GRAFFITI artists have set about brightening up the dilapidated West Way centre with a new art project hoped to decorate the boarded-up shop fronts.

Over recent weeks the walls and boarded-up units at West Way have been subject to an anonymous graffiti artist who has scrawled attacks against developers and the district council over the site's regeneration plans.

In response, the owners Botley Development Company, who purchased the site from the Vale of White Horse District Council in January, have launched a community art project.

Scores of pictures drawn by local school children now decorate the walls around the centre as part of a partnership with Botley School

The colourful pictures depict what each child feels about Botley including comments such as 'hope' and 'love', and 'Botley means friends'.

This weekend professional graffiti artists were also spotted sprucing up the place with a host of colourful illustrations to cheer up the place.

Vale of White Horse District councillor for Botley and Sunningwell Emily Smith said it was a nice to see the art work in progress.

She added: "The site has been so run down for so long now, it is just looking very miserable unfortunately.

"It is nice to see people working with developers to make the best of it whilst it is a still a building site.

"It always makes me smile when I see the school children's pictures.

"It all just brightens the place up a bit and reminds us that there is still a community here."

The redevelopment will see the site transformed into a mixed retail and residential space.