A city councillor is calling for an alley in Oxford to be sealed off to stop drug dealing.

Paul Sargent, who represents Carfax, said drug activity in the passage next to and behind houses in The Hamel, off St Thomas Street, must be stopped.

He said blue lights, which had recently been installed in the alley to make it difficult for drug addicts to find veins, had been broken.

Mr Sargent also called for gates to be put up in the narrow passage leading into the housing estate.

He said: "The private houses next door have gates - why shouldn't social housing?"

A spokesman for Cherwell Housing Trust, which owns the properties in The Hamel, said: "We are investigating whether gates can be installed. We need to find out from the council whether we need planning permission."

Oxford police spokesman Lucy Ferguson said prevention was better than cure.

She added: "This plan will hopefully go some way to improving safety and public confidence in the area.

"It is important that we try and reduce the chances of crime happening, not just investigate them after they have happened."

Cherwell Housing Trust urged any residents concerned about antisocial behaviour to call staff on 01865 260500.

Last week the Oxford Mail reported that two Oxford colleges had applied for an alleyway to be gated at night because antisocial behaviour had turned it into a "no-go area".

St Peter's College and Nuffield College asked Oxfordshire County Council for permission to close Bulwarks Lane, which links New Road and St George's Mews, off Worcester Street.