Police and paramedics were called to an accident involving a cyclist and a pedestrian near the Seacourt Park and Ride in Botley Road, Oxford. The collision happened in a cycle lane running alongside the road at about 6.50pm last night. It is understood
A RELIGIOUS leader was “positively gloating” last night after it was revealed there would be no film sequel to Oxford author Philip Pullman’s novel, The Golden Compass. Catholic League president Bill Donohue urged supporters to boycott the 2007 film
A MAN caught more than four times the drink drive limit walked free from court yesterday. Last night campaigners said Deputy District Judge Kamlesh Rana’s decision to give Zygmunt Kulbicki a suspended jail term and community service undermined the police
A RETIRED doctor from Oxford has met up with the paramedics who saved her life to say thank you. Dr Anne Watson, a former GP who lives in Hurst Rise Road, Cumnor Hill, broke her thigh and badly damaged her knee after slipping in a remote area of the
HOSPITAL bosses last night denied staff safety was at risk after figures showed the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre had one of the country’s highest rates of attacks by patients. The orthopaedic centre’s 837 staff reported 37 assaults between April
Sean Curran, who trains at Hatford, near Stanford in the Vale, celebrated the first double of his career when Captain Smoothy and Classic Dream scored at Exeter on Thursday. Captain Smoothy, a 16-1 chance, was having his first outing for the trainer
TWO women died in separate accidents during a day of traffic problems across a freezing Oxfordshire yesterday. A driver was pronounced dead at the scene of a two-car crash on the A415 Abingdon Road, near Culham, at about 1.50pm, while a pedestrian was
Military personnel and residents of the Falkland Islands were assured last night that they would not be stranded after the collapse of the airline that links the South Atlantic islands with RAF Brize Norton. Flyglobespan held a Ministry of Defence contract
Safety warnings were issued tonight as the heaviest snowfall of the season crept in. A light dusting across south east England on Thursday afternoon precedes up to 15cm (5.9in) in areas around London overnight, forecasters warned. Temperatures remained
The price of prime country properties has increased across the UK for the first time in two years, research shows. The average cost of a top country home, such as a manor house or farmhouse, rose by 2.6% during the fourth quarter of the year
BANK customers have fallen victim to criminals after card skimmers were attached to cash machines. Two people's bank cards were swallowed by a device on a Lloyds TSB Bank cashpoint in Market Place, Faringdon, between 7am and 9am on Monday and Tuesday
What a wonderful evening, we had celebrating 25 years of the Oxford ice rink. I was impressed and delighted to see all those charming children in their splendid costumes – from tiny toddlers to shining teenagers and budding champions, including those
Government minister Jonathan Shaw visited Oxford & Cherwell Valley College, in Oxford, today to meet some of the 600 apprentices training there. See Saturday's Oxford Mail for full report.
through your letters page can I, on behalf of the all-volunteer organising committee of the Abingdon Air & Country Charity Show, say a very big thank you to everyone who supported the show in May. With your help we were able to donate £7,000 to the Thames
IF there is a better show in town than a day nursery’s annual Christmas Nativity production, I haven’t heard about it. This is when under fives sparkle, parents and grandparents bask in reflected glory – and the unexpected happens, often causing parental
I HAVE been watching junior and senior football for many years, as one of my grandsons is a keen footballer. On December 5, I watched Marston Saints v Watlington, and I consider it the best game I have ever seen. There was virtually no swearing, no
I was sorry to hear Peter Tatchell has had to stand down as Green Party candidate in Oxford East (yesterday’s Oxford Mail). I met Peter several times during my campaigning in Oxford and have great respect for him as a man of integrity with whom I agree
IT IS unfortunate that Ms Carswell took such a patronising and condescend-ing approach in writing about the proposed controlled parking zone for large parts of East Oxford (Oxford Mail, December 8). I shall overlook the unfortunate tone of her letter
Fourteen men from Oxfordshire are due in court tomorrow accused of being involved a pub fight. They were arrested at the Moon Under Water, in Cheltenham, on February 7. They are due to appear at Gloucester Crown Court to enter pleas
APPEARANCES can be deceptive. From the outside it looks much like other red telephone box in chocolate-box villages across the country but the one in Waterperry, near Wheatley, leads a far more exciting life. Villagers bought the box from BT for £1
Four more more people have been charged with smuggling cigarettes on military flights through RAF Brize Norton. Christopher Garbutt, 25, Louisa Garbutt, 35, and Alison McCabe, 44, all from Billingham, in Cleveland, and Lisa Harrison, 35, of Middlesbrough
A MAN who picked up a schoolboy for sex in an Oxford park has been jailed. Kuganeswaran Annamalay, 23, approached his 15-year-old victim in Cutteslowe Park, North Oxford, on September 11 and asked if he was interested in gay sex, prosecutor Rachel Drake
A CONSERVATIONIST is opposing plans to knock down an historic building in Oxford to make way for new shops and student homes. A £15m scheme developers say will help restore Little Clarendon Street to its former glory has been submitted to city planners
PEOPLE visiting Didcot’s Ladygrove Park can now walk on water, thanks to a new boardwalk constructed across the estate’s lakes. The raised platform will let people walk across the lake, while creating a new wildlife haven for amphibians on the southern
SWIMMERS in Abingdon will be able to get back in the water before Christmas after work to replace damaged pipes at the town’s main swimming pool was completed. The main pool at the White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre has been out of action
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A PEDESTRIAN has died after a collision with a car in Wheatley this afternoon. A silver Peugeot 306 was involved in the accident in Ladder Hill, at the junction with Cuddesdon Road, at about 2.30pm. The woman was later pronounced dead at the John
A woman died following a car crash on the outskirts of Culham this afternoon. Two cars collided on the A415 Abingdon Road at about 2.20pm, near the Waggon and Horses pub. The road is closed both ways and police expect it will remain
Oxford Harlequins will have defied expectations if they end the year third in National 3 South West. That was the message from director of rugby John Brodley ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Weston-super-Mare (2.30). “We would love to be finishing
Wallingford are forced into four changes as they bid to make it six South West 1 East wins a row at home to mid-table Buckingham on Saturday. Hooker Tom Hill, lock Dorian Jenkins, scrum half Derek Viljoen and utility back Angus Brettell are unavailable
A WOMAN has died following a car crash on the outskirts of Culham this afternoon. Two cars collided on the A415 Abingdon Road at about 2.20pm, near the Wagon and Horses pub. The road is closed both ways and police expect it will remain closed for
Police this afternoon warned people to be vigilant after a card skimming device was used at a bank in Faringdon. Police said two incidents took place on Monday and Tuesday, between 7am and 9am but have not said precisely where. Sgt Kirsty Ellison
Sam Barton, from Marlborough School, Woodstock, had a trip of a lifetime to the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens – to do work experience. The 15-year-old, who also plays for Oxfordshire Under 16s and Bicester, was thrilled to assist one of his rugby
Why are so many penalties missed these days? Back in Franny Lee’s day, it seemed 90 per cent of spot-kicks were converted. Last Saturday, though, when Jack Midson smashed his penalty against the right-hand post in the 1-0 FA Trophy win over Hayes &
United's Club Shop have a wide range of kit, leisure and training wear, and gifts, including Football Manager games, for those still looking for Christmas presents. It’s open through next week from 10am-5pm and on Christmas Eve from 9.30am-
Oxford United are pushing hard to see if they can get the gate for the Boxing Day game against Rushden & Diamonds at the Kassam Stadium up to the 10,000 mark. That would be a fantastic achievement from the Oxfordshire public in these days when so many
It's back to the real deal – the league – for Oxford United on Friday, and their final game before Christmas is a tough one. Cambridge are always difficult opponents on their own patch, and with Martin Ling now at the helm, the “other U’s” have started
Adam Murray is suspended for one match after collecting his fifth yellow card last Saturday, and he misses tonight’s match. A number of fans have asked me when bans take effect. Making it much easier for supporters, and players, to understand, all suspensions
A crash between two vehicles closed the A415 Abingdon Road at Culham this afternoon. The road was closed both ways closed due to a serious accident between Tollgate Road and The Burycroft. Police said the emergency services were attending to the accident
Zamaretto Southern League previews Didcot Town manager Stuart Peace has called for big improvements from his side, if they are to stave off the threat of relegation from the Premier Division. Peace believes Didcot have underachieved,
FTL Futbol Hellenic League Clanfield joint managers Jason Court and Pete Osborne will be hoping something changes when they take their side to Wootton Bassett Town in Division 1 West on Saturday. The trip to Wiltshire sees the duo take
TODAY. FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Cambridge Utd v Oxford Utd (7.45). SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. ZAMARETTO SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Tiverton Tn, Nuneaton Tn v Didcot Tn, Oxford C v Hednesford Tn. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd
A TODDLER, a retired submariner and the wife of a servicemen bound for conflict are among the latest to send their heartfelt messages to troops spending this festive season in Afghanistan. Dozens of people from across the county have made their
PLANS for a ‘cultural quarter’ in Banbury are a step closer to fruition after Cherwell District Council agreed to invest £60,000. Planning permission for the project east of the Oxford Canal, which could include a new restaurant, public open space and
FORMAL discussions about whether to merge two schools in Wallingford will start early next year. An Oxfordshire County Council review has recommended investigating a merger between St Nicholas CofE Infants’ School and Fir Tree Junior School. The schools
SCHOOLBOYS are learning the complex skill of bell-ringing. Eight pupils at Magdalen College School, in Cowley Place, Oxford, have been trying their hands at campanology. But because the sound of novice bell-ringers can be noisy and unpleasant, the
Police are appealing for information after two burglaries in the Henley area. Between 12pm on Thursday, December 10, and 3.30pm on Saturday, thieves broke into a property in Highmoor Cross and stole jewellery, and on December 11, a house in
NHS staff working in Oxfordshire’s hospitals, GP surgeries and mental health trusts suffered 1,033 assaults over the last year, new figures show today. Employees working at Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust had the highest
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of theft following an incident at Linear Fisheries in Hardwick, near Witney, where an angler had items stolen while he slept. The men, aged 21 and 19, were arrested in Cheltenham by officers from Witney on November
Freezing temperatures caused havoc on Oxfordshire’s roads this morning. Vehicle collisions caused by ice have left streets across the county closed or partially blocked, as weather forecasters predicted there was a 60 per cent chance of heavy
A delightful cottage in a quiet village location near Abingdon would make the perfect home for all seasons — especially at Christmas. Laburnum Cottage, in Church Lane, Dry Sandford, is an extended period house with a cosy interior. It has been the home
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Icy roads led to a series of crashes in Oxfordshire today. Hook Norton Road, Chipping Norton, was partially blocked both ways due to ice and an accident involving one car. Two cars were involved in a crash in Burcot Lane, Berinsfield. The A4095 between
THE collapse of Scottish airline Flyglobespan will affect flights between RAF Brize Norton and the Falkland Islands, it emerged today. The company had operated twice-weekly charter flights between the west Oxfordshire RAF base and the British territory
A RELIGIOUS leader said he is “positively gloating” today after reports revealed there would be no film sequel to Oxford author Philip Pullman’s novel, The Golden Compass. Catholic League president Bill Donohue urged his supporters to boycott
THIRTY-FIVE drivers have been caught so far this month during a police Christmas drink-drive crackdown. The campaign is timed to coincide with the festive period and extra road checks and breath tests will be carried out until the end of December. This
Many of us are spending more this Christmas than last according to figures from the British Retail Consortium, John Lewis and almost anyone else you care to ask — not to mention our own Oxfordshire retailers themselves. Some of us indeed, are spending
Most of the UK will see some snow as the cold snap continues. Many areas will see just a dusting of flakes but East Anglia and south east England were warned to expect between 10 and 15cm. Paul Mott, forecaster from MeteoGroup UK, the
Kamui Kobayashi has avoided a return to working in his father's sushi restaurant after landing a Formula One drive with Sauber for next year. Kobayashi, who performed brilliantly for Toyota in the final two races of last season in deputising for the
Frances Harris was brought up in the Wychwoods and the area has inspired her science fiction. White Noise is Heavenly Blue (UKUnpublished, £8.99) written under the name Tabbie Browne, is centred on the Cotswolds but stretches to the far reaches of the
Flora Thompson often talked about rural poverty and the life of farm labourers and their families in her semi-autobiographical trilogy Lark Rise to Candleford, set at the end of the 19th century. So she might have been intrigued to learn that some of
Even today, Dorchester-on-Thames is just a small village, and unprepared visitors still marvel that it should be the site of such a grand abbey. Warwick Rodwell’s book Dorchester Abbey (Oxbow, £38) is a scholarly work inspired by repair and conservation
SMOKING KILLS Conrad Keating (Signal Books, £17.99) How many of people have heard of Richard Doll, or, indeed, of epidemiology? This word — new to me until I read this book — means the science and distribution of diseases, and the name of Richard
Police have caught 35 drink-drivers in Oxfordshire since the start of an anti-drink-drive campaign this month. Between Monday, December 7, and Sunday, December 13, 71 people were arrested on suspicion of drink-driving in the Thames Valley area
Holidaymakers and families were last night planning to drive across Europe to stop the British Airways strike ruining Christmas. More than a million passengers face travel misery after British Airways cabin crews announced a 12-day strike in a row over
Two of the Conference’s best goalscorers will go head-to-head at the Abbey Stadium on Friday night. Cambridge United’s 17-goal Chris Holroyd and Oxford United’s 18-goal James Constable look set to lead their team’s attacks after both had a rest for one
All of these classic and great value wines will help to create that extra special time during the celebrations whether they are enjoyed with the Christmas meal itself or at any time over the festive period. The Wines for Christmas case costs
It is the season when everything should sparkle; including some of the wines we are going to drink over the festive period. I love a good bubbly; everything from Champagne to Prosecco — depending on the time of day, who I am with and what I am
JOHN and Sarah Sammons were last night hopeful of being granted their ultimate gift — another Christmas with their son Kye. Three weeks ago, the family was warned the severely disabled four-year-old had suffered a chest infection which doctors
SIR Roy Strong, one of the most colourful chroniclers of high society and the British arts scene, has donated his entire archive to the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The archive consists of hundreds of letters and postcards, some from royal
OXFORD Brookes University is set to submit its new plans for a smaller redevelopment of its Headington campus in the next few days. The new plans for a £132m library and teaching building look to have won over some opponents of the original scheme rejected
Oxford Brookes University is today due to confirm its decision to submit a fresh planning application to redevelop its main Headington campus. The university’s new plans for a £132m library and teaching building look to have won over influential
After many years of trying, at the age of 82 Sir John Boardman is still looking for his American millionaire. Sir John does not know yet know his name, although he does have an old photograph of the fabulously rich American, who he hopes to one day make
Hundreds of volunteers in Oxfordshire give their time, effort and enthusiasm to help the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) raise money each year to protect local children from abuse and neglect. Amanda Howard, who lives
COMPLAINTS from disabled people about the impact of new parking controls in East Oxford are to be investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The commission has written to Oxfordshire County Council asking for information about
Sir – We were dismayed to read that the Labour-run city council is proposing the closure of Temple Cowley swimming pool. This is a much-loved and well-used community facility, right in the middle of a major population centre of East Oxford;
We are touched by the forgiveness shown by Sally Kent to a driver, Magdalena Ochnio, who caused the death of her 13-year-old daughter when she drove into the back of Ms Kent’s car. Ms Kent has witnessed the remorse shown by Ochnio and the effect the
Parents of children at Oxford School will be feeling a great deal of uncertainty about the direction of their youngsters’ education. This week, we report the latest developments in what is becoming an increasingly bitter battle about the school’s future
Sir – Fifteen per cent of journeys to work in Oxford are by bicycle. There are more than 16,000 bicycle journeys crossing Magdalen Bridge every day. The bicycle has long since become an essential part of the economic life of this city — if we clamped
Sir – I read with concern your brief report in Student homes at old bus depot, (October 29). I am even more concerned to read that Oxford Brookes University has expressed an interest in acquiring the proposed accommodation. Well, they would, wouldn’
Sir – Liz Fisher et al say that “A CPZ will not magically create new parking spaces” (Letters, November 26). However, it appears that car clubs can. The recently completed first annual Oxford Car Club survey demonstrates that Commonwheeels are already
Sir – On Twitter, I found the finest piece of county council PR spin and obfuscation I have yet seen. The headline? Council helps make bus journeys more comfortable. Sadly, though, the reality didn’t quite match up with the PR angle. It turned out
Shape and form: Although not always easy in more densely wooded areas, if you can stand back from the tree and look at its overall shape, you will help narrow down what species you are looking at. Without leaves you can clearly see the shape
One of Oxfordshire’s largest sedgebeds and the neighbouring wood and scrubland is home to several endangered birds — the song thrush, reed bunting and bullfinch — and also to the less threatened reed warbler. They enjoy a level of protection
Last summer a friend came to the garden and was puzzled to see neatly spaced plants which looked just “like dandelions on steroids” to quote. This was Witloof Chicory, the sort that’s forced to produce pale chicons like those in the picture. The
Sir – Martin Sheldon returns to the subject of public consultation in relation to a proposal for an academy at Oxford School (Letters, November 26). His letter also continues to link St Christopher’s Primary school to the proposal. Before I reply to
Sir – Oxford councillors, in their wisdom, have decided to increase the charges for parking in Oxford. How short-sighted is that? Parking in Oxford is more expensive than anywhere else and now it is to cost even more. Now that Witney has got so many
Sir – As the councillor originally in charge of homelessness policy when the new homeless centre at the OFS was proposed, I was dismayed to read your coverage of the project. The centre is not solely for arts and creative opportunities — although that
Sir – I am sorry to read that many people find wind turbines unattractive (Letters, November 19). I don’t. When I see a wind turbine, my first thought is that it is an extremely elegant piece of engineering. My second thought is that it is generating
Sir – The Campaign to Protect Rural England increasingly coming forward to attack plans in Oxford for housing, education, hospitals and sustainable energy. Two questions. Where do they suggest that the rising population lives, is educated, goes to
Sir – Oxfordshire County Council may well have a good case to replace the Newbridge at Standlake. However, before this beautiful area of the Upper Thames — with its water meadows and ancient bridges — is changed irrevocably, surely we need to see a
Sir – I was interested to read councillor Godden’s nimbyist letter of last week over the Newbridge proposals; I consider myself a member of Oxfordshire County Council and therefore, I hope, represent the residents of Oxfordshire and work in their combined
Sir – Your readers may wish to know of an important new step towards conserving our city’s unique character. In a landmark decision on December 3, the Oxford City Council’s Oxford North Area Committee (ONAC) refused consent for development on the north
Sir – The east area committee laudably rejected a planning application in October to demolish virtually all but the facade of 190 Iffley Road. This Arts and Crafts building had been judged worthy of saving in last year’s planning inspector’s decision
FESTIVE film fans stepped back in time yesterday when they attended the Oxford Mail-Phoenix Picturehouse Christmas screening of this year’s hit film The Young Victoria, starring Emily Blunt. The film was shown as part of the newspaper’s annual
Teenager Samatha Millard, who was left fighting for her life after taking swine flu drug Tamiflu, was yesterday improving in hospital. A spokesman for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital last night said the 18-year-old’s condition had changed from ‘critical
Plans for a £15m development in Jericho on the corner of Oxford’s Little Clarendon Street and Walton Street have been submitted to the city council. Shirehall Properties claims the area has become “run-down” in recent years and says its planning application
