RESIDENTS have been told to give an Oxford lake and a park boating pool a wide berth after blooms of algae turned the water bright green. Warning notices have been put up at Hinksey Lake, off Abingdon Road, and the adjacent boating lake in Hinksey Park
A COMMUNITY project that is just starting to make an impact in Banbury has launched an emergency appeal to help it stay open. The Rainbow Venue, Raising the Arts In Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, based in George Street
POLICE last night paid tribute to the victim of three men who filmed themselves sexually abusing her, as she lay comatose in an East Oxford flat. Mohammed Shahjahan, 27, of Slaymaker Close, Headington, Oxford, was found guilty of rape and sexual
IT HAS taken its creator months of work to complete and could be a record-breaker. People are being given the chance to meet the star of this year’s annual Oxford fireworks display in South Park – an incredible 38-foot-high wicker man. The wicker warrior
A COUPLE had a lucky escape after a fire broke out in their home. Crews from Banbury and Hook Norton were called to the house in Wykham Lane, Broughton, on Thursday evening when a neighbour saw smoke coming from one of the bedrooms. The couple were
Club cricket BUSCOT Park won a thrilling top-of-the-table Group B clash with Charlbury in the Oxfordshire Under 13 League. Batting first, Buscot posted 104-8 as Jeremy Kirby hit 30 not out and Will James 26. Ben Roberts took 4-13 for Charlbury. In
GYM staff are injecting a bit of competition into their efforts to raise money for a children’s charity. Personal trainers and beauty therapists at the Spirit Health Club, in North Oxford, have signed up to take part in a sponsored walk, along with dozens
Police are appealing for witnesses after a £1,000 bouncy castle was stolen in Oxford. At about 10.30am on July 11, the castle was delivered to an address in Asquith Road, Rose Hill. The company helped to set up the bouncy castle and arranged to come
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IF all you associate the Hyundai brand with is its range of small, economical, value-for-money cars then it’s time to think again. The Korean car maker hit the headlines as its UK sales – mainly of just that type of vehicle – soared during the previous
Time was running out for British Leyland in 1980 after years of industrial strife, under-investment and general mismanagement. Who on earth wanted to buy a Morris Ital or Austin Allegro, models which were famed for being rubbish at launch and years later
What vehicle do you drive? A 2002 Toyota Celica 1.8 VVTI with Dynamic and Sports pack. It has a VVTI engine – Variable valve timing with intelligence. This varies the time of the intake valves resulting in improved engine performance. It also has the
Get yer trousers on, you’re nicked, or We’re the Sweeney and we haven’t had any breakfast – these were the famous lines of John Thaw’s character in the legendary cop show The Sweeney. The series told the story of Det Insp Jack Regan, played
Just in case you were in any doubt, it is most definitely the school holidays. Annual pilgrimages to seaside destinations are already under way, along with dawn expeditions to airports and, of course, all these efforts to escape for a week or two bring
A thief snatched a bag after stopping a woman cyclist in oxford. The incident happened at about 7.55am yesterday as a 38-year-old woman was cycling along Boswell Road. As she cycled along the road, a man on a bicycle pulled in front of her, blocking
Police are appealing for witnesses after a robbery in Oxford. At about 2.15am on Sunday, a 23-year-old man was walking along Jeune Street when he was wrestled to the ground by two men and had his phone and wallet stolen. Both the robbers are described
THE world had a Cold War flashback when it emerged that 11 members of a Russian spy ring had been uncovered living in American suburbia. The agents, most of whom were married couples with children, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as unregistered
BICESTER will be filled with the sounds of music again this weekend as its annual jazz festival takes place. Set to perform are Blusey Susie, Boulevard Swing, trumpeter Bryan Corbett and Esther Miller, who return to entertain the crowds. Newcomers include
YOUNG politicians representing Oxfordshire helped make history as the UK’s Youth Parliament met in Northern Ireland for the first time. Three county MYPs – as members of the Youth Parliament are known – joined 300 colleagues on the four-day trip to Belfast
MORE details of how a planned 5,000-home eco -settlement on the outski-rts of Bicester will take shape have emerged. High on the agenda is money to pay for land for a desperately needed cemetery, a fast link to Bicester North Station and sports
TRAIN services between Oxfordshire, Reading and London Paddington will be disrupted for the rest of the day, according to operator First Great Western. Many services today have been cancelled or suffered heavy delays due to damage to signal
CHILDREN were joined by their favourite soft toys, for their annual teddy bears’ picnic. Up to 600 children and parents – and bears – crammed into Garth Park, in Launton Road, Bicester for a snack and some fun on Wednesday. They were also treated to
WORK on a multi-million-pound eco-friendly sixth form centre – the county’s first ‘carbon neutral’ school building – has got under way. Builders have moved into Cooper School, Churchill Road, to begin the £4.4m project which was approved and contracts
Simon Cowell could learn a thing or two from the producers of Fame, Oxford New Theatre’s Stage Experience production. In just 10 days, they have taken 150 local youngsters, some raw, some just madly passionate, and some a little older and more experienced
OXFORD have a score to settle as they attempt to reignite their Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Divison 1 title campaign with a victory at home to Potters Bar tomorrow, writes MICHAEL KNOX. Losing the toss proved crucial as
ABINGDON Town Band is celebrating after becoming the first non-military band to play at Windsor Castle. The brass band entertained thousands of visitors at The Queen’s official residence on Sunday after getting permission from Her Majesty to play. Previously
STAFF and managers at a timber recycling firm are celebrating after scooping two awards. Oxford Wood Recycling, based at Milton Park, near Didcot, was voted the overall winner of the European Social Firms of the Year Awards. The company, which employs
BMW is an important acronym for Montrealers, despite having nothing to do with a certain well known car manufacturer. Rather, it stands for bike/blade/bus, metro or walk, because Montrealers, you see, are proud of their ‘green’ credentials.
UNITED have invariably done well in the opening match of the season when they have been at home. But away first match is never easy. The U’s were thumped 3-0 at Barrow, under Darren Patterson, two seasons ago. In the year they were relegated from League
SHOPPERS have welcomed a new Big Brother-style device zooming in on yobs outside a Blackbird Leys store – from a control room in Wales. The inventor of a device to drive off antisocial youths this week turned on his “Mosquito” at the Premier Supermarket
The signs are good for Oxford United ahead of the new season. Supporters group OxVox have worked with the club to commemorate the great events in the club’s history from Headington United to Oxford United. Boards to mark the key events will decorate
Thames Valley Police’s Mounted Section clip-clopped around Oxford’s largest estate yesterday to provide reassurance to residents. It was part of Operation Buzzard, set up to crack down on robberies on foreign students which plague the estate every summer
SHOPPERS have welcomed a new “Big Brother”-style device zooming in on yobs outside a Blackbird Leys store – from a control room in Wales. The inventor of a device to drive off antisocial youths this week turned on his “Mosquito” at the Premier Supermarket
The Oxford Mail supports any action to clampdown on antisocial behaviour. Blackbird Leys today has its own device to beat the young louts – a mosquito. The system will work by sending out a high pitched sound only teenagers can hear. It has been criticised
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Organised begging gangs are preying on the city’s visitors and shoppers, snatching money from people at cashpoints. Police have confirmed they are trying to stop teams of Romanian women – often pregnant or with young children in tow – who come
POLICE uncovered thousands of pounds worth of cannabis during a raid on a house in Didcot yesterday. Officers uncovered the drugs farm in Lydalls Road, at about 1pm after receiving tip-offs from members of the public. Det Sgt Mark Bradshaw said: “From
Burton Albion boss Paul Peschisolido could start with four of his summer signings against Oxford United. In goal it’s likely to be Adam Legzdins, who has arrived from Crewe. And he could be joined by new club skipper Darren Moore (released by Barnsley
One benefit of Oxford United being in npower League Two is that goal highlights from their Saturday matches will be screened in The Football League Show that night. Manish Bhasin fronts the programme, which begins at 11.35pm on BBC 1.
Someone at the county council with his eye on the past and his hands firmly clamped around the purse strings ought to be questioning the sanity of forking out £30,000 over three years and a further £4,555 in advertising to implement a car sharing scheme
Our former Prime Minister Tony Blair once gave a somewhat sycophantic speech complimenting the Americans for fighting by our side during the Battle of Britain. As I imagine most readers are aware, the USA had not even entered the war at the time Churchill
A topic of concern to many Oxford residents is the growing bad attitude of shop staff in the city centre to customers. This is possibly due to the large number of visitors to the city. Recently I visited the city centre and, after some shopping, decided
IT seemed a good time to head for Worminghall to see my favourite twins, the ever-smiling Laura and Judith Merry, who are planning a trip to Paris in a couple of weeks’ time. They will be travelling abroad for the first time without their parents
TWO stowaways were caught trying to sneak into Britain in the back of a lorry carrying wheelie bins to Abingdon. The two men, from Eritrea in Africa, were discovered on Monday, July 26, after a sniffer dog working at Calais in France detected the scent
A PATHOLOGIST is to be investigated after he got details on a post mortem report into a serviceman killed in Afghanistan wrong. On the report into the death of Senior Aircraftman Christopher Bridge, his mother, Nicolette Williams, from Sheffield, found
THERE is much negative comment in the media about local youths, so I wanted to share some good news for a change. We have just completed Chips – our one-week summer holiday playscheme held at Cholsey School and the village’s Laurence Hall, with 120
President Obama and David Cameron claim Scotland was wrong to release Libyan spy Abdelbasset Al-Megrahi. However, neither can show Megrahi was fairly convicted. Within weeks of the Lockerbie bombing in 1988, US and UK investigators found evidence suggesting
ON JULY 29, I fell down in Walton Street when my prosthetic leg gave way. I would like to express my appreciation to those passers-by who stopped to give me help. This was my second tumble and the public were there to support me each time. A big
OXFORDSHIRE Development XI landed the Tom Orford Trophy after a five-wicket victory over Bucks at Beaconsfield. After a first-day wash-out, Oxon won the toss and asked Bucks to bat, and they struggled against some superb bowling from the off. Pick of
THE effects of the devastating floods in Pakistan are being felt at home in Oxfordshire, as the county gears up to help those in need. Heavy rain hit north west Pakistan last week, causing massive flooding, which has already killed an estimated 1,400
A DRUG dealer who kept his stash of crack cocaine and heroin in a Kinder Surprise capsule escaped jail yesterday. Unipart worker Codie Charles was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for two years, after admitting two counts of possessing class A drugs
You can run, but – it seems – no matter how far you go, you can’t hide. Michael Slinn is behind bars tonight for a brutal attack on his girlfriend in Cowley Road, Oxford, almost six years ago. The story is nasty and his victim was left
WHEN Michael Slinn fled justice five years ago after attacking his girlfriend in Oxford, he embarked on his dream life in the Far East. The 46-year-old left his victim with a punctured lung, broken ribs and a perforated eardrum. Last
Witney United have signed centre back Pete Nagy from Oxford City Nomads ahead of Monday’s Uhlsport Hellenic Premier League opener at Binfield. Nagy, a centre half, who has featured in pre-season, made 21 appearances last season for the Nomads
Some 83 days after Wembley, Oxford United reap the rewards of that never-to-be-forgotten afternoon with a return to League football at Burton on Saturday. A new season always brings intrigue, but that’s doubly so with the U’s in a new division
A MAN accused of rape yesterday said he initially denied a sexual encounter with the alleged victim because he was scared his girlfriend would find out. Jurors at Oxford Crown Court were told Mohammed Shahjahan initially said he had taken no
Oxford United could have more than 1,900 fans cheering them on at Burton on Saturday. The Staffordshire club released an extra 100 seats to Oxford fans last night. A handful of the 1,451 terrace tickets that were being sold from Oxford
Banbury United have boosted their squad ahead of next weekend’s Zamaretto Southern League campaign by signing former Northampton Town midfielder Ross Oulton. Oulton, 19, was released two seasons ago by the Cobblers and joined Brackley Town last season
TONY Munsey and Alec Cunningham rewrote the record books as Oxfordshire Over 50s cruised to a 68-run victory over Dorset in the first knockout round of the competition at Challow & Childrey yesterday. Winning the toss, Oxon batted first,
Commuters trying to get to London have been left stranded at Oxford train station after five trains were cancelled this morning after signal cables were damaged. First Great Western said the incident at Tilehurst, near Reading, had forced it
Chris Wilder says if Oxford United are to have a successful 2010-2011 season, it will be a group effort and down to the squad of players, not just the team. And he has reminded those that are not lucky enough to be chosen for the opening npower League
IS A wounded six foot-long python on the loose in Wallingford? Accountant Barrie Baxter, 64, is convinced he drove over a large snake slithering across Hithercroft Mr Baxter, of Brookmead Drive, was returning from work in South Moreton at about 5.20pm
A COUNCIL has introduced a string of measures to stop staff blocking up residential streets with their cars. When Oxfordshire County Council moved to its new base at Samuelson House, in Tramway Road, Banbury, in February, there were only 55 parking spaces
AN Oxford hairdresser has proved she is a cut above the rest by winning her third nomination for a national prize. Mother-of-two Anne Veck, who runs salons in Oxford and Bicester, has been nominated in the ‘avant garde’ category of the British Hairdressing
Several Oxfordshire players took part in the latest of Sean Hewitt’s e2e4 congresses — the Uxbridge Autumn International. There were nine ten-player all-play-all sections and norm opportunities in some sections. In the top group, Wimbledon’s Graeme
