CLEANING staff who work for a company owned by the city council will give special attention to an area of Headington for the next fortnight.

Oxford Direct Services staff will put time into improving Gipsy Lane, clearing street gullies and cigarette butts from the street.

They will also check litter hot spots, take out mechanical street sweepers and deal with dog fouling.

Nigel Chapman, the city council's board member for customer focused services, said: “Gipsy Lane will benefit from a concentrated clean up as we target our resources in this latest area-based clean and green campaign.

"We've found that focusing our resources in this way yields tangible benefits and that residents respond positively.

"The result will be a clear improvement to an area and one that, with residents' involvement, will mean Gipsy Lane remains clean and green for a long time to come."

The efforts were launched at Grays Road Store on Monday and there will be a roadshow at Oxford Brookes University next Monday to promote recycling to new students.

Andrea Siret, the head of community engagement and social responsibility at Oxford Brookes University, said: "The university is excited to partner with Oxford City Council and support this campaign."