A STREET light failure has plunged an Oxford road into darkness, just metres from the site where a teenager was found stabbed to death.

Residents say the lights in Blackfriars Road, off Thames Street, have been off for more than six months and it’s making them afraid to go out at night.

The area has been plagued with anti-social behaviour in recent years with cars torched and drug deals seen happening out in the open.

Harun Jama, 16, was murdered on January 3, 2018. His body was found lying near the footbridge that crosses the Thames and the killer is still on the loose.

Sean Herdman-Low, who lives nearby, said the power problems were not helping the situation.

He said: “The lighting has not been working for more than six months now.

“I have contacted the council several times about this only to be told that it is not their responsibility and they are not permitted to fix anything.

“This is seriously concerning given how dark the road is at night now.

“I have several neighbours who refuse to go out after dark.

“Given the tragic murder in Friars Wharf last year I am baffled as to why the council don´t want to make this area safer.

“We are all at our wits end about how to get this fixed.”

Oxfordshire County Council, which has responsibility for street lights, has stressed the fault is with the electricity supply rather than the lights themselves and it is therefore the responsibility of electricity company Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.

Spokesman Martin Crabtree said: “There is a power supply fault and we have notified, and are chasing up, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks as they are responsible for rectifying this type of problem.”

Friars Wharf has become a known trouble spot for drugs in the city with residents complaining of finding drug paraphernalia discarded outside their front doors and witnessing blatant dealing.

In response a taskforce including Oxford City Council and Thames Valley Police stepped up patrols and installed more lighting in the area while also cutting back foliage and making arrests.

A Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks spokesman said: “We would like to apologise to our customers in Blackfriars Road for the fault on our network which supplies their streetlights, and I can confirm that our engineers are scheduled to carry out the necessary repairs by the start of next week.”