A YOUNG mother says she is terrified of going out after a spate of sex attacks near her home.

Carla Dimeloe, aged 24, of Oakwood, claims the pathways around her home are too secluded to be safe.

The mother-of-one said she was too afraid to use the paths because they are set back from the houses and lined by hedges and bushes and are a potential hiding place for an attacker.

Birchwood and Oakwood has seen a spate of four attacks on young women over the last 12 months and police have not ruled out the possibility of a serial sex offender in the area.

Carla said: "You don't notice it when you drive but the pathways are set right back where no-one can see you.

"If I want to go out, I have to walk alongside the roads, which is not really possible or safe when you're pushing a pram.

"You either have to drive or get the bus, both of which are awkward with a small baby.

"The area is very beautiful, but, even if there wasn't a sex attacker around, I still wouldn't feel safe.

"I think the whole area was built with car drivers in mind. It is certainly not safe for a women to be walking alone."

A police spokesman said: "We urge everybody at anytime to exercise common sense if they are out alone.

"All these cases are few and far between and we are making headway into these incidents."

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