A block of council flats on an Oxford estate has been described as a "slum" after it has stood spray painted and vandalised for three months.

Communal areas at Pickett Avenue flats in Wood Farm have become a magnet for antisocial behaviour. But Oxford City Council has been accused of being too slow to respond to a catalogue of teenage vandalism that included: smashed walls broken security locks paint and mud smeared on walls Labour city councillor Joe McManners, who defeated Independent Working Class Association candidate Dave Kent, the husband of the ward's other councillor, Claire, in May's local elections, said vandalism had made tenants' lives a misery.

He added: "This sort of thing does happen a lot, except this block of flats is particularly disgusting. The door lock has been smashed off, so kids are there every night spreading muck, cigarette butts and rubbish.

"The inside plastering on the walls has been smashed up and there is no security for the residents. We raised this particular problem in early April after canvassing the area. Nothing has been done and the council is unlikely to be able to get anything fixed for several weeks.

"That means the residents will have been living in conditions described as a 'slum' for over three months. I don't think it is acceptable in 21st century Oxford."

Earlier this year, the Oxford Mail revealed that residents living in flats in Three Fields Road, in Wood Farm, were risking rat infestation because a council blunder meant they had to leave their rubbish in the street.

In January, tenants were still waiting for the keys to their new bin store two months after the city council changed the locks.

A spokesman for Oxford City Council said: "The estate manager has reported the problems and we are in the process of dealing with them.A technical surveyor has visited the Pickett Avenue flats and inspected them. The work to the communal areas will be completed by the end of June."