Frustrated residents say they are fed up with vandalism and drunken behaviour on their estate while police are spending more than £500,000 on protecting a cat breeding farm less than a mile away.

People living on the Deer Park estate, Witney, called a public meeting to put their points across to police and say they will now raise the matter with their MP Shaun Woodward.

Scores of police have been involved in dealing with numerous demonstrations over the last few months at Hillgrove Farm, Minster Lovell, where cats are bred for medical research. Some of the protests have ended in violence and at the last one on May 31 39 people were arrested.

About 80 people attended the public meeting in West Witney Primary School to express their concerns to Insp Michael Carrick. The meeting was chaired by Curbridge parish councillors Joe Robinson and Malcolm Lucas. Mr Robinson said there had been spates of vandalism and drunk and disorderly behaviour by people going through the estate in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday.

"Other minor infringements of the law occur sufficiently to concern residents that the policing of Deer Park was being given a very low priority," said Mr Robinson.

Residents were concerned that policing Hillgrove was draining money from local resources.

Mr Robinson said: "The question was asked should one individual business take precedent over an estate housing two to three thousand souls. The meeting decided we were not satisfied with the current level nor policing policy in force and we will be dispatching a letter to Shaun Woodward requesting he raise questions regarding police funding in line with requirements and not funding dictated by financial restraint."

Insp Carrick said: "The Deer Park estate is very crime free area. Over the last three years there have been eight burglaries and 26 offences of criminal damage. We do, however, understand their concerns regarding late night revellers disturbing their peace and quiet and we are giving the matter the appropriate attention."

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