COUNCILLORS have raised concerns about children coming into contact with antisocial’behaviour if they walked past laybys on the A40 commonly used for male sexual encounters.

The two laybys at Forest Hill, between Oxford and Wheatley, are notorious for being sex hotspots.

Yesterday, it was revealed at a meeting with Oxfordshire County Council transport chief David Nimmo Smith the path that runs by the laybys is being considered as a recommended ‘safe route’ for pupils to walk to Wheatley Park School.

Wheatley county councillor Anne Purse said: “You can’t expect children to walk along this path with naked men jumping out of hedges.

“This cannot be made a safe route until something is done about it.”

Mr Nimmo Smith approved measures to limit parking in the laybys to 30 minutes, but Ms Purse said this would not stop illicit encounters.

She said: “This isn’t even a sticking plaster, it’s a hologram of a sticking plaster. How are police going to enforce a 30-minute limit? I just don’t think they can, it’s ludicrous. Anyway, being brutally honest, an assignation would not take 30 minutes, but considerably less time.”

Deputy director for environment and economy Mark Kemp said: “The police asked us to put in a 30-minute restriction to give them a reason to patrol the area frequently, so hopefully it will be enforced.”

He added: “We have looked at closing the laybys altogether but we cannot do that unless they are not necessary.. The majority of people do use these legitimately.”