Hundreds of blood-stained needles were found in a city centre squat owned by an Oxford college.

Police said the squat in Paradise Street, owned by St Peter's College, had been a "drug den" for eight to 10 months, and was being used by addicts as a stopping-off point to remove tags and labels from goods after they had shoplifted to pay for drugs.

It will now be demolished. The operation was led by Pc Steve Higa, who discovered the drug den by chance about a month ago after he spotted a known user and followed him back to the property. Addicts had been using a back entrance, so it was not obvious what the building was being used for, police said.

It was shut down on July 3 in a joint operation involving police, bailiffs and the college.

In a separate raid, CS gas was discovered and five people were arrested when officers executed a warrant at a newsagent's in St Aldate's.

Fifteen officers from Oxford's city centre unit, acting on intelligence reports, raided Benny's on July 3.

Rice flails, £4,500 in cash, two laptop computers believed to be stolen and a small amount of cannabis were recovered.

Four men -- two aged 31 and 55 and two 22-year-olds -- and a 19-year-old woman were arrested and taken to St Aldate's police station for questioning.

They have been released on bail until September 2.