A YORK alleyway which has become a magnet for vehicle crime could soon be shut by council chiefs.

Councillors attending a planning and transport meeting at City of York Council on December 9 will be asked to consider closing the right of way at the back of Grosvenor Terrace, at Clifton.

An officers' report to members reveals that, in the last three years, a total of 154 crimes have been reported - a figure worrying both residents, guest house owners and hoteliers.

In a letter to the council, PC Jim Shanks, North Yorkshire Police's architectural liaison officer, said it was difficult to prove or disprove whether the alleyway is a catalyst for offences such as burglary.

But he wrote: "There is no doubt that it does provide an available access and escape route for the criminal."

PC Shanks said he would support the gating of the alleyway on crime and disorder grounds.

Council officers agree and have recommended the public right of way to the alley be extinguished and that lockable alley gates be installed.

The council report says the alley has been designated by the Government as a "high crime area".

While the majority of crimes around the alleyway are vehicle-related, Grosvenor Terrace and the surrounding area has, in the past few months, been the scene of a number of violent attacks.

If the scheme is given the go-ahead, residents will be given keys to the gates allowing them to use it unaffected.

The local residents' association has raised £3,000 to put towards the cost of the scheme.

Meanwhile, councillors at the same meeting will also look at a proposal to shut the alleyway at the back of Avenue Terrace, also at Clifton.

Council officers say that the alley, which has a dead end, is unnecessary.

Updated: 10:07 Thursday, December 02, 2004