A convicted paedophile has sparked fury in an Oxfordshire village after being rehoused there without warning.

Some villagers in Cholsey are disgusted that the police and the housing association did not tell them about the man, who is living in temporary accommodation near their homes.

The man, whose identity has not been revealed, has a conviction for sexual offences against juveniles.

Maggie Smith, of Honey Lane, Cholsey, said: "Parents are not very happy. There are a lot of children around here and we want to get the housing association to consider who they are putting in their property. "What are they going to do next? They have no social concern about the sort of people they are putting in the midst of our community."

Another parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "People have got to go somewhere, but as villagers we should know who is being housed here. We are concerned as parents, not vigilantes, but we have not been told and are being fobbed off."

Lisa Flynn, marketing officer for South Oxfordshire Housing Association, which owns the temporary accommodation, refused to confirm or deny that a convicted paedophile was staying in one of its flats. But she said: "Residents have contacted our housing association regarding the situation, but we cannot disclose information. It is not our responsibility, it is the responsibility of statutory bodies such as the police."

She said the man had been referred to SOHA by the district council and added: "People living in our accommodation are people in housing need and come from all walks of life."

Insp Duncan Graham, of Wallingford Police, told the Oxford Mail he would not disclose information about an individual's convictions. He said: "Where we have people in our communities who may be of concern, we seek to monitor and work with others to prevent any recurrences. We do seek to manage the risk posed by any person, and only where we assess the risk is unmanageable would we go for a full public disclosure."

He added: "We don't sit idly by, but do our level best within the law to protect the public from offenders."

Robin Hooper, deputy chief executive of South Oxfordshire District Council, said it was bound to assist any individual seeking housing, but had been involved in discussions with the police. But he said the council could not comment on whether the man was still a risk to the public. "The council is not in a position to make those judgements."

But one resident, Gladys Sadler, of Honey Lane, said residents had no right to know who was being housed in the village.

She added: "People are just being miserable. I have lived here for 15 years and I have never had any problems at all - and I don't see how anyone in Cholsey can. We should just live and let live."

Story date: Friday 23 April

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