A CHURCHYARD plagued by drinks, drugs and bad behaviour has left residents scared to visit their relatives' graves.

The team at St Edburg's hope extra police patrols will help combat the regular groups who have been congregating among the tombs.

This has often been coupled with anti-social behaviour, alcohol and drugs taking, and in some cases church members have found human faeces within the cemetery.

Former churchwarden Matthew Clements, who now looks after church maintenance, said: "We are certainly plagued by people who entertain themselves at different times of the day and in particular leaving all manner of litter behind.

"It can include drink cans, food wrappers, bottles as well as visible signs of drug use. Certainly to find needles left around the place is reprehensible."

Mr Clements, who himself has been woken by the noise in the early hours, also said earlier this summer in the space of about four or five weeks he found someone had defecated in the church founds on three occasions.

He added: "There are certainly issues: people seem to have no regard for others."

He also clarified that he was very happy for people sit outside the church, and only had a problem with their litter.

Scores of residents have taken to Facebook's Bicester and Surrounding Villages Chat to voice their concerns about the growing problem.

One reader commented this week about seeing people injecting drugs in the graveyard in broad daylight while she was visiting a relative's grave, and slammed the act as 'disrespectful'.

Other added their experiences of finding broken glass and needles in the area, and many said they no longer felt they could visit the churchyard alone.

Resident Susan Mitcheson added: "I use Piggy Lane to walk to town and through the footpath at St Edburg’s Church. There are often people sat on the bench to the right of this footpath drinking and dealing drugs.

"The bench on the footpath as you come out by the new undertakers also has people drinking and dealing, and youths on bikes.

"This is all much worse in the evenings and weekends, and Sundays you often see teenagers hanging around at the back of the church.

"It is very sad that the church, benches and graveyard are no longer sacred."

Despite the church having problems with noise for a number of years, police have said a rise in complaints has sparked the need for extra patrols.

Inspector Wendy Percival said: "Because there tends to be more people outside enjoying the better weather, the neighbourhood team carries out additional anti-social behaviour patrol every summer across the town.

"The force has received reports about a number of street drinkers using a bench in the graveyard of St Edburg's, therefore we have concentrated some extra patrols in this area.

"Our officers and staff, alongside Bicester Street Wardens, have spoken to these street drinkers and they have agreed to move away from the area."

St Edburg's also said it had made changes, such as cutting back bushes to limit the dark areas around the church, to help cull the problem.

Anyone wanting to report anti-social behaviour can call 101 or go online to thamesvalley.police.uk