LOCAL football faces the possibility of a Saturday wipe-out as the big freeze refuses to shift. The Southern League games at Banbury, Didcot and Abingdon all face an 11am inspection, as does Oxford City’s trip to Bedford. Oxford City Council has announced
Two men were in custody tonight in connection with a spate of armed robberies across Oxford. Police pounced after a bus driver was threatened at knifepoint on Thursday evening as he pulled over at a bus stop in Northway, Barton. The
A specialist engineering company has made 40 people redundant at its Wantage headquarters. Bosses at Macdermid Autotype, which specialises in a pioneering coating technology for items like mobile telephones, blame the cuts on a downturn in the consumer
The trial of a husband accused of killing his wife in a frenzied attack collapsed yesterday after he was found dead in his prison cell. Father-of-two Russell Yeates, 49, was found dead in Bullingdon Prison, near Bicester, yesterday morning.
Russell Yeates “was a coward who cheated us of our right to see justice done”. That was the view of Debbie Smith’s family after Yeates’s murder trial collapsed at Oxford Crown Court. Speaking outside court, Ms Smith’s parents Mavis and Gerald
The family of a woman who died after allegedly suffering years of abuse by her husband, tonight warned others to learn from her death. Debbie Smith’s family said they did not realise she was in a violent relationship until her husband Russell Yeates,
Thames Water is urging customers to be patient after receiving hundreds of reports of burst mains in the London and Thames Water region, including 30 in Oxford since Saturday. The company said engineers were working around the clock to carry out emergency
Warmer weather is on the way this weekend. Despite a foggy start to today, with temperatures remaining as low as -2C, temperatures will rise throughout the day to 3C, according to the Met Office. Temperatures will remain just above freezing
Sales of the Cowley-built Mini plummeted sharply last month as the factory enforced an extended shutdown over the Christmas period. December’s worldwide sales were down 27.8 per cent to 15,010, compared to 20,800 the previous year. However
Dear Jessica, Christmas and New Year’s Eve was a blur of friends, family and gluttony. I’m ready to start my resolutions, detox my diet and get back into shape. Can you recommend a lower alcohol wine that still tastes good? Jessica uncorked: There’s
A body found on secluded farmland is believed to be a man who has been missing for six months. Brendan Shaw, 44, of Vintner Road, in Abingdon, has been reported missing since July. The body of a man was found near to the village of Lower Radley yesterday
AEA Technology 19.25 BMW 1988 Electrocomponents 145.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 98 Oxford Biomedica 7.1 Oxford Catalysts 96.5 Oxford Instruments 155 Reed Elsevier 532.25 RM 164.75 RPS Group 136.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
A robber threatened staff at a rural post office during an armed raid. The man, wearing a balaclava and gloves, went into Stanton Harcourt Post Office, at about 10.20am today. He threatened staff with a firearm then stole cash and cigarettes
AN OXFORD photographer is displaying his photos of a natural beauty spot at one of the city’s best-known pubs. Adrian Arbib, 45, is well known for his efforts to save the former Castle Mill boatyard in Jericho from development. But when he’s not campaigning
The winner of a top education award believes good teaching techniques could solve the world’s ills. Colin Hannaford, of Duke Street, Oxford, is one of nine people and one group to win an Upton Sinclair Award, run by the online education journal educationnews.org
A council-owned gym in Cowley has reopened to the public after a £100,000 revamp. Oxford City Council’s own officers had described the gym at Temple Cowley Pools and Fitness Centre, in Temple Road, as poor quality” and in poor condition, in an official
CAFE COCO, 17 PARK END STREET, OXFORD, 01865 793857 KATHERINE MACALISTER is impressed by Clinton Pugh’s latest enterprise. IF YOU’VE been wondering where I’ve been over the New Year, it’s easy – Coco. And not the original premises on Cowley
Diet, diet, diet... And why not? After all, ‘Large’ people are unpleasant to look at and take up two seats on public transport. But is that really any reason to ostracise them? Well, as far as I’m concerned, for me it’s never been a
New Year resolutions are made to be broken - unless they are of the fashion variety. Who can resist the self-made promise of wearing more high heels, investing in statement pieces or donning sequins in the daytime? Our style experts
Henry Porter tells Andrew Ffrench how he longed to write a novel set in Berlin after watching the infamous Wall being demolished. When Henry Porter and Andrew Morgan were starting out as reporters on Merseyside in the mid-1970s, they shared a flat
After a food and drink bonanza over the festive season, we may be feeling the after-effects. As many as one in three people suffer from indigestion or heartburn caused by acid reflux, as a result of eating and drinking too much. Sound
Showbiz's most beautiful stars may have hair and make-up artists on hand to transform them for the red carpet, but what about the products they just can't live without day-to-day? It's time to take a peek inside the stars' make-up bags to discover
OXFORD city councillor John Tanner is backing campaigners calling for a planned rubbish incinerator at Sutton Courtenay to be thrown out. Mr Tanner, executive member for a cleaner greener city and chairman of the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership
Murder suspect Russell Yeates has committed suicide in Bullingdon Prison overnight, it was confirmed today. Yeates, 49, was on trial for the murder of his wife Debbie Smith at their Bell Lane home in Wheatley over a Bank Holiday weekend in
After years of hard graft, one of Oxford’s smallest theatres is about to transform itself into a venue fit for the 21st century. WANT some feel good factor? Then head down to The Pegasus Theatre, because they’ve got goodwill coming out of their ears
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (15) Drama/Romance. Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Irffan Khan, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor. Director: Danny Boyle. MORE than 25 years after Gandhi swept all before it at the Academy Awards, another British film embedded in Indian culture
The owners of an Oxford care home where a pensioner died after falling from an upstairs window were today ordered to pay £200,000. Southern Cross Healthcare was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £120,000 costs after Maisie Jones, 82, died after
Engineers have fixed a burst water mains in Kidlington. About 60 homes in the village were without water or suffering low water pressure after pipes burst at the junction of Lock Crescent and Stratfield Road earlier today. All have their water supplies
ROLE MODELS (15) Comedy. Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bobb’e J. Thompson, Jane Lynch, Elizabeth Banks, Ken Jeong, Alexandra Stamler. Director: David Wain. THE latest foul-mouthed ‘bro-mantic’ comedy cast in the Judd
The Christmas feeding frenzy is over and you are probably left looking at your trainers will a sense of dread. But with a little planning, you could make those New Year health resolutions a little more manageable. Fitness equipment has come
BRIDE WARS (PG) Comedy/Romance. Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Candice Bergen, Steve Howey, Chris Pratt, Bryan Greenberg, Kristen Johnston. Director: Gary Winick. The wedding comedy has become something of a permanent fixture in Hollywood since My
DEFIANCE (15) Drama/Action/Romance. Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell, Liev Schreiber, Martin Hancock, Alexa Davalos, Ravil Isyanov, Iben Hjejle, Allan Corduner, Mark Feuerstein, Iddo Goldberg. Director: Edward Zwick. IN OUR darkest hours, sometimes it takes
Room 101@ The Brickworks, 182 Cowley Road, Oxford. WHEN I heard the news that Thursday night at The Brickworks was now run by those lovely bearded lads from Saturday night at the Carling Academy, I thought I’d head over to Cowley road to check it
Tim Hughes looks forward to a night of vintage charm courtesy of the ringmaster of brooding pop, Duke Special. BRACINGLY eccentric, oddly attired and heavily dreadlocked singer-songwriter Duke Special is one of those artists whose purpose upon this
Oxford United's FA Trophy game at home to York City tomorrow has been called off. The Kassam Stadium pitch is still frozen solid, and with prospects of conditions getting any better slim, the decision was taken to postpone the match to stop York from
Music Editor Tim Hughes emerges from his post New Year stupor to get all excited at the prospect of a glittering start to the musical year. YES, yes. I know. Nobody goes out in January. We’re all broke, suffering extended hangovers and brutal colds
Police want to speak to a taxi driver who dropped off four people shortly before they were spotted on CCTV vandalising the statue of King Alfred in Wantage. Footage seized by police shows four people climbing on to the statue, breaking the axe at about
FLOOD victims have called for the Environment Agency to provide more details of its £100m flood strategy for Oxford, which could see a channel as wide as the River Thames built in the west of the city. Representatives from the EA spent three
MORE than 150,000 motorists in the Thames Valley have taken speed awareness courses rather than face a fine, since the launch of the scheme five years ago. In the past year alone, 50,000 people across the region have taken the course, according to the
The owners of an Oxford care home where a pensioner died after falling from an upstairs window were today ordered to pay £200,000. Southern Cross Healthcare was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £120,000 costs after Maisie Jones, 82, died after falling
A COUPLE who met while dancing the waltz have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. On Thursday, John and June Brown, of Parsons Mead, Abingdon, marked the diamond anniversary by buying themselves a joint gift of a new television, followed by lunch
Oxfordshire's Will Jones has been called up for the England Under 18s training squad in preparation for a European tournament in France this year. Jones, who is a student at Henley College and plays for London Wasps, is in a 30-strong squad who will
Two Blewbury brothers revved their engines to take home two British Championship titles. Mini-moto bike rider Zak Corderoy, of Westbrook Street, was named British Junior 4.2 champion after battling against dozens of other riders for the top spot in nine
Oxfordshire stud Wendlebury Gate Stables have high hopes for a successful 2009. It comes after their stallion Silvester produced a foal which was judged champion show jumping foal at a national competition at Addington, near Aylesbury, last yea. Two
Riley B stunned second-placed HCC A with a stunning 3-0 victory in Division 2. Riley, who were rooted to the bottom with just two wins all season produced a terrific display to seriously dent HCC’s title ambitions. The losers are now five points off
Steventon's Ami Measor is setting her sights on national glory at the British Open Show Jumping Championships at the NEC, Birmingham, later this year. The 21-year-old rider has just qualified for the prestigious event on April 16 with victory aboard
A thrillingBuildbase Handicap Cup match between Cowley Con D and Yarnton RBL A ended with the former winning a sudden-death shoot-out to book their place in the third round. Things looked easy for Cowley when wins from Doug Turner, Simon Painter and
Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki have pulled out of MotoGP due to the economic downturn. The team, who have competed in the series since 2003, ended a week of speculation over their future by confirming their withdrawal. "In a quick-changing business
There is major concern about the welfare of greyhounds now that the end of Tuesday racing means that there is a surplus of dogs at Oxford Stadium. Owners and trainers will be forced to find other outlets for around 40 greyhounds, who will fail to grade
Champion trainer Ian Wills amassed a superb 333 winners to make it a double in the 2008 championship. Wills came with a late burst to see off the challenge of Angie Kibble by 11 winners. Kibble's 322 total was a great effort. Also breaking the 300-
Admiral Benbow is taken to sink his rivals in the Good Luck Chris Wilder Stakes and carries the nap over 450 metres tonight. SATURDAY NIGHT'S RUNNERS 7.35: Young Diva, Effernogue Magic 3, La Paz, NICKELBACK, Ballysally Magic, Unleash Castro. 7.51
City of Oxford’s swimmers found the going tough at the Abingdon Vale Winter Meeting – picking up ten speeding tickets! Finn Monaghan led the way with three swims too quick, with India Mattocks (2), Sarah Gould (2), Isobel Brewster, Lucy Millington and
Shazad Rana (28no) and Andy Buckingham (27no) starred as Kidlington beat Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondies by two wickets in the Oxfordshire Indoor League. RESULTS Oxford & Bletch Nondies 68 (9.1 ovs, E Pettitt-Mills 22), Kidlington 69-4 (9.2 ovs, S Rana
Matches across the county were once again disrupted by the freezing winter cond-itions last weekend. The Oxford Canal and lakes were frozen over and unless you were very lucky, you had to scratch around for a bite. Our rivers fared a little better
Car parking charges at city council-run car parks have increased by an average of 15 per cent. Motorists parking in Gloucester Green now have to pay £1.80 more for a stay of between one and two hours on a Saturday — up from £4.70 to £6.50 —
Car parking charges at Oxford City Council-run car parks have increased by an average of 15 per cent. Parking in Gloucester Green now costs £1.80 more for a stay of between one and two hours on a Saturday – up from £4.70 to £6.50, a rise of 38 per cent
Students braved sub-zero temperatures and queued throughout he night to land the home of their choice. Outside Finders Keepers Student Letting Office in St Clements, Oxford, students were given a copy of ‘The List’ and allowed to select up to three properties
An established Oxford-based property company has added eco homes to its portfolio of more than 300 rental properties in Oxford. The property division of W Lucy & Co, has built a small development of eco-friendly apartments and a family home adjacent
Sales of the Cowley-built Mini plummeted sharply last month as the factory enforced an extended shutdown over the Christmas period. December’s worldwide sales were down 27.8 per cent to 15,010, compared to 20,800 the previous year. However, annual sales
Two men have been arrested in connection with the series of armed robberies that have taken place in Headington. The men, aged 27 and 53, were arrested yesterday shortly after an armed robbery on a bus in Northway Road, Barton. At about 9.43pm
Murder suspect Russell Yeates has committed suicide in Bullingdon Prison overnight, it was confirmed to the Oxford Mail this morning. Yeates, 49, was on trial for the murder of his wife Debbie Smith at their Bell Lane home in Wheatley over
Two men are being held in custody after an armed robbery on a bus in Oxford last night. A man got onto a bus, in Northway, Barton, at around 9.43pm, and threatened the driver with a knife and demanded for him to hand over cash. The driver
A 25-year-old woman suffered minor injuries following a collision with a car at a pedestrian crossing in Abingdon this morning. Paramedics were called to the crossing in Stratton Way following the accident shortly before 7.50am. A spokesman for South
Sales of the Cowley-built Mini plummeted sharply last month as the factory started an extended shutdown over the Christmas period. December’s worldwide sales were down 27.8 per cent to 15,010, compared to 20,800 the previous year. However, annual sales
Around 60 homes in Kidlington are without water or suffering low water pressure this morning after burst mains pipe. Engineers from Thames Water are working to repair the fault at the junction of Lock Crescent and Stratfield Road. The icy weather is
Oxford City Council has announced that all football matches being played on municipal pitches this weekend have been cancelled. This includes tonight's match at Horspath, but excludes Oxford City's match at Court Place Farm tomorrow, which is subject
Crisps tasting of chilli and chocolate, onion bhaji and even Cajun squirrel have been unleashed on the public as part of a Walkers competition to find a new flavour. Walkers launched its Do Us A Flavour campaign last July, challenging members of the
Paramedics were called to Kennington this morning after a driver crashed his car. The accident happened on Bagley Wood Road, near the junction of Oxford Road in Kennington, shortly before 8am. A spokesman for South Central Ambulance said: “The driver
A 25-year-old woman suffered minor injuries following a collision with a car at a pedestrian crossing in Abingdon this morning. Paramedics were called to the crossing in Stratton Way following the accident shortly before 7.50am. A spokesman for South
A three-day shutdown at the BMW-owned Mini plant in Cowley was due to start today. The closure of the plant follows an earlier shutdown over the Christmas and new year period. The Cowley plant's 4,500 produc-tion staff were ordered to
Firefighters rescued a man from his burning house in Faringdon after a blaze started during the early hours today. Fire crews were called after the resident’s smoke detector went off at 1.52am in Ferndale Street. They pulled the man out of the smoke-filled
CHRIS Wilder has not finished in the transfer market by any means. The new Oxford United manager, who has already this month released Jamie Guy and brought in Ricky Sappleton, Adam Chapman and Shane Killock, hopes to continue his dealing during the rest
Badgers might look like fairly meek and mild animals, but they have scored an unlikely victory over highways officers at Oxfordshire County Council. The animals had been moved from their sett to allow workmen to repair a stretch of road in Cumnor Hill
Behind the doors of suburban properties in Oxford lurks a sinister trade — the mass cultivation of drugs. Police last night said they had scored a major victory in the battle against the farming of cannabis by busting a ring involving Vietnamese crime
The owners of an Oxford pub are trying to find its landlord after the drinking hole was shut and its furniture and fittings offered for free on the Internet. John Westendorp closed the General Elliot, in South Hinksey, on Christmas Eve after
Criminal gangs behind a series of cannabis factories in rented homes have been chased out of the city, police said last night. Drugs officers have hailed a clampdown against the Vietnamese gangs after a large fall in the number of cannabis
