FORMER users joined a new task force to clean up needles from one of Oxford's drug hotspots – finding at least 15 and a bread knife.

It was revealed last month that Thames Valley Police, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council staff had been working together since mid-August as part of a new group to tackle the scourge of drug dealing and drug taking in the city.

Tom Hayes, who represents the city council on the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel, was out with former drug users from charity Turning Point and members of the task force on Wednesday to focus on cleaning up Meadow Lane.

It is one of three hotspots, which also includes South Park and Grandpont, that the group has decided to prioritise in response to residents' concerns.

Mr Hayes said: "We found around 15 or 16 needles, plus drug paraphernalia and a bread knife among the bushes, which shows how important it is to clear foliage so there are less places to hide weapons."

He added the clean-up showed the flexibility of the new task force, explaining: "We are able to bring in outside partners like Turning Point in response to what residents are concerned about.

"In Meadow Lane it is the issue of visible drug taking and people wanted to see needles removed."

Members of the task force also found six knives hidden in the undergrowth of South Park and a cache of weapons in Paradise Square next to the Westgate Centre in August. To make drug dealing more difficult in South Park, vegetation has been cut away and a bench has been moved to a more visible location.

Covert and high-visibility patrols of the park have been completed.

The task force comes in response to residents' worries about the visibility of drug crime in public spaces in Oxford, with the number of discarded needles found on the streets going up by more than 15 per cent in a year.

There have been increasing fears over drug use in public places in recent months, with St Mary and St John Church in Cowley Road forced to padlock its gates to keep users out last month.

The Oxford Public Spaces Drugs Taskforce is composed of a police sergeant, two police officers, two PCSOs and a problem-solving police analyst.

They are supported by a problem-solving city council officer and PCSOs have been funded via a £70,000 grant provided by the city council.

Mr Hayes said the plan was to carry more searches for needles and other evidence of drug taking.

He added: "It is not just about the signs of drug use but making sure users know there is help available at any time."

Turning Point has a base in Oxford in Rectory Road and organises other outreach programmes. It has about 670 people in treatment for opioid addiction currently.

Over the last year, it supported 97 opiate users in Oxford to complete treatment and become drug free.