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A SEX offender who went on the run in Oxfordshire after breaking a curfew on Wednesday was back in police custody tonight. Kevin Aldred, 39, a registered sex offender, was captured within an hour of Thames Valley Police launching an urgent media appeal

It never occured to me when I decided that I'd write one of these blog things on the running of a village cricket club, just how blooming difficult it would be to write about in the middle of our perpetual autumn! I'm not quite bright enough, it seems

It never occured to me when I decided that I'd write one of these blog things on the running of a village cricket club, just how blooming difficult it would be to write about in the middle of our perpetual autumn! I'm not quite bright enough, it seems

It never occured to me when I decided that I'd write one of these blog things on the running of a village cricket club, just how blooming difficult it would be to write about in the middle of our perpetual autumn! I'm not quite bright enough, it seems

Neighbours from hell who waged a campaign of harassment against a Bicester family who complained about the smell of their Chinese cooking have been told to pay more than £26,000 in compensation. A hearing at Oxford County Court today ruled Paula Ho and

The cavalry has arrived - mounted police are in Oxford for the return of Operation Backlash - a clampdown on the city's most prolific criminals. The so-far secret operation has seen up to 40 police officers targeting burglars, car thieves, drug offenders

A dangerous sex offender who went on the run in Oxfordshire after breaking a curfew on Wednesday was back in police custody tonight. Kevin Aldred, 39, a registered sex offender, was captured within an hour of Thames Valley Police launching an urgent

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A 21-year-old man has been given an £80 fixed penalty notice for causing criminal damage to Christmas lighting in the Westgate Centre, Oxford. Police previously released CCTV images of two men involved in the incident on Saturday, December 2, 2006,

A family in Headington had a lucky escape after they were woken by their smoke alarm when a fire started in their home. Oxfordshire County Council's fire crews were called to Stile Road, Headington, shortly before 6am today to a report of a fire in

The trouble with having so many "proper" football matches on SKY is that, on the very odd occasion that they stoop down to pub-team level to show how the other half live, or play, and those in question have a particularly bad game, it seems almost like

The trouble with having so many "proper" football matches on SKY is that, on the very odd occasion that they stoop down to pub-team level to show how the other half live, or play, and those in question have a particularly bad game, it seems almost like

The trouble with having so many "proper" football matches on SKY is that, on the very odd occasion that they stoop down to pub-team level to show how the other half live, or play, and those in question have a particularly bad game, it seems almost like

I am writing this from deep inside my bunker way underground beneath Kingston Bagpuize and away from the heavy flak I have received from last week’s blog when I mentioned Sally sleeping with the Chairman. Of course the Chairman is Sally’s husband and

PICKETS were on duty outside Banbury's Inland Revenue offices this week in support of a one-day strike by the Public and Commercial Services Union. The tax office remained open on Wednesday, run by a skeleton staff. The JobCentre next door was not affected

A man with mental health problems who escaped from his carers has been found by police. Leigh Cooper, 25, ran away from carers in Headington last Wednesday and was last seen by his mother on Saturday at a pub in Oxford. He was found yesterday by a

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Oxford businessman Neil Mitchell, who has been asked to step down as chief executive of Torex Retail, said he blew the whistle to Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over the state of the company accounts. Mr Mitchell told the Financial Times that

A MAN who went missing in Oxford last week has been found safe and well. Leigh Cooper, 25, who ran away from carers in Headington on Wednesday, January 24, was found yesterday by a Police Community Support Officer in Blackbird Leys. A spokesman for

Kidlington youngster Jamie DeBanks could be out for the rest of the season after breaking a leg while on county duty last week. Debanks suffered a fractured fibula as Oxfordshire Under 18s beat Berks & Bucks 3-1 at Iffley Road last Saturday, and the

Corn Exchange, Newbury: Sixty-Six, 12A, Fri 2.30pm. Box office 01635 522733. Corn Exchange, Wallingford: Wizard of Oz, U (1939, restored, starring Judy Garland) Sat-Sun 2.30pm, Fri, Sun 7.30pm. Box office 01491 825000. Odeon, George Street, Oxford:

Notes on a Scandal is a riveting adaptation of Zoe Heller's best-selling novel about a naive comprehensive schoolteacher, who entertains the sexual overtures of a student and falls foul of a vindictive colleague. Heller's book unfolds in the form of

It had been years since I'd stumbled into the Aziz on Cowley Road, and having written unfavourable things about its new sister restaurant, the Aziz Pandesia at Folly Bridge, I thought I'd better trot back to where I'd started and revisit the ghost of

Patrick Wolf has been obsessed with musical instruments since buying his first keyboard at a car boot sale, at the age of 11. Now 23, his love of vintage instruments shows no sign of diminishing - and has actually grown to ridiculous proportions.

Life's not all 'katanga my friend', you know. There are other things out there. It can't all be crotch jokes, although I do a lot of them and they're greeeeat," Lenny Henry says in that trademark squeal. This is the new, refreshed and refocused Lenny

OXFORD University has lost its contempt of court action against an animal rights campaigner over his failure to produce an e-mail list of subscribers. Robert Cogswell, the co-founder of Speak, had told the High Court that the list was outside his control

THE Renault van bore a personalised 04 number plate and a flashing light unit attached to the roof. The words Dog Walking Service' were painted, together with Oxford phone numbers along its sides. It was a highly professional-looking set-up. The van

SATURDAY FOOTBALL NATIONWIDE CONFERENCE Oxford Utd v Cambridge Utd. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Northwood. Div 1 South & West: Didcot Tn v Bashley, Hanwell v Abingdon Utd, Oxford C v Uxbridge. PUMA YOUTH ALLIANCE

Pensioner Eric Cole is a very lucky man. Having abused one child, then a second, he would seem a prime candidate to serve a term of imprisonment. But Judge Julian Hall showed surprising leniency at Oxford Crown Court. He gave him a suspended sentence

City councillor David Rundle's 'revolution in rubbish' epitomises present day politics (Oxford Mail, January 23). Rubbish is the politicians' forte - maybe why a rookie councillor speaks discourteously of his betters. That Liberal Democrats would lead

OXFORDSHIRE 3rd continued their great run in the County Championship with a 10-5 victory over Cornwall 2nd at St Austell. A victory in their home match on February 11 at Radley College will give them the Division 5D crown. The county's over 55 team

KIDLINGTON youngster Jamie DeBanks could be out for the rest of the Hellenic League season after breaking a leg while on county duty last week. Debanks suffered a fractured fibula as Oxfordshire Under 18s beat Berks & Bucks 3-1 at Iffley Road last Saturday

I totally agree with David Young (Oxford Mail, January 23) that using a mobile phone in any form is a distraction. However, how far are the 'safety brigade' willing to go? We've already seen people being given fixed penalty fines for drinking from

If there is one thing that gets our readers going, it is an unsightly mess on the streets and spaces of our beautiful city and county. We receive many calls and letters from readers about rubbish on the verges of our main roads and at the entrances

It is a little worrying to see the price tag for the revamp of Oxford's Bonn Square rising by 30 per cent to £1.9m. The city council rather brushes this off saying that costs are not out of control. Happily, this does not seem to be delaying the project

MORE than 180 residents, businesses and Wood Green School, Witney, suffered problems with their phones because of an underground cable fault. Jason Mann, a spokesman for British Telecom, said the fault was first reported last Saturday, with the problem

A pensioner who sexually abused a six-year-old girl was spared jail by a judge - and told to compensate her with money for a new bike. Convicted sex offender Eric Cole, 71, admitted sexually assaulting the girl as she played in a garden in Barton, Oxford

Crimefighters on an Oxford estate have been given a shot in the arm as two police community support officers hit the beat. Luke Westell and Vicki Channon, both 23, started work as Thames Valley Police announced a six-month extension to the Rose Hill

Two of the oldest identical twins in the country are celebrating their 95th birthday. Pamela Turner, of Meadow View Nursing Home, Standlake, near Witney, and her sister Irene Collins celebrated on Tuesday with a party at the nursing home, where they

Hundreds of Bicester residents have signed a petition against plans to build above-ground graves near their homes. Residents also lobbied town councillors this week, wrote to local MP Tony Baldry and sent letters of objection to Cherwell District Council

Visitors to Blenheim Palace are being given the chance to 'Fly To The Past' a few months early. It's all thanks to an event highlighting the stately home's role during the Second World War. A special exhibition at the Woodstock stately home, which

Bachelor Mark Broughton, who is seeking the love of his life on eBay, is confident of finding a partner after getting a stunning makeover. Mr Broughton, 37, of Corn Bar, Witney, is so keen to find romance that he has auctioned his future on the Internet

Police have uncovered another cannabis farm in Oxford after being tipped off that every room in a Headington house was being used to grow the drug. Police raided the rented house in Valentia Road, on the Gipsy Lane estate in Headington, just after 5pm

Oxfordshire households may have to install water meters under Government proposals to tackle water shortages. Ministers believe urgent action is required to address acute supply shortages in "water-stressed" areas like Oxfordshire. And a three-month

A gang has been terrorising residents in Headington, Oxford - so much so that some are now afraid to leave their homes. Residents in Vivienne Court, off The Slade, say their lives are being plagued by a gang of boys who have been shouting abuse, causing

A father fears his family is being targeted after paint bombs were thrown at his house and his locks were glued up. Paul Craig, 39, of Leach Road, Bicester, is worried for the safety of his six children and pregnant wife Amanda, 37, after repeated attacks

Political activist and musician Billy Bragg is to host the first in a series of three debates at Oxford's Ruskin College on the power of music. The discussions, organised by the college, Oxford Contemporary Music and Oxford Brookes University, are the

This is the bike Oxford teenager Ben Halsey-Jones was riding when he fell into the River Thames at Port Meadow. Officers from Thames Valley Police specialist search and recovery team lifted the bike out of the water at 11.35am yesterday. It was found

FORMER Carterton Community College headteacher Alan Klee will have to wait to hear whether charges of bullying staff and professional misconduct have been upheld. A hearing of the General Teaching Council Professional Conduct Committee in Birmingham

POLICE divers have recovered the cycle ridden by Oxford teenager Ben Halsey-Jones when he fell into the River Thames near Port Meadow. Officers from Thames Valley Police specialist search and recovery team lifted the bicycle out of the water at 11.35am

A PILE-UP caused long queues of traffic on the outskirts of Oxford today. The crash happened near the Forest Hill turn of the A40 and led to tailbacks on the eastbound carriageway. Early reports said the road was completely blocked, but later traffic

A TOXIC chemical incident in Banbury almost led to the M40 being shut. Firefighters were called to Hella Manufacturing in Noral Way at noon yesterday after staff realised a chemical mixing process had gone wrong. Mike Bingham, fire officer in charge

JIM Smith is rallying his beleaguered Oxford United troops by insisting: "A new season starts here." After Monday night's TV horror show against Rushden, the U's manager has moved quickly to bring in two players before the transfer window slammed shut

SIMON Chatterton replaces Alan Richens at lock and prop Andy Gosling returns on the bench when Witney host Tadley in Southern Counties North. Witney will hope in-form Grove can assist their title hopes by defeating leaders Amersham & Chiltern at Cane

MATT Maudsley says Duncan Lynch-Smith's promotion to Oxford Harlequins' first team is another boost for the city's rugby partnership. Wing Lynch-Smith makes his Quins debut in tomorrow's home South West 1 clash with second-placed Cleve after starring

Didcot Town manager Stuart Peace is hoping to hold on to his former Oxford United winger Jamie Brooks (pictured) after Conference South outfit Salisbury City put in a bid. Peace has already seen Stuart Beavon go to Nationwide Conference side Weymouth

The name on the back is the same, but the new Ford Galaxy is an entirely different beast to its people-carrier predecessor. Seating up to seven people, it is bigger, better and an all-round classier act. The original 1995 Galaxy was a joint venture

A COOPER badge will appear on a diesel-powered version of the Oxford-built Mini for the first time in showrooms in April. The new Mini One and Mini Cooper D models will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The entry-level One is powered

FUNDING for special needs pupils in Oxfordshire is less than a quarter of the national average, according to an MP. Andrew Smith, Labour MP for Oxford East, has asked for a meeting with Government ministers to examine the huge gap in funding. Speaking

A GANG has been terrorising residents in Headington, Oxford - so much so that some are now afraid to leave their homes. Residents in Vivienne Court, off The Slade, said their lives had been plagued by a gang of boys which has been shouting abuse, causing

THAMES Valley Police has announced it will not appeal against a Government decision to foot just £4.4m of a £7.4m bill for an anti-terrorism operation. Whitehall has paid the money after Oxfordshire's police force took part in Operation Overt in High

POLICE in Oxfordshire do not intend to give motorists points on their licence for using mobile phones while driving. About 5,000 drivers were caught using their mobiles in Oxfordshire last year. So far the punishment has been a £30 fine for the offence

Sir - More than 30 years ago the Governors of the Radcliffe Infirmary, anticipating the ultimate closure of that hospital, agreed that the building at Headington should be named The John Radcliffe Hospital so as to perpetuate the memory of Oxford's great

Sir - We think that congratulations must go to the council for their latest recycling initiatives. It's no mean feat to have launched this new fortnightly refuse collection cycle that will eventually bed in as people now appear determined to change

Sir - At the age of 85, and admittedly a has-been, nevertheless I am genuinely perplexed by the number of pedestrians, together with a few cyclists and even the odd vehicle driver, who pass me by with what appears to be a mobile phone clamped to one ear

Sir - Your correspondent Irene Gill disregards the positive aspects of soldering to make her case (Letters, January 26). The British Army's principal role is to defend the UK and its interests. Although that is open to quite wide interpretation, a

Sir - Oxford City Council is making a unitary bid to take over all the functions which the county council handles in the city, to add to its own. Whilst there must surely be benefits in having a unitary authority, the city's bid does not look widely

Sir - I would like to put another (the patient's) perspective and correct some errors in last week's article on Choose and Book Referral process could get worse by Victoria Owen (January 26). It is easy to forget the 'Book' aspect of Choose and Book

Sir - Your paper reported on the ambitious plans for the new Oxford Brookes campus. The plan is certainly bold and ambitious, but universities do not live by stone and glass alone! I do not wish to say whether the vast sum of money necessary for its

Sir - As an appreciative regular user of Oxford's Central Library, I am very concerned by rumours - as yet there is no publicly available information - that the Westgate development will lead to an actual reduction in size of this key city centre building

Sir - There never was a lock between the canal basin and Oxford Canal. The basin could be reinstated at its original level, without the lock that Paul Hornby (Letters, January 26) claims would cost so much. After the canal basin was filled in, an 18

AN OXFORDSHIRE MP is backing a fresh attempt to outlaw the use of electric shock collars to train dogs. Tony Baldry, Tory MP for Banbury, is co-sponsoring a backbench Bill which is due to be debated in the House of Commons on today. The Electric Shock

TALK about being thrown in at the deep end. George Fenton, long recognised as one of the world's best film score composers, had not been keeping up to date with events at his old Oxford school. So he was moderately surprised when a call came through

EXPERTS will be visiting the city tomorrow to give advice to travellers heading for Africa. Authors Philip Briggs and Ariade van Zandbergen will be at Rewley House, Wellington Square. Tickets cost £3 on the door and talks will be held on specialist

OF THE hundreds of people donning their running shoes to take part in this year's OX5 run, one will know more than most the importance of the event. Dale Harris will be taking part in his third consecutive run through the grounds of Blenheim Palace

PEUGEOT'S 107 entry-model is available in a new three-door Sport XS trim level for young-minded individuals who like a more racy and personalised vehicle. Available from £8,345, the 107 Sport XS has a distinctive appearance, available in four colour

POLICE want to use search arches - similar to metal detectors used at airports - to catch people carrying knives into Oxfordshire secondary schools. They have said the arches, introduced into the force last November, will also be set up at entrances

Sir - Having recently been a guest in one of the colleges of Oxford University, I was utterly flabbergasted by the rudeness and disrespect shown by the porters toward myself and the college's students. I have since learnt that fictional characters such

Sir - Once again Oxfordshire County Council is seeking to impose a residents' parking scheme on the North Summertown area of Oxford, despite the fact that such a scheme has already been rejected once by a majority of residents in a previous consultation

Sir - English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (Report, January 19) have really lost the plot here. No, they are not operating a "secure site with entry through a locked gate requiring a security code". They are operating an "open site which anyone can walk

Sir - Councillor Stephen Tall waffles endlessly (Letters, January 26) with the bitterness and siege mentality that so characterises politicians at Oxford City Council. In doing so he draws a convenient veil over the appalling shortcomings of his own authority

Sir - I would like to point out one of the more serious iniquities that the Government has imposed on our National Health Service. Our family doctors have not been allowed to refer patients to the hospital doctors of their choice. Bureaucrats altered

ST JOHN'S is to build a new quadrangle behind St Giles in one of the biggest development schemes undertaken by an Oxford college for years. The new quad will be similar in size to the college's historic Canterbury Quad, widely recognised as one of the

Transport and planning manager for Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust

Some could say that David Edwards had one of the hardest jobs in Oxford. As transport and planning manager for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, he was charged with reducing traffic to the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals in Headington