The five-star Malmaison Hotel in Oxford will remain closed for a second week following a fire that destroyed the historic former prison's electricity supply. The blaze started on Monday morning in an electrical room on the second floor and smoke spread
A homeless man sleeping rough in a barn caused more than £46,000 damage when his cigarette sparked a massive blaze. Norman Gourley, 54, of no fixed address, had been staying in the barn in Manor Farm, Binsey Lane, Oxford, for about a month before the
DETAILS of vulnerable and elderly people in Oxfordshire ripe for exploitation by con men are being sold on lists in pubs across the UK. The revelation came to light as police and trading standards officers on Friday carried out their first coordinated
A man wearing a balaclava has been chasing children in Abingdon. Parents at four schools have been warned about the two incidents and police are investigating. In the first incident, on May 22, a nine-year-old girl from Dunmore Junior was cycling
Each time this tree flowers, we will remember Andrew" - those were the words said in memory of popular teacher Andrew Dawson, who died earlier this year. Students, friends and colleagues gathered at Matthew Arnold School at Cumnor, Oxford, yesterday
Preparations are almost complete for a day of festivities celebrating Oxford's connections with Alice in Wonderland. Alice, played by Rebecca Clarke, and Louise Rennie as the Queen of Hearts are pictured giving children from St Aloysius Catholic Primary
Amid the furore over 'Tory' councillors Tia MacGregor and Paul Sargent, another seismic shift in political allegiance has gone largely unnoticed. My own near-neighbour and city councillor Antonia Bance has switched effortlessly from self-proclaimed
I WANTED to send some photographs to a young relative, proof that her grandmother hadn't always been a fuddy-duddy worrying about the effect of the English weather on a bare midriff. It was not a heavy package, nor was it outside the permitted size
The family of a baby found dead by police have said they are still in shock. The eight-month-old, named as Reece, was found in a flat in Agnes Court, Cowley, in Oxford, by police in the early hours of Saturday morning. Today, a joint family statement
You published a fascinating article by Jeremy Smith on whether the bubble was going to burst on house prices (Oxford Mail, June 2). He quoted the economist Fred Harrison who is predicting a global crash leading to a depression. Harrison bases his
It is said: "Where there is a will, there is a way!" Congratulations are due to the vast majority of the citizens of Oxford on their recycling efforts (Oxford Mail, June 13). The "harbingers of doom", such as Crow (Collect Refuse in Oxford Weekly)
FIRST Great Western rail services will be affected by engineering work this weekend. Late-night services between Oxford and Didcot Parkway on Saturday and Sunday and early-morning services on Sunday and Monday will be affected, with most journeys
MORE than half of patients in Oxfordshire are offered a choice of hospitals when they need to see a specialist. But although 55 per cent of people are asked to pick from four or more places to have their treatment, most decide to stay in the county
Jazzercise enthusiasts in Oxfordshire are hoping to raise thousands of pounds for charity. Tomorrow, 200 people are expected to take part in Dance for Life, a day of jazzercise in aid of two Oxfordshire charities - Against Breast Cancer (ABC), the Harwell-based
People from all communities and all backgrounds are invited to celebrate diversity at the second annual Oxford Mela. Up to 5,000 people are expected to attend the multi-ethnic, multicultural festival which is being held at Cowley Marsh Park on Sunday
Gardeners across Oxford have had their work judged for the city's biggest ever allotment competition. More than 100 plots in 20 different allotment sites were today examined by judges David Penney, a horticultural teacher from Reading University, and
Cyclox, the Oxford cycling pressure group, has organised a series of events for National Bike Week, which starts tomorrow. The group has released details of a week-long diary featuring rides for all ages and abilities in and around the city. And to
AEA Technology 135.25 BMW 3349 Electrocomponents 291.5 Isoft Group 46.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 158.5 Oxford Biomedica 40.25 Oxford Instruments 305.5 Reed Elsevier 663.75 RM 204 RPS Group 355.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
A man and his dog were saved from a flat fire - because firefighters had fitted smoke alarms at a blaze there a month earlier. Fire crews were called to the flat in Upper Fisher Row, off Hythe Bridge Street, shortly before 5pm on Wednesday after a fire
Virgin CrossCountry trains serving Oxford and Banbury today are subject to delays and cancellations due to severe flooding affecting the rail network in and around Birmingham following torrential rain overnight. Virgin Trains said tickets valid for
Police were called after a lorry got stuck under the Blackthorn bridge on the A41 near Bicester this morning. Officers attended the scene after receiving the call at 8.16am. Thames Valley Police spokesman Claire Gourlay said they let the air out of
This week's discounted case is a selection of three rosé wines and nine reds. Each has been carefully chosen with the barbecue season in mind. The mixed BBQ case costs £64 and contains three bottles each of: Rosé Syrah/Cinsault, Les Celliers du Prieure
I found myself drawn, like a moth to a flame, back to the Booklover second-hand bookshop the other day, and thoroughly enjoyed my second visit. The owner, Julian Tester, asked me if I could pass on some contact details for his shop in Woodin's Way, and
A woman born in Oxford has died after two trains collided head-on on the island of Sardinia early today, police said. Two Italians also died and at least seven others were badly injured when the freight train and the passenger train collided near Nuoro
There is a young, fresh spirit powering through the world of Formula One and it is not just in the shape of the remarkable rookie driver Lewis Hamilton. Behind the scenes of this high profile, high octane industry are graduates from Oxford Brookes University
THE fact that the lid of my spanking new recycled plastic green water butt was smashed was nobody's fault but my own. Dropping it on the drive and crushing it with my size tens while removing the items from the car boot was a bad move. So it was back
The trouble with eating food from other countries in the UK is that it invariably is not from another country at all. Those cooking the dish may be from the place or at least their descendants arrived here and started in the restaurant trade but in
For most people, taking the plunge to start a new business is a big step. It usually entails a big change both in life and work style. Working nine to five is replaced by appointments and erratic working hours. Many challenges lie ahead and some important
A survey this month may have found that leaders of Britain's largest companies put climate change at the bottom of their priority lists, but an Oxfordshire firm still sees major money-making opportunities ahead in the business of turning the nation
Hunter's stew, cucumber soup, strawberry compote, and whortleberry preserve - not the sort of thing you would find every day in the supermarket. Or at least that might have been the cae a few years ago but now they fill the a whole aisle end in the
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (PG) IT COULD be the end of the world as we know it in Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer. Forget global warming, the threat of war or disease. An all-powerful, cosmic entity called Galactus - the
Bad luck on those lobsters caught in the English Channel and fed to humans whizzing along in Eurostar beneath the very seabed that in life was their happy habitat. From November, if Eurostar is to be believed, this will be the fate of many more lobsters
SATURDAY CRICKET SOMMERS HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE Div 1: Banbury v Oxford, Reading v Henley. Div 2 West: Basingstoke & N Hants v Aston Rowant, Kidlington v Kew, Thame Tn v Tring Park. THE OXFORD TIMES CHERWELL LEAGUE Div 1: Bicester & North
Nick Hughes and Iain Horner laid the foundations for Oxford City's 3-1 victory over Kingston Bagpuize in Men's Division 1 of the 2-Pair League. Hughes and Horner were untroubled in both rubbers, while Chris Howsted and Tom Nicholson-Lailey won the battle
Oxfordshire's former Wimbledon player Lizzie Jelfs helped Banbury West End's cause in Ladies Division 1 as they destroyed Oxford Sports B 9-0. Making a rare appearance, Lizzie and her mother, Sue, dropped only two games as they steamrollered through
OK the series has been won by England and deservedly so because they have played the better cricket. But that shock win I so badly wanted nearly materialized at Old Trafford. As the West Indies inched closer and closer to the world record fourth innings
Kidlington captain Dave Taylor says their next few matches will show whether they are real promotion candidates, starting at home to Kew tomorrow. Taylor, who names an unchanged side, has seen Kidlington make an impressive start to the season to lie
Oxford Saints will be looking to take long-awaited revenge on Ipswich Cardinals in BAFL Division 1 on Sunday (2.30). Cardinals dumped Saints out of the 2001 title race at the semi-final stage the last time the two teams met. It's a must-win game for
Oxford Cavaliers are set to parade new signing Andy Thurtle when they host Co-operative Summer Conference Midland Division leaders at Marston Ferry Road on Saturday. Thurtle, who joins from Halifax Barmy Army, has had many years experience of playing
AARON Lanney has left Oxford Cheetahs. o The former promoter made the decision this week, despite being asked to stay on by new owner Allen Trump. He will now head to Norway in order to start a new career. "I would like to take this opportunity to
CLERICAL staff at an Oxford hospital claim patients will suffer if they lose their jobs. Managers at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington have announced that 19 medical secretaries will be made redundant and replaced by four staff to save £108,000
A £4.3M DEPARTMENT for the elderly with 40 ensuite rooms is expected to halve the amount of infections and reduce mixed sex wards at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. Managers said the unit, in the refurbished level four paediatric area, could be a
A REPORT setting out how a quarter of Oxford city centre should be redeveloped will be submitted to the Government today. After four years of negotiations and consultations about how the West End of Oxford should be regenerated, the West End Area
A JURY at Oxford Crown Court yesterday cleared Phillip Pledge of intent to sell prescription painkillers. Nearly 500 dihydrocodeine tablets were seized in a police raid on his flat, in Evenlode Tower, Blackbird Leys, along with 610g of "skunk" cannabis
WITH a physique that won the coveted Mr Universe bodybuilding competition Sgt Pete Reid is an arresting sight. The 45-year-old man mountain, who was the first black officer in Oxford, proudly picked up a long service medal for 22 years of good conduct
ENGLAND football captain John Terry will tie the knot with fiancee Toni Poole at Blenheim Palace today. Chelsea star Terry, 26, and Toni, 24, will host the celebration in Woodstock with a host of Premiership footballers and other stars. The event
FILMING for the movie of Philip Pullman's best-selling trilogy His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass, takes place in the city today. The movie, which is released later this year, has a star-studded cast including Bond star Daniel Craig and Nicole
Banbury United's new manager Kieran Sullivan has announced his intentions from the off - by starting pre-season training a week early. Sullivan, 38, takes over from Kevin Brock, who resigned after eight years in charge following a row over the budget
ALLOTMENT holders across Oxford said they would fight to save their plots from the threat of new houses. Planners have identified three allotment sites on which almost 400 homes could be built in a confidential list of potential sites if demand for
Two of Division 1's form sides clash when Banbury host county rivals Oxford at White Post Road tomorrow (11.30). Both teams struggled last season and went into their final games with every chance of being relegated. But after five games of this season
SENIOR officials at Oxford City Council are set to lose their jobs in a restructure of the authority. Up to six business managers face redundancy after the council unveiled plans to reduce its number of departments from 17 to 11. The authority's
TWO men who attacked worse-for-wear student Jonathan Birdcut have been given suspended jail terms. Stuart Jeffers and his friend Adam Garner forced the 26-year-old student into a recess in Queen's Lane, Oxford, repeatedly pushing and hitting him as
A GARAGE in Cowley has been left empty for 13 years after police boarded it up as part of an investigation. The Bulan Road garage, owned by Oxford City Council, could have netted the local authority thousands of pounds in charges - at present £11.70
PLANS to build a state-of-the-art military training centre in Bicester were revealed by the Ministry of Defence yesterday. The proposals would see thousands of personnel from all three armed forces, as well as police officers, learning bomb disposal
DEMANDS for a radical solution to Oxford's chronic congestion problems could see a European-style 'shared space' system being introduced to clogged city roads. Oxford University and Oxford City Council both signalled their support this week for the
THE submission to the Government of plans to regenerate the West End of Oxford is a momentous moment for the city. It is one more sign that this great historic city is waking up to the modern age and understanding that it is not enough to simply sit
A MEMORIAL service is to be held today for teacher Andrew Dawson, who died of a heart attack while playing rugby earlier this year. The service is at Matthew Arnold School, in Arnolds Way, where Mr Dawson, 27, taught geography. Staff and students
Sir - The 700 bus service (Report, June 1) is very useful indeed. But there is more to life than going to the hospitals. Our campaign, on behalf of everyone living north of the city, is just as much for the restoration of the one connection we had
Sir - I write in answer to David Rundle's letter (June 8) saying that no firm decision has been taken to close 14 Oxford playgrounds. That is true, but according to various councillors and council officers it is very seriously being considered. It
Sir - The proposal from Midshires Co-operative to erect a wind turbine at Botley has attracted much attention and is likely to clutter the famous Oxford skyline of dreaming spires. But before this application is considered, the Co-operative should
Sir - Richard Hunt's letter (June 8) repeats the statement that we suggested that those who did not reply to the county council's consultation on the proposed North Summertown Controlled Parking Zone were somehow in favour of the scheme. We did not
Sir - Last weekend, following Richard Hunt's appeal (Letters, June 8) to test the public opinion about the introduction of the parking zone in North Summertown, the residents of five further streets (Wentworth Road, Carlton Road, Salisbury Crescent,
Sir - With reference to the planned closure of Headington subway, it is indeed unfortunate when any public lavatory is forced to close. With the loss of such an important public convenience, where do councillors think local drunks will go to relieve
Sir - If the Headington underpass is demolished, we shall lose the murals that have delighted local residents since their creation in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee. Your headline report (June 8) included several shots of this attractive example of
THE Swan, the only pub in Ascott- under-Wychwood, is to close for a makeover after being sold to Gloucestershire entrepreneur Richard Lait. He plans to relaunch it in 2008 as a dining pub, with bedrooms, after a £525,000 bid to buy the premises.
EIGHT days of events including music, dancing and fetes will turn Burford into a summer festival town from tomorrow. Gold and blue flags decorated with the town's historic badge will festoon the streets for the festival, which started in 2001 and
EIGHT BMW Hydrogen 7 cars, which are virtually emissions-free luxury saloons, have arrived in Britain to show off the German firm's landmark CleanEnergy programme technology. Based on the existing 7 Series, and equipped with an engine capable of running
A DISTINCTIVE new version of the Golf Plus is set to join the Volkswagen range later in the summer with the arrival of the Golf Plus Dune. Based on the Golf Plus platform, the £18,495 Dune model's styling is based on that of its little brother', the
SEAT has released the first pictures and details of the rugged new Altea freetrack, which has just made its world debut at the Barcelona Motor Show. The Altea freetrack is the first SEAT designed to be driven off-road, and has four-wheel drive, 40
SUZUKI is stirring a little excitement in the small-car market with the unveiling of the new Splash, the Japanese firm's fresh take on a city runabout. Small motors and superminis are still driving the bulk of new car sales, and Suzuki aims for the
SUBARU has supersized its entry into the 4x4 big time. The US-built B9 Tribeca packs a mighty punch in its fight against the likes of BMW's X5, the Volvo XC90 and Nissan Murano. All are stylish, superior, svelte sports utility vehicles, but where
TOO few people know their onions when it comes to farming - and now farmers are trying to educate the public. Manor Farm at Marcham, near Abingdon, opened up its gates on Sunday to what manager Neil Rowe said was an exercise in "reconnecting" with the
PAMELA Roberts, founder of the Black Oxford: Untold Stories exhibition and the first black heritage guided walking tour of the city, is to give a talk on the contribution of black scholars at Oxford University. The event takes place tomorrow from
Suzuki's Grand Vitara compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) has just landed a top award in a country that knows about car quality - Germany. AutoBild allrad, which is Germany's leading off-road magazine, voted the Japanese SUV their compact 4x4 of the
RENAULT'S latest 4x4-look Scenic mid-sized people carrier, the Conquest, goes on sale in Britain this month, in a bid to keep the firm in with those buyers wanting an MPV with crossover styling. The Conquest has a revised chassis, with 20mm higher
DISABLED young sailors in Oxford are able to take to the water again thanks to the completion of a new specially-adapted boat. The boat is a replacement for Nigel's Ark, which belonged to Farmoor Reservoir-based disabled sailing charity ODSSA - originally
AIR show fans left dispirited by the RAF's recent Spirit of Adventure event are being offered a two-for-one ticket deal for Fly to the Past. Held in Abingdon over the weekend of May 26 to 27, Spirit of Adventure was reduced to just one day because
RESIDENTS, whose cars were smashed by vandals, are so frustrated at the slow response by police that they are threatening to take the law into their own hands. People living in the King's End area of Bicester say they know who is behind the vandalism
WITH his office commanding glorious views of the University Parks, it is easy to see what persuaded a cricket mad Australian like Professor Peter Donnelly to return to work in Oxford. But last week it was even easier to recognise just what made Oxford
A PIONEERING battery recycling scheme has been hailed a success. In the two months since the scheme was launched in north Oxfordshire, more than 8,000 batteries have been collected and diverted from landfill waste sites. Cherwell District Council
A COMMUNITY garden which has blossomed on a former wasteland in Cowley is to be officially opened at the weekend. The problem patch in Barracks Lane used to be a derelict garage area, notorious for drug-taking and prostitution. But after four years
BUS users are having to contend with broken windows, leaking - or missing - roofs, ripped out seats, and graffiti at shelters. And Mick Haines, who uses the shelters in Marston Road, Oxford, wants the city council to do something about them. Mr Haines
Sir - I recently dined at an exclusive Italian establishment in the Oxford Castle development. Imagine my dilemma upon being served with my chosen vegetarian dish Melanzana alla Parmigiana (cheese-topped aubergine) to see the face of your esteemed
Sir - Mike Gass, the allotment co-ordinator for Oxford City Council, is reported in your recent gardens edition as saying that "In some areas it is very difficult to get an allotment now". There are plenty of allotments available between North Hinksey
Sir - Many thanks for an interesting article on 'bar owner's campus concern' (June 8). I for one have very mixed feelings about the building next to the old Radcliffe Infirmary trying to double up as restaurant and historic church (I say this, having
Sir - I was pleased to see the photograph recently of elderly North Oxford residents pleading for the extension of the route of the No.14 bus to the Churchill Hospital. This is sadly needed. I had hoped, however, that in the accompanying article,
Sir - Mr Jaeger (Letters, May 18) thinks that if I surveyed the Hythe Bridge area with 'proper' equipment I would agree with him that the bridge is 2.7m over canal level. I am sorry to tell him that I have done so, and he is wrong. An average level
Sir - In response to J. Sewell's letter (June 8) I must correct the assumption that I and others affected by congestion on the A34 ring road are anti-lorries However, pretending that lorries are not part of the problem will not help in finding an
Sir - Perhaps Kate Lack (Letters, May 25) hasn't noticed that pedestrians are often forced on to roads by cycles parked on pavements. This is true of all the roads she mentioned and particularly of New Inn Hall Street, where the cycles in the rack
Sir - We have just read the plans to help the traffic flow along London Road and cannot believe that the planners are seriously considering filling in the Headington pedestrian underpass. Pelican crossings bring traffic to a standstill for several
Sir - Irrespective of who or what causes global warming, transport and road traffic emissions is a major element, which we have the power to alter. Oxford has a particular interest, as its centre lies in a river basin subject to rainfall flooding.
Sir - Thames Water's proposed giant reservoir may have seemed no more than the corporate greed of a company maximising its asset base, but MP Ed Vaizey's remark that the Government wants Oxfordshire to supply half of London's water (Report, May 25)
A £4.3m department for the elderly with 40 ensuite rooms is expected to halve the amount of infections and reduce mixed sex wards at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. Managers said the unit, in the refurbished level four paediatric area, could be a
With a physique that won the coveted Mr Universe bodybuilding competition Sgt Pete Reid is an arresting sight. The 45-year-old man mountain, who was the first black officer in Oxford, proudly picked up a long service medal for 22 years of good conduct
Allotment holders across Oxford defiantly said they would dig for victory in a battle to save their plots from the threat of new houses. Planners have identified three allotment sites on which almost 400 homes could be built in a confidential list of
