Women in the Clifton and Redland area are calling for better street lighting following a string of attacks.

Last month a 29-year-old man from Bedminster was charged with carrying out four sex attacks in Clifton and Redland.

The attacks mainly happened in the early hours of the morning in and around Whiteladies Road in Clifton.

But Carolyn Morris, 30, an internet entrepreneur who lives in Osborne Road, says Clifton suffers from poor street lighting and action needs to be taken.

"When the attacks were happening it got so bad that my boyfriend was wanting to come from his home to meet me at my car just so he could walk me to the door," she said.

"It is so poorly lit in so many roads off Whiteladies that it is really hard to park your car and, once you have, it's really scary getting to your front door.

"My friend walks down the middle of the road because she thinks that is safer – there really is a genuine sense of fear.

"It is not fair that women should be frightened walking around where they live, even if it is at night.

"I and some of my friends are writing to our MP Stephen Williams in a bid to get something done.

"I would like to know if the leader of the council or the local MP would let their wife or daughter walk down these roads. It is very frightening."

Her friend Jo Green, 33, an IT manager who also lives in the area, said: "I am amazed that the council has not already acted to ensure the safety of residents in the area.

"There are a lot of bars on Whiteladies Road, which means that some young women may have had too much to drink in an evening and are vulnerable when they go home. The lack of lighting means their safety is compromised."

Bristol City council leader Barbara Janke, who herself lives in Clifton, said she would be asking the local police to advise the council on how best to tackle the issue.

"I can well understand the anxieties these women feel about being alone in dark, quiet streets," Mrs Janke said

"The Neighbourhood Partnership for this area will meet on April 27 at 7pm at The Hawthorns in Woodland Road. There will be an opportunity to discuss the issue of safety on local streets.

"In the meantime I will ask that the local police look into the matter and advise us as to how we can improve confidence and safety in the area concerned, particularly with regard to ineffective street lighting."

Stephen Williams MP was unavailable for comment.

Benjamin Jackson, 29, of Walter Street, Bedminster was last month charged with carrying out four sex attacks in the Clifton and Redland area.

His arrest came after women reported being attacked by a man between October 6 and November 2 last year.

Jackson has not pleaded to the charges and will next appear at Bristol Crown Court on June 5.