A hoax ‘roadworks’ sign, intended as an April Fool’s prank, raised a chuckle at County Hall. Mischief-makers hung posters warning residents of upcoming roadworks in parts of Headington, Oxford. Residents were warned not to park any vehicles
Oxford United have written to the Football Conference over their registration policy which saw them docked five points earlier this season – and could cost them a place in the Blue Square Premier play-offs. The club, one of four along with Crawley Town
Lewis Hamilton is adamant McLaren are the strongest team in Formula One, and the reason why he will quickly be back in the hunt for wins. Hamilton produced one of the performances of his career to finish third in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix from
Oxford-based charity Helen and Douglas House has opened its 22nd shop, in Carterton. The town’s mayor Maxine Crossland joined the charity’s founder Sister Frances Dominica to cut the ribbon at its official opening on Tuesday. The shop, in The Giles
A football ‘Tsar’ is set to be taken on by Oxford City Council as part of a £175,000 bid to boost interest in the game. The city council says it is determined to press ahead with proposals to get more people playing football across the city
Supermarket giant Waitrose is setting up its first motorway service station shop at the M40 service area near Wheatley. About 25 jobs will be created at the store, which will open on May 1. Waitrose announced in January that it planned to recruit up
The Oxford Union has withdrawn an invitation to a euthanasia activist who was set to speak. The Oxford University debating society had invited Dr Philip Nitschke, the first doctor in the world to administer a voluntary lethal injection, to
Four Oxfordshire councils will not open up their pools for free swimming to pensioners and children – despite being offered Government cash. The Vale of White Horse, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire and West Oxfordshire district councils have all
Oxfordshire golf professional Paul Simpson is offering readers of the Oxford Mail the chance to be his caddie in one of the world’s biggest tournaments. You could be carrying the 38-year-old’s bag at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on May 21-24
Carswell have become the first Oxfordshire club to offer radar technology as a teaching aid. The club have installed a ‘Flightscope’ system, which works on a similar principle to Hawk-Eye in cricket and tennis. Head professional John Strode said Flightscope
Frilford Heath got their Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League Section 1 campaign up an running with a comfortable 2-1 victory over Magnolia Park. Ashley Walton and Ben Paterson opened up with a 6 & 5 defeat of David Cronin and Sean Stanley. Victory
An appeal has been issued for sponsors to step forward and help this year’s Headington Festival in Oxford go with a bang. Headington Action has appealed for businesses to support this year’s event and fill a funding shortfall left by council cuts. It
Martin Stanley, Burford captain, and his Chipping Norton counterpart Ian Allison shake hands at the start of their first competitive outings in charge. Chippy’s team won the match 3-2 in a mixture of cold wind, sun and hail. Les Morton was all smiles
The Oxfordshire’s Craig Hinton will represent the English Golf Union (EGU) in the 21st Peruvian Amateur International Tournament. Hinton, 20, has been selected alongside fellow England A squad member Ben Martin for the event at Lima Golf Club from April
Former county table tennis player Brian Hamilton (right) has driven in as Oxford City’s new captain. Hamilton, who has been a member for 35 years, was surprised to keep each of his traditional three drives in bounds. An accountant at an Oxford College
Nine-year-old Emily Price will compete in the Junior European Championships at Gullane, Scotland from May 25-26. The Waterstock member and Garsington Primary School pupil was selected after a series of recent successes. Price, who is taught by Waterstock
OXFORD CITY Mueller Trophy: 1 G Craft nett 63 (cb), 2 G Butler 63, 3 S Waters 64. OXFORD LADIES Stableford – Silver Div: 1 R Caunt 34pts, 2 D Chappelle 33, 3 V Wakefield 30 (cb). Bronze Div: 1 G Hawley 40, 2 J Glover 34, 3 R Stockford 33 (cb). CHIPPING
HUNDREDS of people lined the streets of Wallingford today to watch staff from RAF Benson march through the town to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the air base. RAF Benson was granted the Freedom of the Borough in 1957, but it is the first
CHILDREN became real life Bob the Builders at the ground breaking ceremony for a new nursery in Oxford. Diggers made a start on the new £1m plus Imagine Co-operative Childcare building in Cuddesdon Way, Blackbird Leys yesterday. The new nursery will
Oxford D beat Oxford Ladies 3-2 in their away clash to record a 6-4 aggregate win in the Inter Area C Team Competition. In a match played at Didcot Conservative Club, Oxford D, who held a 3-2 lead from the first leg, found themselves 1-0 down when Jenny
Oxford City Stars’ play-off challenge lies in tatters after a third-period collapse saw them crash to an 8-3 defeat against Bracknell Hornets in their quarter-final, first leg at Oxpens Road. Now Stars face a massive task to turn the tie round in the
Antique pots and jewellery were stolen during a burglary in an Oxfordshire village. Burglars raided a house in Park Lane, Appleton, sometime between 10.15am and 1.20pm on Wednesday, March 25. They broke in through a conservatory door
Oxford & District crashed to a heavy 29-11 defeat against a star-studded City of Ely side in the English Indoor National Fours Championship second round at Nottingham. Skip Chris Allen’s side of Eddie Pilgrim, Paul Comley and Howard Watts were blown
Jason Plato in a privately-entered RML Chevrolet Lacetti is a dramatic late entry for Sunday's opening round of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch. Oxford-based Plato, one of the BTCC's star attractions and who has become
Chris Wilder has been named Blue Square Premier manager of the month for March. Wilder’s Oxford United side were unbeaten throughout the month, recording four wins and two draws - with just one of the games - the win against Grays at the Kassam Stadium
Police are appealing to motorists to remove valuables from their vehicles following a spate of car crime in the Oxford area. Thieves broke into a car at about 3.45pm yesterday in Chillingworth Crescent, and stole hair straighteners and a
PLANNERS are set to rule tomorrow on a plan to build an immigration centre for 800 people on the outskirts of Bicester. Members of Cherwell District Council will decide whether to give planning permission to the removal centre on former Ministry of Defence
I REFER to the article in the Oxford Mail (March 21), regarding court delays. I served in Oxford CID from 1965 to 1971 and consider these delays absolutely inexcusable. The involvement of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) seems to hinder rather than
I AM writing following your article of March 24, about the attack on Adam Carlin. It is of no surprise that the judge only sentenced Tony Reddington, who had pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm, to eight months. How does this pathetic sentence in
SUE Blackshaw (Oxford Mail, March 23) asks someone to explain how the payments are made for the over ‘60s free bus journeys. It is very complicated, but here goes: Bus operators are categorically not reimbursed the full value of a single ticket; far
IN his understandable defence of the proposed Transform Oxford scheme, Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell cites a “quality bus partnership” (Oxford Mail letters, March 30). This, of course, would be marvellous; a voluntary agreement between
WHEN the national Cabinet met in Southampton recently and conducted a public session, The Insider was scornful of my choice of question to the Cabinet. It was about the proposed 5 per cent hike in business rates from April 1 (yesterday). It seems my
Oxfordshire owner-breeder Roger Nicholls will be on tenterhooks when his pride and joy Ollie Magern tackles the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday. The 66-year-old self-employed building contractor, from Milcombe, near Banbury
VENTUREFEST, the annual science and technology fair for Oxfordshire businesses, will this year last only one day instead of the usual two. A spokesman for the event, Jamie Bennett, told The Oxford Times that the new time-scale had nothing to do with
BIOTECH firm Genzyme is creating ten jobs after securing a major deal with pharmaceuticals giant Bayer. The company, of Oxford Business Park, will add to its 100-strong workforce after taking over the development and commercialisation rights
OXFORDSHIRE has been chosen by supermarket giant Waitrose as the site of its first motorway service station shop. Twenty five jobs will be created at Waitrose's smallest store yet, at Oxford Services on the M40 near Wheatley. Under the
By way of celebrating the Oxford Literary Festival and to highlight the services of Oxford Central Library, 16 artists were invited to turn old books into works of art. The manner in which these artists have coped with this brief is ingenious.
I am surprised that Mark Steel – or his management – chose the North Wall as his Oxford venue. Delightful as it is, it is relatively small, and many of Steel’s peers in the stand-up world have sold out the Playhouse or even the New Theatre. Maybe, having
What does Oxford have that makes it attract the great pop acts of four decades ago to the New Theatre year after year? Last week, on its 24th annual veterans’ outing, the Solid Silver ’60s Show swung through town and the audience had a great time. Frank
Listen to the sound of past opera divas turning in their graves: unusually, the creative team’s biographies get top billing in the programme for Welsh National Opera’s new Figaro, with the singers following on behind. This turns out to be symbolic.
AEA Technology 12.75 BMW 2060 Electrocomponents 122.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 97 Oxford Biomedica 6 Oxford Catalyst 47.5 Oxford Instruments 110 REED 490 RM 161.25 RPS Group 161.75
Former Radley runner Hatti Dean was philsophical after finishing 49th in the senior women’s race at the World Cross Country Championships in Jordan. And with the cross-country season now at an end, her attention will turn to the track after a short break
This Sunday, 500 competitors take to the country lanes around Grove that make up the route of the White Horse Half Marathon. The race starts in Cane Lane at 10am. The Oxfordshire Championship is incorporated into the main race. White Horse Harriers
Chinnor still control their own destiny as they enter the final three weeks of the National 3 South season. But they will need an effort at least equal to that produced in back-to-back wins over Dings Crusaders and Ealing to avoid relegation. Chinnor
Oxford Cavaliers will be fielding an under 19 team for the first time this summer. The club, who play in the Rugby League Conference (RLC), have also announced their new base will be Stratfield Brake. Cavaliers coach Mark Shaw said: “We are responding
Touch rugby returns to Oxford for a third season this summer, with action beginning on May 11. With the Oxford Mail now sponsoring the In 2 Touch Oxford Summer League, organisers believe it has a bright future. The mixed league saw 14 teams compete
Oxbridge ended their Japanese tour with a narrow defeat after winning their opening fixture. The combined Oxford and Cambridge University side lost 25-19 to All Keio thanks to a late converted try. All Oxbridge’s points came from Dark
READING HALF-MARATHON Abingdon Amblers: D Smith 1.22.33, N Hamilton (V50) 1.28.25, J Bones 1.35.16, C Christou (V40) 1.38.10, P Wilson (LV50) 1.42.8, I Dornan (LV35) 1.42.38, G Robinson (LV35) 1.44.53, C Felton (LV35) 1.46.49), J Wiblin (LV40) 1.50.11
It will be the beginning of a new era for Minster Lovell Cricket Club when they begin their OCA League season next month. Long-standing chairman Dave Lewis, 66, has stood down after 30 years at the helm. At the club’s annual meeting, Lewis reflected
The new season gets under way on Thursday as Oxford UCCE take on a strong Gloucestershire side in a two-day match in The Parks. Gloucestershire are likely to play several first team players, including Craig Spearman and Kabir Ali. Oxford
VILLAGERS have branded a decision to back a 5,000 home eco-town on their doorstep a “stitch up”. They said Cherwell District Council’s executive had already made up its mind before Monday’s meeting and the debate was just a box ticking exercise. The
TEENAGE environmentalists invited their schoolfriends and families to find out about ways to help save the planet at a special green fair. Oxford High School’s People and Planets group organised the school’s first Green Fair on Thursday. Representatives
TRADERS in Oxford have claimed a “dangerous” junction between three roads is causing chaos for pedestrians and drivers. Those living and working near to the junction where the London Road meets Windmill Road and Old High Street, in Headington, fear it
Young writers were sitting comfortably when they took tips from a top children’s author on how to spin a yarn. Pupils at Northbourne Primary School had a visit from Ian Whybrow to inspire the authors of the future. The former teacher has written more
COMMUNITIES around Wallingford are split over where hundreds of new homes should be built in the area. South Oxfordshire District Council has earmarked two sites for development before 2026 as part of its long-term plan for the district. One option
A MOTHER issued an emotional plea for her daughter’s safe return more than a week after she went missing. Thirteen-year-old Bethann Young was last seen leaving school at about 11.30am on Monday, March 23. Last night, her mother Kay Young
An Oxford home was raided by police searching for drugs this morning. Officers used a drugs warrant at a house in William Morris Close, Cowley, at 7.45am. A 32-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis remains
THE venue for Oxford’s biggest annual gathering of Christians has been switched to South Park — after complaints that noise from last year’s event disturbed students revising for their exams. More than 5,000 people will say a prayer for Oxford
Toyota has decided not to pursue an appeal against the penalty imposed against Jarno Trulli following Sunday's Australian Grand Prix. Trulli finished third in the race at Melbourne's Albert Park, only to later be handed a 25-second penalty by race
SEVEN primary schools in Oxfordshire achieved top marks in English, maths and science in national tests for 11-year-olds. More than 6,000 Year Six pupils in the county sat last summer’s Key Stage Two National Curriculum tests. As in
All non-emergency patients at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre will now be screened for MRSA before they go into hospital for an operation. For a number of years the hospitals had carried out MRSA screening on
It's quite frustrating when you find a good novel, start to read it, get hooked and then have to stop for some reason. This happened to me the other day with Philip Hensher's The Northern Clemency. I borrowed a copy from a colleague but she needed
David says: THE little badge on the back of Peugeot’s revitalised 407 said Bioflex – but don’t expect a huge difference in the way the car behaves. Peugeot has replaced its petrol 407s with an elegant new cruiser capable of running on either
Traffic is moving freely on the M40 again following an accident on the motorway this morning near Banbury. The accident, which is thought to have involved one car, happened on the northbound carriageway near junction 11 shortly before 7am.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of robbery after a cyclist was attacked in North Oxford earlier today. Shortly after 2.30am, the male cyclist was approached by three men outside the Carphone Warehouse in Banbury Road, Summertown, who tried to
Tory MPs in Oxfordshire were criticised last night for failing to support plans to shine a spotlight on their outside earnings. None of the county’s Conservative MPs voted for new rules to force the disclosure of how much members’ financial interests
THE news that the Ministry of Justice is planning to take over a building in Oxford as a probation office will disturb a lot of people. If negotiations are successful, up to 350 criminals will visit the new centre each week. Opponents
THE message is loud and clear — attempt a robbery in Oxford at your peril. We have reported on several have-a-go-heroes recently and on Monday night another administered some rough justice to a would-be robber. Tony Surman was taking a shortcut home
A mugger was punched senseless after trying to take on a bus mechanic in an Oxford graveyard. The would-be robber jumped out of a bush and lunged at 40-year-old Tony Surman as the Oxford Bus Company employee took a short-cut home through Rose
People over 60 will still be entitled to free travel on Oxford's park and ride buses, despite changes elsewhere in the country. The concessionary bus pass scheme, which entitles those over 60 to free travel on local services, celebrates its
A PLAN to open a probation centre which could bring hundreds of criminals to an Oxford street has horrified neighbours. The Ministry for Justice is in talks to lease offices at Trajan House, in Mill Street, West Oxford. It could mean
ENTENTE cordiale appears to be alive and well after the French begged Wallingford not to sever their twinning links in the row over a lack of contact. Wallingford mayor Alec Hayton contacted the Brussells-based Council for European Municipalities and
