Masked robbers armed with a sawn-off shotgun lay in wait for staff to turn up for work before subjecting them to an hour of terror. A policeman stands guard at the scene The four balaclava-clad men seized one after another of the nine women and three
The NHS in Oxfordshire is in meltdown with a £35m deficit. We have already seen major cuts in Banbury and Oxford. Doctors' posts have been cut in mental health care and there are proposals to shut down mental health services. The Nuffield Orthopaedic
Police were called to an under-16 football game after one side claimed they were being intimidated. Witney Viking Colts were playing Rose Hill on Sunday at Rose Hill recreation ground, Oxford, but the game was scrapped 10 minutes into the second half.
South West 1: Chinnor warmed up for Saturday's crunch clash at Clifton by thrashing Penryn 88-10 at Kingsey Road. John Brodley's men ran in 14 tries, but their romp looked far from likely after the Cornishmen made a strong start. However, a dominant first
South League: City of Oxford crashed to their heaviest defeat of the season as Oxfordshire rivals Banbury battered them 11-0 in the Middlesex, Berks, Bucks & Oxon division. Banbury are riding high in second place, and City, second from bottom in the
How sad to see that your paper has stooped to using Government spin towards a group of your readers you obviously despise and detest. I am referring to your front page, 91 per cent of you say: Ban it now. New call to stub out smoking (Oxford Mail, January
City councillors have really caught the recycling bug. After months of languishing at the bottom of the county 'league table', they are at last making a determined effort to catch up with other councils. John Tanner, the executive member for the environment
Leftovers from your Sunday lunch could be recycled and sold at a multi-million pound organic waste composting plant being considered by councils in Oxfordshire. The facility, which would probably be built near Oxford, would effectively be a large shed
Vandals are tormenting a single mother by slashing her car tyres with knives and smashing the windows with hammers in four attacks in as many weeks. Bar worker Lorraine Wharton, 39, from Oxford, cannot understand why vandals keep attacking her Ford Fiesta
Oxford United's Chris Hackett is Edinburgh-bound - but it's to Hearts not their Bank of Scotland Scottish Premier League rivals Hibern- ian. The 23-year-old right winger is set to move to Tynecastle to link up again with former U's boss Graham Rix. Hearts
South West 1 - Oxford Harlequins 10, Chippenham 27: Oxford Harlequins failed to capitalise on periods of dominance as they slumped to another disappointing loss in South West 1. Chippenham ultimately deserved their victory at Horspath Road, but they should
A drug addict has admitted shooting and attacking his former girlfriend in her Kidlington home. Gareth Edwards shot Kirsty Price, 25, in the head with an air pistol, beat her up and attacked two people, Nicholas Lambert and Emma Bailey, as they went to
Drivers are flouting parking restrictions in Oxford's Cowley Road, because a blunder by council contractors means they cannot be enforced. Adrian Greenwood says he often cannot park outside Cowley Road Post Office to send books to customers, because the
An Abingdon vicar has applied to the National Lottery for money to create a permanent exhibition about the history of Abingdon Abbey. The Rev Dr Peter Doll, of St Nicolas' Church, said an exhibition would complement the £1m project to restore the Abbey
National Division 2: Rory Teague was inches away from being Henley Hawks' match-winner as they lost 32-31 to Harrogate at Dry Leas. The fly half, nephew of England legend Mike, saw his last-minute drop goal attempt fall just wide, so the visitors held
A man went on trial at Oxford Crown Court yesterday accused of murdering a construction worker at a bed and breakfast. Ceri Noble, 40, denies killing Kevin Lavelle at the Cricketers Arms, in Middleton Road, Banbury, in June 2004. A jury was sworn in at
Is Russia flexing its muscles again to the West with the recent events in the Ukraine? Both Russia and America went to war in Afghanistan over oil and gas. America is now involved with British soldiers in a conflict in Iraq. Some 500 years ago, continents
Controversial plans to merge Thames Valley Police have suffered a setback after it emerged that the timetable for the restructuring has been set back. Home Secretary Charles Clarke had promised to respond to police forces' recommendations this month.
Neighbours in an Oxford suburb have united against plans to convert a semi-detached house into two flats, claiming it would turn the road outside into a death-trap. Admiral Homes has lodged an appeal against Oxford City Council's decision to not allow
A football academy set up by a group of young people is a big hit with children living on an Oxford estate. The academy in Wood Farm was created to give children and teenagers the opportunity to play football in an organised environment. It was established
Health managers have ignored protests by patients, and watchdogs' recommendations, by deciding to build a GP 'super surgery' at Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary site. At a meeting yesterday (Monday) Oxford City Primary Care Trust board members agreed to the
For hopefuls on the road to singing stardom it was a day of happiness and heartbreak in equal measures as the first shortlist for a fly-on-the-wall music documentary was revealed yesterday. Television producers announced the names of 16 singers, invited
I was facinated by Tony Anchors's letter, Blair's police (Oxford Mail, January 16), in which he claims that an "illegal immigrant" queue-jumped him at the eye hospital. I wonder how he knew that the person was 'illegal'. Perhaps the 'illegal' didn't show
Residents at New Marston, Oxford, take note. Remember the county council promising to accelerate the introduction of Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs)? Well, thanks to pressure from the residents and their councillors, the process has begun. What do you
Pioneering inventors in the fields of science and engineering have received a major cash boost from the Government. The Department of Trade and Industry is ploughing £2.5m into NHS Innovations South East, led by the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust
