An elderly woman died of hypothermia after being trapped in her airing cupboard following a catastrophic series of events as she tried to fix a leaking pipe. Police believe Annie Mitchell, 81, could have been trapped for up to two days before she was
More homes are on the way for central Abingdon after a planning inspector stepped in and over-ruled a council's decision to block a development. A major scheme to revamp the Thames View business estate off Audlett Drive and build nearly 200 homes has
Calls for a rethink of a futuristic-looking building that one trader says could make Abingdon a "laughing stock" have been rejected. The Co-op is to replace its existing 40-year-old building in West St Helen Street with a contemporary design that has
Award-winning farmer and conservationist Paul Warburton, 62, was killed in an accident while harvesting at North Farm, Shillingford Hill. He was run over by his combine harvester and died of his injuries in hospital earlier this month. Mr Warburton was
Wallingford's Riverside Park -- which was in danger of being closed permanently last year -- is now to have £400,000 spent on refurbishing it. News of the funding to the popular swimming pool, paddling pool and Thames-side recreation area and campsite
Antiquarian bookseller and keen musician Albi Rosenthal has died at his home in Boars Hill, near Oxford, aged 89. He is survived by his wife Maud, and their three children Jackie Gray, Jim Rosenthal and Julia Rosenthal. His son Jim, who is an ITV sports
Families are protesting that noise and dust caused by work on the town centre redevelopment at Didcot are making life a misery. Residents claimed the din from excavators and construction work, along with the dust, had made them virtual prisoners in their
RUN-DOWN garages are to be redeveloped for social housing, Oxford City Council leaders have agreed. Fourteen garage sites in the city have been identified as difficult to rent and manage and housing managers believe they would be ideal for affordable
Oxford University has made improvements to its teaching provision and management structure, according to an independent report. An Institutional Audit by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) -- the equivalent of a school Ofsted report
Wallingford's Riverside Park -- which was in danger of being closed permanently last year -- is now to have £400,000 spent on refurbishing it. News of the funding to the popular swimming pool, paddling pool and Thames-side recreation area and campsite
SIR -- Your article about illegal cycling at Bicester (Oxford Mail, August 5) was another example of the way riders flout the law. The same day, on your Letters page, Laurence Hughes put it all into perspective. I don't believe the majority of cyclists
Military personnel are being placed on stand-by to prepare for another fire strike in Oxfordshire. Green Goddess crew members Private Steven Ware and Private Martyn Evans in 2002 John Hurren, the county's deputy chief fire officer, confirmed that talks
SIR -- Your report on Oxford City Council sickness rates (Oxford Mail, August 5) refers to the new sickness absence policy, which came into effect last year. Anne-Marie Scott, head of human resources, continues to support this policy, despite its obvious
A Normandy veteran has died, aged 85, after an illness. Reginald Goodhall, of Woodfield Road, Bicester, went to the commemorations on the beaches on northern France last year and had been several times before. But he was too ill to go this year. A lorry
Town councillors want to vet the recruitment strategy for nurses at Wantage Hospital because of a deepening mistrust of NHS administrators. They say they need evidence of a concerted effort by the South West Primary Care Trust to staff the community hospital
An action group claims a report has vindicated its campaign to get a compete ban on lorries using their village as a rat run. People living in Weston-on-the-Green set up the B430 Action Group because they were fed up with motorists driving through the
Banbury residents have welcomed the introduction of new beat officers to tackle antisocial behaviour in the town. Two new community officers, Pc Justin Smart and Pc Jim Kinton, will cover Grimsbury and Bretch Hill. The Grimsbury area had been without
There are two common perceptions of our criminal justice system: that sentences are too soft and fines are a waste of time, because the blighters just don't bother to pay them. The first point is arguable, the second is not, if recent figures are anything
Court bailiffs could soon have the right to knock down doors in a bid to recover a £2.6m backlog owed by Oxfordshire's fine dodgers. They are to be given powers to force their way into criminals' homes -- by breaking doors down if necessary -- to collect
Areas in Oxford are officially described as deprived, despite the county being named this week as one of the richest districts in Europe. A study by research group Experian has earmarked Oxfordshire, together with neighbouring counties Berkshire and Buckinghamshire
Representatives of the Oxford Mail and the city's Muslim community have met to discuss claims that the relationship between the two had broken down. The Mail's coverage of a number of stories came in for strong criticism, amid claims that it has stigmatised
A scheme to provide information technology to children in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, who are unlikely to own computers could be extended to other parts of the city. The first pilot Youth IT Centre scheme has attracted 172 10- to 15-year-olds since it opened
SIR -- I was appalled to read Councillor Claire Kent's letter (Oxford Mail, August 5), which ducked away from Councillor Tony Brett's timely challenge to her and Councillor Stuart Craft over their prejudice against people with mental health needs. If
