Archive
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Nuclear waste storage plans go on show
PUBLIC exhibitions are being held to outline proposals to build an extra storage site for radioactive material at the Harwell Science Centre, near Didcot. The plan to provide storage for intermediate level radioactive material has been put forward
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Letter sparks hunt for airman serving in 40s
BACK in the 1940s, a young man serving abroad in the forces sent a letter back to his parents, thanking them for sending him copies of our sister paper The Oxford Times. Talking about his new shoes, a planned cinema trip and recent
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A415 reopened after fatal crash
THE A415 near Culham has been reopened following a fatal crash earlier today. A 52-year-old driver was killed in the collision that involved two HGVs. It happened at around midday. The road was reopened at 5.30pm.
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Developer turns down cash plan
A DEVELOPER has refused to give any cash for affordable housing in the latest twist over plans for a 1901 coal house in Oxford city centre. Councillors previously hit out at Cantay Investments for putting forward a scheme for nine flats at the
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Keown's goal for pupils is respect
FORMER England football star Martin Keown paid a visit to pupils at an Abingdon school to teach them about respect and determination. Mr Keown, who was born in Oxford, spoke to year five and six pupils at St Nicolas Primary, in Boxhill Walk, on
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Updated plans for care complex unveiled
WORK on a new £45m retirement community including specialist dementia care could start in Witney next year. Plans have been submitted to build the complex, which would include 60 care bedrooms, 46 care suites and 79 care apartments. If planning
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Twins take shortcut to help cancer charity
NINE-YEAR-OLD twins Hope and Imogen Brinkley had no regrets after getting their ponytails cut off for charity. The twins got a new look at Reflections hair salon in Abbott Road, Didcot, last month to raise about £500 for the Little Princess Trust
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Children really dig archaeology event
CHILDREN visited Oxford Castle to learn about amazing artefacts that have been discovered around the county. The event, organised by the Oxford Preservation Trust, included demonstrations and displays of historic food, weapons and medicine.
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Supermarket staff's charity tribute to lost colleagues
WHEN staff at Sainsbury’s in Banbury lost three colleagues to cancer in the space of four months they had to salvage something from tragedy. Staff at the Oxford Road supermarket lost Stephen Barber, 45, and Patrick Woods, 72, in February. Then
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Young footballers team up to help hospital
FOOTBALL teams from across Oxfordshire came together for a tournament to raise money for Oxford Children’s Hospital. Play2Give was organised by Andrew Baker, 23, of Didcot, who had a life-threatening brain tumour removed at the John Radcliffe Hospital
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Death after lorry crash closes A415 at Culham
A PERSON has died after a collision between two lorries on the A415 near Culham today. The accident happened shortly after midday near Culham Station. A diversion is currently in place towards Sutton Courtenay and the road is expected to be
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Writer among youngest to be published in UK
AN Oxfordshire boy has become one of the country’s youngest author to see his work in print. Charlie Johns, from Letcombe Regis, near Wantage, wrote the book Bagpipe Island, at the tender age of 10. The youngest published author in the
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Bloom competition wilts away
ABINGDON’S annual floral contest has been called off, with organisers blaming the hosepipe ban for wilting entries. Abingdon Town Council had only received nine entries for this year’s Abingdon in Bloom. Jan Morter, a former member of the Abingdon
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Teenager from Bicester dies in motorbike crash
An 18-year-old man from Bicester has been killed after his motorcycle was in collision with a white lorry yesterday. The crash happened on the B4031 between Croughton and the Barley Mow roundabout on the A43, at 10.40am. Police are
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Child sex inquiry prompts MP’s question
A COUNTY MP asked Justice Minister Nick Herbert what police forces are doing to tackle child exploitation in the wake of a “deeply distressing” child sex case in Oxford. Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood spoke in the wake of
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Wear your wellies and hope for the best
VISITORS to the annual Art in Action event are being warned to bring their wellies, but organisers say the event will go ahead as planned tomorrow. The show attracts more than 25,000 visitors each year to the Waterperry Estate, near Wheatley.
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A feast of an offer
FIVE free spaces for local food firms are on offer at a celebrity food and music festival. Organisers of the Jamie Oliver presents The Big Feastival with Alex James event in September want to hear from Oxfordshire food producers and companies
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Forecast is good for Truck Festival
THE organisers of Oxfordshire’s best-loved new music festival are preparing to celebrate its resurrection with a sell-out weekend of bands, DJs and performing art. And they are confident that even the weather won't spoil it. Just over a year
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School show has US debut
A SHOW which started life as a school project in west Oxfordshire will tomorrow have its debut in New York. Stand Tall – which just two years ago was being performed at the Corn Exchange in Witney – now has a full US cast.
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Welsh swoop for new scrum half
London Welsh have signed Nick Runciman for a second spell after the scrum half spent a season with Gloucester. Runciman, 26, made 81 appearances in three seasons for the Exiles, including scoring three tries, and helped the club twice reach the
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Football pitch plan wins £150,000 grant
Sport England has awarded a grant of £150,000 towards a £400,000 artificial football pitch in Didcot. South Oxfordshire District Council is also providing funding for the pitch, which should be ready next year, next to Willowbrook Leisure Centre
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Traffic warden denies assault
A traffic warden has denied assaulting a man in North Oxford. Peter Swatton appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court yesterday and denied one charge of assault by beating. The 47-year-old, of Cuddesdon Way, Blackbird Leys, who was referred to
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RUGBY UNION: Welsh face Bath pre-season clash
LONDON Welsh will play pre-season friendlies against Bath and the Scarlets as the club build towards their first season in the Aviva Premiership. The Exiles face Bath at the Recreation Ground on Saturday, August
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Schools will be ‘better as academies’
SMALL rural schools will be best protected if they group together as academies , according to an education chief. Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member for education Melinda Tilley made the claim as the executive voted to support the government
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Witney lads beat 20,000 bands in national competition
ROCK group Contraband say the phone hasn’t stopped ringing since they were crowned winners in a national music competition. The five-strong group are flying high after beating 20,000 other groups to be named the best rock band at the Live and Unsigned
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New sixth form at school
Oxfordshire County Council ’s cabinet yesterday agreed to allow The Warriner School in Bloxham to add a sixth form. Headteacher Dr Annabel Kay said: “At the moment we’re not meeting the need of the students, some of whom go out of the county into
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CRICKET: Jones is waiting on injury
CUMNOR captain Sam Jones faces an anxious wait after injuring his right knee in a charity match on Sunday. Jones was playing for the Fire Service in a game at Eynsham, held in memory of firefighter Joe Wilkins, who lost his life in May. Jones
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FOOTBALL: Banbury given home comfort
Banbury United will host St Albans City when they kick off their Evo-Stik Southern League campaign on Saturday, August 18. Their away programme starts the following Tuesday when they travel to Barwell. Didcot Town entertain Yate Town in their Division
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Cutting comment
LOOKING at the front page of the July 4 issue of the Oxford Mail, which displayed a large photograph of a butcher’s shop, together with a headline about missing patients underneath, I was irresistibly reminded of the old tale of Sweeney Todd, The
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Council accepts defeat over Cogges Link Road
OXFORDSHIRE County Council has officially accepted defeat in the Cogges Link Road saga. At a meeting yesterday, the council’s cabinet noted the rejection of its moves to acquire land for the road. Leader Ian Hudspeth said: “The most important
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Overnight roadworks mean A420 diversions
THE A420 between the Pusey turn and the Buckland crossroads will be closed for roadworks from 8pm to 6am every night from tonight until Saturday. Signed diversions will be in place during the work.
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Drink-driver crashed into car
A DRIVER crashed into a parked car after drinking at a christening. Terry Cowley admitted drink-driving and failing to report an accident at Oxford Magistrates’ Court yesterday. The 42-year-old, of Donnington Bridge Road, hit an Audi
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Men arrested over attack on parking warden
A PARKING warden was verbally abused and assaulted by two men after he gave them a ticket in Witney. The warden, who works for West Oxfordshire District Council , was knocked to the ground in the incident in High Street. He needed hospital treatment
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Drive to crack down on begging in street
YOU are killing them with kindness. That was the message yesterday as a new campaign against begging in Oxford’s streets was launched yesterday. The city council wants to persuade people to support homelessness charities, rather than giving
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CRICKET: Almost one third of Cherwell games lost to rain
THIS year is on course to be the worst in the Cherwell League’s recent history in terms of the number of matches that are abandoned due to the weather, writes GRAHAM SCOTT. The weekend’s near washout means almost one third of the scheduled games
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COMMENT: Sometimes you can kill with kindness
KILLING with kindness is an expression usually associated with sentimental ballads. It is after all almost impossible to imagine the reality of such a sentiment. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions it’s said, and the city council
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Ecological vandalism
THE National Trust has expressed concern about the catastrophic impact the terrible summer weather is having on our native flora and fauna. The persistent rain and cold has severely affected the ability of numerous species to successfully breed and
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Please leave past behind
PAUL Spearman, do you realise you sound like a spoiled little child (Thursday’s ViewPoints)? Do you even know any residents of Blackbird Leys? I doubt it very much. The community spirit is very strong here. A lot of activities have taken place
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Woman found dead in Thame
THE body of a woman has been found in Thame this morning. The woman, believed to be in her 70s and from the local area, was found at 6.45am on the Phoenix Trail, a popular walking path. She was found close to a bridge by a member of the public
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Why we need housing
DERRICK Holt’s most recent letter about Barton and the A40 (Oxford Mail ViewPoints, July 9) trivialises Oxford’s acute housing shortages. Oxford City Council is not seeking to build new homes to meet the needs of London commuters but rather
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FOOTBALL: King in dream move to Preston
Former Didcot Town midfielder Jack King has made a dream move into the Football League with Preston North End after helping Woking to the Blue Square Bet South title last season. The 26-year-old midfielder, from Oxford, who also had an extended
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AUNT SALLY: Super Baker bags double
Kevin Baker hit a double sixer as he clanged off 15 dolls (6-6-3) in Cricketers B’s 2-1 success against Red Lion A Eynsham in the Premier Section. Cricketers won the first two legs 32-24, 34-32, with Red Lion grabbing a point in the final leg 30
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CRICKET: Double joy for county women
OXFORDSHIRE made it two wins from two in the ECB Women’s County Championship after beating Wiltshire and the wet weather at Bicester & North Oxford. Their eight-wicket victory on Sunday puts Oxon top of Division 4 South & West just when
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THE DISABLED SPACE: The train can be a strain for disabled
As a child, did you read the Thomas the Tank Engine books or watch the programme on television? I wonder if those amusing stories where, in the end, everything was put right, have encouraged us to think it will be the same in real life? We
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Bruiser prepares for his New Theatre debut
ACTRESS Faye Brookes is happy working with animals in a new musical production at Oxford’s New Theatre . Ms Brookes was last year the first brunette to win the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, which has been a smash hit on Broadway and in
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Barton West Inquiry: Council ‘inflexible’ over A40 boulevard
A GOVERNMENT planning inspector has accused Oxford City Council of being “inflexible” over the creation of a boulevard along the A40. Shelagh Bussey yesterday heard from residents and community groups as part of the inquiry into the city council
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Surface tension
THIS road resurfacing is downright dangerous for us cyclists. It’s just being laid near me, it’s like riding on ice, slipping and sliding, not to mention stones being flicked up by passing traffic. After a few months the surface
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Power cut hits BBC radio show
BBC Radio Oxford was unable to broadcast Malcolm Boyden’s show yesterday for about two minutes following a power cut. Work to service a generator affected mains power at the Banbury Road radio station and the programme was interrupted shortly before
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Deadly Deane off to a flier
Deane Smalley is hoping last night’s stunning winner against West Ham United is the start of a rich vein of form as he aims to make up for a poor start to his Oxford United career. The 23-year-old smashed in the only goal of the game as Chris Wilder
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Swan upping is off
There will be no Swan Upping this week, it has been confirmed. The week-long census of the swan population was due to take place this week. As reported yesterday, the event had looked in jeopardy. But now it has definitely been abandoned because
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Pupils in opening ceremony get trainer ‘guidance’
CHILDREN taking part in the Olympic opening ceremony have been told they shouldn’t wear branded trainers unless they are made by Adidas. Organisers told the eight Oxfordshire primary school pupils they should wear the German sports label – which
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Lead thief targeted church and community hall
A THIEF has admitted causing thousands of pounds worth of damage by stripping lead from schools, a charity and a church. Mark Hendron ripped the valuable metal from the roofs of eight institutions, leaving a combined repair bill estimated at more
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Oil leak risk after crane topples over
EXPERTS were yesterday trying to work out how to move an overturned 40-tonne crane from a ditch. The crane, owned by Bristol-based Kings Lifting, toppled over and fell upside-down into the ditch along Woodeaton Road, Woodeaton, at about 6pm on
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Staff shortage fear over fire control merger plan
FIRE unions are concerned a merged control room based in Berkshire will not have enough staff to meet demand. Plans to move Oxfordshire’s fire control room over the border were rubber-stamped by Oxfordshire County Council ’s cabinet yesterday.
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Young graduates say goodbye to nursery
THREE and four-year-olds took part in a graduation ceremony – complete with gowns and mortar boards – at their Oxford nursery. The soon-to-be school-children were graduating from the Cooperative nursery in Rose Hill yesterday. Children were
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Woman denies causing death by dangerous driving
A woman has denied causing the death of a motorcyclist. Anne Green, 38, appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court yesterday and denied causing the death of John Maher by careless driving. Mr Maher died on the A4074 at Benson after a collision with
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Dad spared jailed for assault by kebab van
A FATHER on a romantic night out with his partner ended up punching a man to the floor and kicking him in the head near a kebab van. Matthew Brain, 26, attacked student Ben Williams in St Ebbe’s Street, Oxford, on February 12. Brain admitted
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COMMENT: Branded spirit
THERE is no other expression for it – it chills the soul (and in this instance, how appropriately tragic that ‘soul’ should boast such a double meaning). For the fact that eight youngsters from John Hampden Primary have been told by the London
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Woodeaton Road still closed
WOODEATON Road remains closed this morning following the toppling of a crane. The crane toppled over on Monday morning and traffic reports this morning say the road remains shut today. The latest updates will be posted here .
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Saint's alive at priory
BICESTER Local History Society has unearthed an unknown medieval mill during a dig near the town’s former priory. Members were invited to dig in the grounds of a private home that now stands on the site, off Chapel Street. The Augustinian priory
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Calls for tougher stance on charity "chuggers"
CALLS for tougher rules for “charity muggers” have been welcomed across Oxford. Street fundraisers, who are given the not-so-affectionate name “chuggers”, could face tougher rules after a new government report warned they were “suffocating” the
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Race to plot Vale’s long-term housing sites
Vale of White Horse District Council is in a race against time to decide its preferred sites for housing before developers jump in and get their first choice. The council is to spend an extra £145,000 to speed up the completion of its long-term
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The jury's out on £1m estate 'hub'
ROSE Hill residents have mixed views on a plan for a £1m community hub to bring services under one roof. Oxford City Council chief executive Peter Sloman presented the proposal for a new hub to community groups from the estate. The centre would