Residents of a block of flats who claim they are being "terrorised" by drug dealers, joyriders and arsonists, have called for a safety fence after a car was set on fire yards from their homes.

People living in the two-storey block in Champion Way, Littlemore, say the area is plagued by anti-social youths - some as young as 16.

Veronica Seeney, left, and Denise ChewingsAt 1am on Saturday, residents were woken by the sound of a car being set alight beside their gardens. Some watched in horror as the fire sent thick smoke pouring into the block.

Firefighters from Slade Park fire station, Oxford, used hose reels and breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire.

The fire followed a similar incident last year, in which a stolen car was set alight next to nearby garages.

People living in the flats described Saturday's fire as "the last straw" and called on Oxford City Council to erect a fence to protect them.

Mother-of-one Denise Chewings, 39, said: "We have no security at all. It is very dangerous.

"We want the council to take a good look at what is happening here. We have had drug dealers coming into the garden and are being terrorised by car thieves and arsonists.

"Young children live here and people's lives are in danger. We have asked the council for a fence to be put up around the garden, but it still hasn't come forward to do it."

Neighbour Veronica Seeney, 66, said: "You never know what is going to happen, but this was the last straw. I have had cans of beer thrown into the garden, and my neighbour had her window smashed."

City councillor for Littlemore, Bill Buckingham, supported calls for a fence. He said: "We ought to be spending money on substantial enclosure of people's front gardens."