A church has been criticised for threatening squatters with eviction.

The City Rector, the Rev Stephen Pix, has won a court order to remove 12 homeless people from a former Oxford vicarage.

The group moved into the empty house at the corner of Botley Road and Binsey Lane five months ago.

Now bailiffs could arrive at any time to throw them out.

The house was formerly used by clergy at the City Church of St Michael at the Northgate, in Cornmarket Street.

A friend of the squatters, Philip Brown, of Warnborough Road, said he was disgusted by the church's action. Mr Brown, 46, a steward at St Antony's College, said: "I am outraged that this should have happened. The Church preaches Christian principles and encourages people to take action.

"But when it comes to their property and making money they simply could not care less.

"It is disgraceful. Of all people, you would expect the Church to show some understanding."

One of the squatters is known as Wild Owl. He hit the headlines when he was evicted from his shelter in the grounds of Merton College.

He said: "The Church are being horrible to us. They have not given us a chance here, they are simply doing this because they want the house for themselves. They don't give a damn about the homeless. "What they are doing is totally wrong in kicking us out of here. If we had the chance, we could have done the place up a bit and made a community here. I thought the Church was supposed to be compassionate."

Another squatter, Basil Helling, 18, said he faced life on the streets if he was evicted.

He said: "There are loads of us living here just like a big family who will have nowhere to go. I guess we will just have to find somewhere else."

Kemlyn Munn, 23, added: "The Church has become just a faceless corporation. They are not interested in community or community issues.

"What I find most distressing is that it has all been so faceless. If they had come to see us at least that would have been human."

Mr Pix, vicar of St Michael's, said: "They are squatters, it is as simple as that.

"If you came back to your house and found someone living there, you would want them out."

The church is now planning to sell the property to a private developer.

Story date: Tuesday 02 November

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.