New wardens with tough powers to clamp down on vandalism and nuisance along Oxfordshire's bus routes are to start work later this summer.

Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council have been successful in a bid to employ eight community support officers (CSOs).

The civilian officers -- who will have the power to detain people for half an hour -- will tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, such as vandalism and stone-throwing which has plagued services in Barton and Blackbird Leys in Oxford this year.

The county council has said CSOs will also act as traffic wardens outside Oxford, to prevent services being held up by illegal parking and other obstructions.

However, CSOs will not have this duty in the city, where the county council has taken over responsibility from the police for parking enforcement, and employs contractor Control Plus.

Enid Foster, 49, of Celandine Place, Greater Leys, who was in a bus when a brick smashed a side window and narrowly missed her and fellow passengers, said: "I think anything that makes buses safer, especially after dark, would be welcome."

Windrush Tower resident and bus user Jenny Clamp, 57, chairman of Blackbird Leys Neighbourhood Tenants' Forum, said CSOs needed to be on duty in the evenings, and when school children were using public transport to discourage rowdy behaviour and bad language.