Security around the Oxford Brookes University site at Headington is being stepped up after a series of attacks on Students sparked major safety fears.

In the most recent incident, a female student was grabbed from behind and had her face scratched as she walked in the heavily wooded area of Pullens Lane. Students say it is the ninth attack in seven weeks.

University officials and students are now working with Oxford police to make the Pullens Lane and Cuckoo Lane area safer.

Students are asking the university to consider providing security patrols along the dark lanes which link the university buildings with halls of residence.

One student said that in the seven weeks since term began, there had been more than one attack a week.

She said: "Students in halls along Pullens Lane are rightly concerned about their safety and the fact that, until this very serious incident, the university seemed to take little notice of their complaints."

Prof Graham Upton, Vice-Chancellor of Brookes, said in a statement: "The university is aware that a number of incidents have occurred recently in the Pullens Lane and Cuckoo Lane area of Headington.

"We are currently working closely with the students' union, Pullens Lane Residents' Association and local police to create a safer environment for students and residents and are looking at a number of options to improve security and safety in the area.

We have already introduced a number of measures aimed at increasing personal safety and will continue to raise awareness among the local community to tackle this issue."

Brookes students' union president Tim Reid said student safety would continue to be a 'priority issue' for the union.

The university's response was praised by Thames Valley Police who said they looked forward to working together to improve safety.

A spokesman said: "It is always good when other organisations see they have got a responsibility to tackle crime issues, and we will support them 100 per cent."

Measures already taken by the university include improved lighting in Cuckoo Lane and flyers promoting personal safety distributed in the student union building.