OXFORD’S FA Trophy tie at home to York tomorrow is in the balance because of this week’s severe frosts. A pitch inspection was due to take place at 3pm today, with York planning to set off at 8am tomorrow. The prospects of the game going ahead will
Donington Park has been given the green light to begin work on a £100million redevelopment of the circuit. North West Leicestershire District Council have granted owner Simon Gillett planning permission to turn the venue into a state-of-the-art facility
Police tonight renewed an appeal for witnesses after the statue of King Alfred in Market Place, Wantage was vandalised in the early hours of Christmas Eve. PC Darren James said: “I appeal to anyone who has information about how this damage
The owners of an Oxford care home where a pensioner died after falling out of a first floor window yesterday admitted breaching health and safety laws. Maisie Jones, 82, fell from the window at the Brookfield Christian Care Home, in Little Bury, Greater
Police have re-opened the A361 at Junction 11 of the M40 following an earlier accident. Two females were injured in a road crash on the A361 near Williamscot, north of Banbury, at about 4.15pm today. The road was closed but re-opened at 6.20pm.
Burrowing badgers evicted from a Cumnor Hill sett to allow roadworks to be carried out has returned and prevented bulldozers from moving in. Last year it was discovered a network of badgers had undermined an 80-metre section of road between
You report (Oxford Mail, January 7) the excellent news that Oxfordshire county councillor Ian Hudspeth, cabinet member for transport, attended the south east area committee to present the Transform Oxford project to pedestrianise more of Oxford city centre
I WAS interested to read in the Oxford Mail of the proposed shake-up of planning committees by the leader of Oxford City Council, Bob Price. Apparently the opposition is none too pleased about this. The idea is to abolish the local area
It is sad to see that the new look for the small green area next to Oxford Baptist Church has included removing the previous church sign and replacing it with nothing but a row of smart vertical posts. A place that has been a beacon of hope for many
Two women have been taken to hospital after a crash on the A361 north of Banbury, close to the scene of an accident in which a couple died two months ago. The women were taken to The Horton Hospital in Banbury for treatment for back pain and minor injuries
A warning has been sounded after firefighters rescued a dog which almost died after falling through ice on a frozen Oxford pond. Three-year-old cocker spaniel Shadow was eventually dragged out of the pond in Cutteslowe Park about 15 minutes after falling
A senior Oxfordshire Cricket Board official has backed Kidlington CC in their fight to stay in The Oxford Times Cherwell League. Kidlington face a vote of expulsion at an EGM at Bicester & North Oxford CC next Thursday. But now, Chris Bishop
Robbers smashed glass cabinets and stole valuable watches during a robbery at an Oxford jewellers today. Two black men used hammers to smash open display cabinets at Goldsmiths Jewellers, in Queen Street, at about 1.45pm. Det Sgt Russell Simpson said
Martin Foyle on Saturday makes his first return to Oxford as a manager since he left the club as a player 18 years ago. The former United striker, who played up front alongside Dean Saunders in the old first division, was an underrated centre forward
Rob Duffy will be back at the Kassam Stadium next month after joining Mansfield Town. The Swansea-born striker, who finished as Oxford’s top scorer two seasons ago, signed for the Stags from Blue Square South side Newport County, becoming new boss David
Chris Wilder felt the Christmas and New Year programme was simply too hectic for the players. “I think it’s a crazy schedule myself. The Premier League, even with all their facilities and all that they can call upon, would go absolutely berserk if they
A 24-year-old man has been charged with causing the death of a motorist in a crash on the M40. Bernie McDonagh, of Middle Ground, in Wheatley, has been charged with causing death while driving without due care and attention, failing to provide a specimen
A 45-year-old woman was found dead in an Oxford street on Sunday, police revealed tonight. The body of Monique Williams, of Cowley Road, was discovered in Cumberland Road. Police are not treating the death as suspicious. An inquest into the cause
Oxford United’s two bumper gates over Christmas and New Year leaves them once again as the best -supported club in the Conference. Wrexham had lped the Blue Square Premier list earlier in the season, but Oxford’s attendances of 5,120 against Ebbsfleet
Fans reckon 19-year-old capture Ricky Sappleton is a dead ringer for a young Emile Heskey, and a QPR supporter who has closely followed his career feels certain he has star quality. The young Jamaican striker became an instant hit with the U’s when he
Oxford City Council will transfer the running of its “creaking” computer and telephone services to Oxfordshire County Council after the move was endorsed by the city council’s executive yesterday. A lack of investment in the city council’s computer
Experts have come up with ways to try to solve air pollution problems in the centre of Abingdon, including proposing a park and ride service for the town. The Vale of White Horse District Council yesterday revealed an action plan to tackle the high
A 49-year-old man accused of murdering his wife with a kitchen knife during an argument answered “no comment” when quizzed about the incident by police, Oxford Crown Court heard today. Russell Yeates denies murdering Debbie Smith, 47, at their home in
Shops and businesses in Didcot's Broadway suffered power cuts today due to a fault in an underground cable. A spokesman for Southern Electric said engineers had installed new hi-tech fault-finding equipment to prevent the problem occuring again. Electricity
Businesses that have gained the Investors in People Standard are more likely to have a flexible workforce able to adapt to change and survive the downturn in the economy. Research carried out by the Cranfield School of Management for Investors in People
Triple British Touring Car Champions VX Racing, based at Greatworth, near Banbury, have signed up-and-coming touring car driver Andrew Jordan for its 2009 assault on the national championship. After securing all three titles last season,
Triple Oxford Blue Chris Mahony is set to make his Chinnor debut in tomorrow’s National 3 South clash with Barking (3). Mahony, 27, has been Oxford’s full back in the last three Varsity Matches and plays for Auckland in New Zealand’s National
The Faringdon Business Breakfast Club is holding a special workshop designed to help people make the most of networking. It will be led by Nigel Morgan of Berkshire-based Morgan PR who will take a hands-on approach to help networkers deliver the perfect
I was interested to read in the Oxford Mail of the proposed shake-up of planning committees by the leader of Oxford City Council, Bob Price. Apparently the opposition is none too pleased about this. The idea is to abolish the local area
It is sad to see that the new look for the small green area next to Oxford Baptist Church has included removing the previous church sign and replacing it with nothing but a row of smart vertical posts. A place that has been a beacon of hope for many
Veteran Stan Maciak secured top honours in Didcot Phoenix’s end of year ten-mile time trial held on the Wallingford bypass course. Maciak only took up time trialling in 2008, but the Phoenix rider’s mark of 25mins 23secs gave him third place
You report (Oxford Mail, January 7) the excellent news that Oxfordshire county councillor Ian Hudspeth, cabinet member for transport, attended the south east area committee to present the Transform Oxford project to pedestrianise more of Oxford
Oxfordshire turned a November 10-5 loss to Gloucestershire into a home win by 9-6, in Division 1C of the Inter-County Championships. Trailing 3-1 after the singles with only James Buffam a winner, Oxon made up ground in the level doubles. Julie Bradbury
Poppy Appeal collectors in Oxford have revealed their motivation for braving the cold to raise what is expected to be a record amount of cash in the city. Oxford’s army of Royal British Legion volunteers were honoured at a special reception
An overhead power cable came down in Culham's High Street today, leaving homes in the village without electricity for much of the morning. A spokesman for Southern Electric said police informed them the line was down and engineers isolated
Had they been waving placards or unfurling banners, the nine women who assembled on the footbridge that links Botley Road and Osney Island, could have been mistaken for protesters. They were not carrying shopping bags or comparing ‘must have
Two firefighters who spent years teaching children about safety have been recognised with the official opening of a new safety education centre in Oxford. The Franklin-Vermeulen Safety Centre has been named after Keith Franklin and the late
British Gas Business Southern League EXPERIENCED defender Richard Peirson has rejoined Abingdon United from Brackley Town. Peirson has been in excellent form for the Premier Division side, but returns to Northcourt Road as Abingdon look to start 2009
AS if groundsmen didn’t have enough on their plate lately with the big freeze, Hook Norton have been suffering more than most with a plague of ice-defying moles at their Bourne ground. The wandering moles were not only causing damage to the
AEA Technology 18.25 BMW 1937 Electrocomponents 144.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 97.5 Oxford Biomedica 7.1 Oxford Catalysts 96.5 Oxford Instruments 156 Reed Elsevier 524.25 RM 162 RPS Group 142.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Householders can now find out about crimes committed in their neighbourhood at the click of a button. Thames Valley Police have launched interactive area crime maps on their website for all neighbourhoods in Oxfordshire. Individuals
Holidaymakers will soon be able to jet off to the Channel Islands from Oxford after a deal was signed to offer the city’s first charter flights to Jersey in almost 20 years. Air Southwest will offer weekly Saturday departures from Oxford Airport, Kidlington
With the UK currently facing the highest level of job losses for more than ten years, many bosses may believe redundancy is the only option. But employment specialists at Oxfordshire-based law firm Withy King are keen to reassure employers that there
FTL Futbol Hellenic League WITNEY United are without three key players for their crunch clash at fellow title chasers Hungerford Town in the Premier Division on Saturday. Witney beat Hungerford 3-0 early in the season, but the Berkshire
Motorists in Oxford city centre will face weeks of delays resulting from roadworks on the St Aldate’s junction with Speedwell Street, due to start on Monday. Oxfordshire County Council has already completed two sets of improvements in St Aldate
A Ministry of Defence site south west of Bicester is being lined up for development as a rail freight terminal. The 1,550-acre site, close to St David’s Barracks, contains warehouses and 36 miles of rail track and sidings. It is used to distribute equipment
A former boxer is putting children — and teachers — through their paces on a mission to get skipping into the school playground. John McCormack brought along dozens of ropes to Enstone Primary School in west Oxfordshire for his own Skip2bfit programme
The Last Post has sounded for an Oxfordshire postman. Villagers in Great Milton, near Thame, turned out in force to bid a fond farewell to their popular postman. Trevor Cox, 65, from Chalgrove, officially hung up his mailbag on Saturday
Pizza-loving animal lovers are being invited to help save the struggling Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary. Fratelli’s Pizzeria in Cowley Road, Oxford, is organising a special evening to raise funds for the sanctuary, which could face closure.
A New Year brawl between 30 and 40 people has been described by police as one of the most serious types of disorder seen in Kidlington for years. Police today appealed for information on the mass fight outside The Red Lion pub, in Oxford Road
A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of drug dealing in an Oxford park. He was stopped and questioned by two Police community support officers in Marsh Park, Cowley, at 3.30pm on Tuesday. Police later arrested the man on possession of a
A cyclist was injured by a thief who leaned out of a car window and tried to grab her handbag. The woman cyclist, who is in her 30s, was riding along Blackbird Leys Road, near the junction with Sandy Lane West, when a dark car drove up slowly behind
A dog has been rescued after crashing through the ice on a pond in Cutteslowe Park. Firefighters were scrambled to save the cocker spaniel after it fell through ice into a duck pond in the west of the park at about 4.05pm yesterday. The dog was about
A cyclist fell off her cycle during an attempted snatch theft in Blackbird Leys. At about 10.30pm yesterday, the woman, who is in her thirties, was cycling along Blackbird Leys Road towards the Leys, near the Sandy Lane West roundabout, when
Two teenagers arrested in connection with an armed robbery have been released by police pending further investigations. Police arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of robbery and a 17-year-old boy on conspiracy to commit robbery on Wednesday
Police are trying to trace a good samaritan who came to the aid of a man after he was robbed in East Oxford. A man in his late 50s was punched in the head and suffered concussion during the attack at the junction of Bullingdon Road and Cowley Road at
A man who confessed to stabbing his wife in a "frenzied attack" has been sentenced to life in prison at Oxford Crown Court today. Mohammed Rashid, 35, walked into Banbury's police station in September and told officers that a woman's body was
Police today appealed for a woman who may have witnessed a robbery in East Oxford to come forward. On Saturday, December 20, at 5.30pm a man in his fifties was robbed close to the junction of Bullingdon Road and Cowley Road. He was punched in the head
A man was arrested on Tuesday in Marsh Park, Cowley, on suspicion of supplying cannabis. At 3.30pm, two PCSOs patrolling in the park stopped and questioned a man who was later found to be in possession of a large amount of cannabis.
The Bank of England made history today by slashing interest rates to an all-time low of 1.5 per cent. Rate-setters cut borrowing costs from 2 per cent to 1.5 per cent - the lowest since the Bank was founded in 1694 - but disappointed those looking for
A man who confessed to stabbing his wife in a "frenzied attack" has been sentenced to life in prison at Oxford Crown Court today. Mohammed Rashid, 35, walked into Banbury's police station in September and told officers that a woman's body was
Staff at the Oxford branch of troubled music retailer Zavvi, in Cornmarket Street, breathed a sigh of relief after learning that their jobs were safe — for the time being. Almost 180 staff lost their jobs today after administrators closed 22
Staff at troubled music retailer Zavvi, in Cornmarket Street, Oxford, breathed a sigh of relief after learning that their jobs were safe — for the time being. Almost 180 staff lost their jobs today after administrators closed 22 stores nationwide
New years eve was great fun! We played games and had fireworks at midnight and I shared a bottle of non alcoholic bubbly with my sister in law. No signs of Squidge arriving which was a slight relief just wanted that night over with first Next few
AEA Technology 17.25 BMW 1972 Electrocomponents 144 Nationwide Accident Repair 97.5 Oxford Biomedica 7.1 Oxford Catalyst 96.5 Oxford Instruments 156 Reed Elsevier 521.75 RM 162 RPS Group 147.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
More than 100 families in difficult to service flats and maisonettes will move to fortnightly waste collections after a new pilot scheme was approved by the city council’s executive board last night. The scheme will see 122 flats and maisonettes
Staff at Waterperry Gardens hope to build on the huge success of last January’s Open Day by offering visitors even more to see and do at the 2009 event. Sunday, January 25, will mark the second open day at Waterperry, when the whole estate will be opened
Skylarks and lapwings are two bird species that have benefitted thanks to farmers and landowners co-operating in conservation projects linked to setting aside of land from agricultural production. Both species are ground-nesting birds and need
SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. FA TROPHY. 2nd round: Oxford Utd v York City. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Rugby Tn, Bedford v Oxford City. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd v Burnham, Didcot Tn v Thatcham. FTL FUTBOL HELLENIC
With its perfect grape-growing conditions, Chile is still impossible to beat when it comes to producing well-priced, good-quality wines with loads of fruit and accessibility. Try this special selection to see just how good these wines can be. The Good
If you ever had a vision of a triffid, the sci-fi plant John Wyndham wrote about in his 1951 novel The Day of the Triffids, the Amaryllis might fit the bill. The huge bulbs resemble bald coconuts but, despite their size, nothing quite prepares you for
Burrowing badgers have returned to their sett beneath a road in west Oxford. Last year it was discovered a network of badgers had undermined an 80m section of the footpath and carriageway at Cumnor Hill, forcing the need for it to be repaired. A licence
Hopes of a high-speed rail route linking Oxford to a £4.5bn transport interchange at Heathrow airport have been boosted by Transport Minister Lord Adonis. As well as providing direct trains to the UK’s major airport, the scheme would slash travel
Drivers are still being delayed by an accident which took place in North Oxford this morning. The accident, involving a car and a pedestrian, happened shortly after 7am on Woodstock Road, near the Wolvercote roundabout. A spokesman for South Central
One would have thought that in a city synonymous with cycling, someone would have the job of looking after their interests. In fact, you would have thought that someone might be employed by the highways authority, Oxfordshire County Council
The silence on the ‘progress’ being made redeveloping Oxford’s crumbling Westgate Centre is deafening. John Lewis says is still committed to the development, which is a tonic, but when will work start exactly? Neither Oxford City Council
Chris Wilder is hoping to minimise the risk of niggling injuries – by making all Oxford United players live closer to the club. Although the majority of the U’s squad live within an hour of the Kassam Stadium, a few – and some key players –
A mum-of-two is set to swap working at a nursery school in West Oxfordshire to taking on one of TV’s toughest challenges tonight. Sarah Steel is starring in one of Britain’s most arduous game shows The Krypton Factor, which has just been relaunched by
Sir – The Save Radley Lakes campaign (www.saveradleylakes.org.uk) was among the most successful campaigns ever. The multi-national giant, RWE npower, was persuaded to change its plans, as announced on December 17. Instead of filling Thrupp Lake with
Sir – Are our hospitals set up to serve the patients first, or the doctors and staff? I took my husband to the John Radcliffe Hospital today for a 4 o’clock appointment in the eye department, his previous appointment was cancelled some time before
Sir – “I’ll be like, yeah, but I want to be studying English then’’ (Interview with Emma Watson, December 11). Truly, the future of spoken English is safe in her hands. Sue Jenkins, Thame
Sir – If, as Juliet Blackburn maintains (Letters, December 25), the tourist buses are public service vehicles, should pensioners be getting free rides on them? Might be quite useful for getting from Beaumont Street to The High. Nesta Jones, Oxford
Sir – Oxford city south east area committee this week heard a presentation by county councillor Hudspeth on ‘Transform Oxford’, the county’s aspiration for quality in the city centre. It is great to have an aspiration for quality, again. But, a decade
Sir – We obsess about our personal economic situations but spare a thought for our struggling wild birds this cold winter. My small suburban garden has witnessed frequent visits from redwings for the first time in several years, a sign that our local
Sir – The RAF Transport Command Veterans Association is being formed with the view to putting old mates and colleagues back in touch, and having meetings and reunions and producing an association magazine. The association would be open to
Sir – Joseph Westrick (Letters, December 31) and many others seem to think that scientists are fiends who want to experiment on animals. This isn’t true. The reason animal experiments are performed is because there is no alternative: they are a necessary
Sir – I was pleased to see that apples were included in Helen Peacocke’s ABC of Oxfordshire in the latest Oxfordshire Limited Edition. May I make a few corrections and additions? Helen Peacocke rightly gives credit to the Eynsham grower, F W Wastie,
Sir – Councillor Fooks (Letters, December 25) suggests that I have made the ‘…astonishing assertion that whereas waste collection systems are constrained by cost issues, the Transform Oxford proposals are not’. I did not. I did say that ‘. . . whereas
Sir – Ted Dewan and Lady Grimley-Evans (Letters, January 1) dismiss Paul Wooldridge’s questions with blithe assertions and disregard NL Gregory’s fears about cars doing 20mph (December 11). Back in October, I cited DfT data that suggests an Oxford-wide
Sir – There is only a month to save Turner’s great elegaic picture of Pope’s Villa at Twickenham from export. This would be a fitting adornment of the reborn Ashmolean Museum, where it would join an outstanding room of early Turners of Britain. It
Sir – Yes, of course one man’s meat etc . . . but I am bemused by Damon Smith’s glowing review of the film Australia in the Weekend section (December 25). This ludicrously overblown, cliché-ridden twaddle was just about as bad as it gets. The pasteboard
Sir – Many pubs in the city of Oxford are threatened by closure, or have recently been lost. The Marston Road area has been hard hit — The Plasterers Arms has been replaced by flats, The Somerset has been turned into a restaurant and cocktail bar and
Sir – Regarding so-called homeless ‘tourism’ and Oxford City Council’s Reconnection campaign to banish rough sleepers who cannot demonstrate a personal connection with the city: surely a vital distinction needs to be drawn between beggars who endlessly
Two minutes into meeting George McGavin and already I was getting a pretty good idea of what drives this entomologist, explorer, lecturer, author and, in his most recent incarnation, television presenter. He’d picked up his post on our way
Millions of pounds of funding could be lost because no proper strategy for cyclists exists in Oxfordshire, it was revealed last night. Oxfordshire County Council has not had a cycling strategy — a blueprint for how riding can be improved —
It is hard to know whether a new high-speed rail link through Oxfordshire and beyond, connected to a major new rail interchange at Heathrow, will ever get off the ground. There is no question, however, that it should. It is precisely the
The increases that come into force today in Oxford’s main car parks are extraordinary by any standards. When you put them into the context of charges already being among the highest in the country and of the economic difficulties facing Oxfordshire, in
Sir – If I had sent a letter such as Andrew Dilger’s (December 18) I’d be kicking myself now, as it reveals such a lot about him. Firstly he admits he was cycling in a non-cycling area. Secondly, he hadn't even noticed that it was a non-cycling
