install eight extra floodlights at Cuddesdon Way.

Backed by local residents, the scheme aimed to make the park safe at night, drive out crime and stop stolen cars being dumped on the field.

But the parish council has pledged to pull the plug on the lighting scheme, blaming delays by Oxford City Council for its £8,500 contract with Southern Electric passing its deadline.

Chairman Brian Lester said; "We are going to withdraw the offer if they don't pull their finger out.

"It may seem trivial to some people but to us, it is not.

"We cannot do business like this.

"The main issue is safety. We want a couple of lights by the car park in Cuddesdon Way and the rest will run from the tennis courts through to the stream, lighting up that side of the park.

"We have the money to pay for these lights for the safety of the public, but all this bureaucracy is stopping it."

The aim of the scheme is to light up hedges behind the bowls club which councillors fear is linked with antisocial behaviour and drug dealing.

Ten floodlights were installed in Blackbird Leys Park seven years ago.

Suzanne Jackson, of Cuddesdon Way, said: "We definitely need the lights.

"If you pop over there to the shops at night-time, it is frightening.

"I wouldn't walk across that part of the park at night because I'd be too afraid of getting mugged.

"If the lights were put up, I would feel a lot more confident."

One disabled pensioner living opposite the park said: "We've come back occasionally at night and we need extra light. It would be more advantageous than disadvantageous for us."

Another resident said: "If it's going to help the safety over there, then there's no problem. It gets dark there and you need the lights. It's that simple."

The parks and leisure department at Oxford City Council is dealing with the application, but the manager is on holiday. The issue was raised at Oxford City Council's south east area committee meeting, but no decision has been made.

The deadline for the cut-price deal between the parish council and electricity bosses ran out last week.

Fergus Lapage, area co-ordinator for south east Oxford, said: "We need consultation with the police so that the lights are in the right place and it is achievable.

"You can't just do things without talking to people and we want to make sure whatever the antisocial problems are, the police will be helped by the lights."

A police spokesman said: "In principle, as a community safety partnership measure, we would normally support this sort of thing and there would be no reason to oppose it."

A spokesman for Southern Electric said; "We've been asked to install eight lights in Blackbird Leys and we have all the materials ready and are set to go, but have been advised by Oxford City Council to put everything on hold. We don't know why."

Blackbird Leys Park has been a hotspot for dumped cars and stolen motorcycles.

In 1999 police recorded 58 stolen cars dumped in Blackbird Leys Park.