Archive

  • ROWING: Bowden can draw on his experience

    OXFORD coach Sean Bowden will hope that his vast experience will help lead the Dark Blues to victory on the Thames on Saturday evening (5pm), but is taking nothing for granted. While his Cambridge counterpart, Steve Trapmore, is in charge for the first

  • SIAN: New twist in search for second body

    THE murder investigation into the death of nightclubber Sian O’Callaghan moved to another area of Oxfordshire in a dramatic twist today. Police confirmed a body recovered in a remote countryside ditch near Uffington was that of the missing 22-year-old

  • COMMENT: Pain in the neck for drivers

    IT would be easy to poke fun at Cherwell District Council for lowering the pay machines at some car parks to accommodate people with disabilities. It may be a pain in the neck for normal motorists, literally, but if the council is so keen

  • Councillors hand back free parking permits

    COUNCILLORS who put up charges are to hand back their free parking permits following an outcry, but can still claim fees on expenses. The five members of Cherwell District Council’s ruling cabinet made the move after the Oxford Mail reported on the free

  • Parking meters bring drivers to their knees

    A COUNCIL has brought motorists to their knees after lowering parking meters so it can charge disabled drivers. Cherwell District Council spent £7,244 lowering three machines in Bicester and seven in Banbury by up to 10 and a half inches so it can charge

  • Check out the little drummer boys

    PUPILS at an Oxford primary school enjoyed being allowed to make as much noise as they could in class. Children at Cutteslowe Primary School in Wren Road learned about African drumming, as part of two days of international activities. Deputy headteacher

  • Meat firm’s staff ‘still owed wages’

    UNCERTAINTY surrounds the payment of workers at a family-run meat firm near Oxford. The boss of Field Farm Fresh in Appleton apologised for paying staff late in a letter to workers last month. But last night one worker claimed there were still problems

  • Farm shop offers loyal Mail readers a cut

    OXFORD Mail Loyalty Card holders can now get 10 per cent off locally produced food from Dews Meadow Farm Shop. Only Mail readers who pay to have the paper home- delivered six days a week are receiving our free Loyalty Card. And among

  • Site of long vanished stately home opens to public

    THE mystery tale of a burnt-down manor house can be explored thanks to a new history trail. The two-mile Ascott Park Historical Trail in Stadhampton covers parkland that was once part of the estate of the rich Dormer family. In 1662, William Dormer

  • Call for kids to enter poetry competition

    YOUNG poets across Oxfordshire are being encouraged to enter a competition in honour of Sir John Betjeman, the former Poet Laureate with close ties to the county. Betjeman, who died in 1984, was educated at The Dragon School and Magdalen College in Oxford

  • Local shares (PM)

    AEA Technology 3.9 BMW 5066 Electrocomponents 267 Nationwide Accident Repair 99 Oxford Biomedica 5.75 Oxford Catalysts 102.5 Oxford Instruments 673.25 Reed Elsevier 514.75 RM 156.75 RPS Group 213.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Coffee business goes from stall to shop chain

    AN OXFORD street stall that was the birthplace of a multi-million pound business employing 400 people could move indoors. The AMT coffee stall outside the Westgate Centre could move inside the shopping attraction after serving customers for 18 years.

  • Sian probe: Hunt goes on for second victim

    Another victim who is believed to have been killed by the murderer of missing nightclubber Sian O'Callaghan went missing "several years ago", detectives have revealed. Police said they had launched a painstaking search at a new location on

  • Prince to visit new-look Oxford theatre

    A NEWLY refurbished Oxford theatre will receive the Royal seal of approval when Prince Edward pays a visit next month. The Earl of Wessex will officially reopen the Pegasus Theatre, in Magdalen Street, East Oxford. It was brought back into use in September

  • Cinema bus shows filmmaker's trailer

    FILM fans helped boost local movie-making by enjoying a movie, not in a cinema – but on a bus. The converted vehicle, the only one of its kind in the UK, was hired by filmmaker Vicky Jewson in an event to support independent filmmaking in Oxfordshire

  • Relief over scheme to expand Thornhill park & ride

    PLANS to almost double the size of a park and ride site have been given the go-ahead. Thornhill Park and Ride, off the A40 at Sandhills – popular with commuters, shoppers and tourists travelling to and from London – may be increased by 506 spaces.

  • Speed cameras to be switched back on

    Speed cameras in Oxfordshire will begin operating again from April 1. Thames Valley Police have taken the decision to turn on cameras and resume operating mobile speed camera sites after they were turned off on August 1 last year.

  • Wheeling in: Kia Sportage 1.6 GDi 1 Eco 2wd

    Who would have thought a car capable of producing seriously long waiting lists would have a Kia badge on the bonnet? But the Sportage has pulled off the feat by not only offering serious value for money, but also by being the best-looking car

  • Workers to join march against cuts

    DOCTORS, nurses, teachers and firemen will be among 1,000 Oxfordshire trade union members heading to London tomorrow to campaign against Government cuts. Organisers of the Trade Union Congress’ March for the Alternative rally hope one million people

  • Theft-hit day centre reopens

    A DAY centre which was forced to close after a fraudster swindled it out of thousands of pounds is getting back on its feet. Carterton Day Centre for the elderly is holding a boot sale tomorrow to take OAPs on a £1,000 trip to Weston-Super-Mare. The

  • Sian probe: Second victim hunted

    Another victim who is believed to have been killed by the murderer of missing nightclubber Sian O'Callaghan went missing "several years ago", detectives have revealed. Police said they had launched a painstaking search at a new location near

  • MOTORSPORT: Virgin in better shape this time

    Virgin Racing team principal John Booth is confident his outfit has learnt the lessons from their debut season. The team, whose car development is split between Bicester and Dinnington in south Yorkshire, head into their second season in Formula

  • SIAN UPDATE: Second body could be in Eastleach

    THE body of missing nightclubber Sian O'Callaghan has been recovered from an area near the village of Uffington. Police said the suspect arrested over the murder has also taken the officer leading the inquiry, Detective Superintendent Steve

  • Reserves thriving in league return

    Oxford United will again enter their reserves in the totesport.com Combination next season after the success they have enjoyed this season in their first year back. They top the East Division following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Southend, in which Aaron Woodley

  • BADMINTON: Windrush crowned champs

    WINDRUSH won Division 2 of the Oxfordshire Five Disciplines League, despite losing their final match. The team of Laura Hicks, Alison Powley, Neil Rowland and Mike Socker fell 232-207 to runners-up Evenlode B. Hicks and Rowland won the opening mixed

  • Death-defying circus act rolls into town

    ROLL up, roll up...the circus is in town. Death-defying motorcylists, trapeze artists, clowns and fire-jugglers from Zippo’s Circus are all appearing under the big top at South Park, Oxford, until Tuesday. The motorcyclists are performing in the ‘Globe

  • BADMINTON: County hopeful

    OXFORDSHIRE Under 15s can still reach the Shires League knock-out stages after a 10-10 draw with unbeaten Buckinghamshire at High Wycombe. Oxon, who must now wait on other results to learn their fate, halved the mixed doubles, with Ben Isaac and Imogen

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 3.9 BMW 5087 Electrocomponents 2.69 Nationwide Accident Repair 99 Oxford Biomedica 5.65 Oxford Catalysts 102 Oxford Instruments 669.5 Reed Elsevier 515.25 RM 156.75 RPS Group 210.9 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Rail staff meet passengers on £67m Cotswold Line project

    Cotswold Line commuters will be able to find out about progress on the £67m project to reinstate double track next week. Staff from Network Rail and First Great Western will be on hand to talk to passengers at Hanborough and Charlbury stations

  • MOTORSPORT: Heidfeld out to break his duck

    Nick Heidfeld is hoping to finally eradicate his ‘nearly man’ tag this year after being given an unexpected chance by the Enstone-based Lotus Renault team to prove himself again. The 33-year-old German appreciates he is fortunate to be racing

  • MOTORSPORT: Barrichello lands after marathon journey

    Rubens Barrichello narrowly escaped a horror journey to Melbourne for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after Buenos Aires airport shut down earlier this week due to an air traffic control systems failure. Barrichello did not arrive in the Australian

  • TENNIS: Lucy storms into semi-finals

    Lucy Brown continued her rise with a superb semi-final place in the ITF Women’s tennis circuit tournament in Bath last week, writes MARK EDWARDS. The 18-year-old, from Elsfield, has made great strides advancing from the junior circuit at the

  • Doctor from Libya welcomes bombing campaign

    A surgeon who has returned from helping the wounded in Libya said the allies were doing the right thing by carrying out bombing raids on his home country. Khaled Aneiba, a surgeon at Oxford’s Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and John Radcliffe Hospital, went

  • ROWING: Oxford banking on Bowden for winning surge

    Oxford University will be hoping that an experienced coach will make all the difference when they take on Cambridge in the 157th Boat Race tomorrow (5pm). The crews appear evenly matched, which means that it could come down to last-minute preparations

  • FOOTBALL: Ford hails form of ace Barcelos

    Zamaretto Southern League OXFORD City boss Mike Ford has hailed the heroics of Felipe Barcelos after his hat-trick sec-ured a 3-0 win at Stourbridge in the Premier Division in midweek. Ford, whose side travel to Hednesford tomorrow (12. 30pm), has

  • FOOTBALL: Boss Bourne vows to battle back after loss

    Zamaretto Southern League ABINGDON United boss Richie Bourne says his players were hurting after becoming only the second team to lose to Division 1 South & West whipping boys Andover in midweek. And Bourne has vowed to get things right for their trip

  • Stevenage 'time-outs' probed by League

    The Football League are still awaiting a response from Stevenage after writing to them to ask for answers to allegations from rival clubs that they systematically feign injury in order to create time-outs during matches. Oxford United were among the

  • In defence of 'white van man'

    Further to Kevin Dyer’s rant about “builders’ vans” and their drivers, I would add that the majority of these guys are the salt of the earth. Their boots are muddy because they toil in crud that most of us would object to, and wear T-shirts because hard

  • Hooked on service

    After three months of complaining to customer services at a local supermarket, about the lack of a coat hook in its disabled toilet, one has still not been installed. It is not as if my request would cost more than a few pounds. Adrian Taylor, Thames

  • First class care

    May I through your paper pass on my thanks for the amazing care I received in Ward A at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre on March 4. From the moment I apprehensively arrived, the welcome and care was first class from nurses, doctors, surgeons

  • Booking support

    I am sorry that county council leader Keith Mitchell found the letter to John Jackson from the Save Oxfordshire Libraries alliance, ambiguous. To make our position precisely clear: Fifteen libraries have rejected the idea of applying to the Big Society

  • COMMENT: Boost for Abingdon highlights city's plight

    IF the £125m extension of Didcot’s Orchard Centre was good news, the redevelopment of the heart of Abingdon is a fantastic announcement. Abingdon as a retail area has been crying out for work on the Charter area and the Abbey Shopping Centre

  • Accommodate change

    While I was encouraged to read of the Government’s plans to create ‘super destinations’ to increase the number of Brits holidaying at home, it does raise the question as to whether the UK hospitality industry is fit for the challenge? For this strategy

  • Letter to the PM

    THE following is an open letter to David Cameron. I voted for your party. I thought you might have reformed the Human Rights Act. I thought I was told you would, or perhaps scrap it altogether. I was mistaken. I thought you would give me a vote on Europe

  • Our carnival brings benefits to the city

    As the organising charity for Cowley Road Carnival, we appreciate Mick Heavey’s remarks about how the carnival is financed (Carnival should not rely on public money, Oxford Mail, March 14). It is certainly the case that public money is drying up for

  • £53m revamp unveiled for Abingdon town centre

    A MULTI-MILLION pound plan to revamp the heart of Abingdon will provide “jobs and greater prosperity” for the town. Vale of White Horse District Council has signed a £53m deal for the long-awaited work, which will see new shops, a doctors’

  • United have score to settle

    The first thing Oxford United must try to do against Burton Albion on Sunday is put the ball in the net. Victory is the ultimate aim, of course, to maintain their push for a play-off place. But before they can even think of that, they need to find a

  • Burge is proving a pass Master

    United's new midfielder, Ryan Burge, appears about 19 when you see him face to face. But on the pitch, he has the air of someone much more experienced and is quite able to handle himself in the engine room of the team. Signed on loan from Doncaster

  • Chevrolet unveils new BTCC Cruze

    The wraps are off the Silverline Chevrolet team’s 2011 cars, set to campaign in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Built by RML, which also constructs and runs the title-winning Chevrolet World Touring Cars, the two new Cruzes

  • FIXTURES March 25

    SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. ZAMARETTO SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Bedford Tn, Hednesford v Oxford City (12.30pm), Leamington v Didcot Tn (1pm). Div 1 South & West: Bideford v Abingdon Utd, Paulton Rov v North Leigh

  • College lecturers stage one-day strike

    LECTURERS at the county’s biggest college went on strike yesterday. Members of the University and College Union at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College staged the one-day action over changes to their pensions. The union said about 60 per cent of teaching

  • McLaren fit for Oxford United clash

    OXFORD United have received a big boost ahead of Sunday’s home game against Burton Albion with key midfielder Paul McLaren shaking off a groin injury. The problem caused McLaren to come off after just 61 minutes in United’s 2-1 win over Crewe last Saturday

  • Arrests after police sniff out cannabis in Oxford house

    CANNABIS plants, left, were seized from an home after officers smelled the drug on the street. Police raided the three-storey house in Cherwell Street, Oxford, yesterday morning and found 70 plants being grown on the top floor. A 48-year-old man and

  • FOOTBALL: Hill's return boosts Witney's spirits

    UHLSport Hellenic League Richard Hill has been persuaded to go back to Witney United by general manager Andy Lyne. Hill walked out last week following a disagreement with a club official, but after receiving a written apology, Hill has agreed to return

  • RUGBY UNION: Brodley issues Quins warning

    JOHN Brodley says Oxford Harlequins are not out of the relegation mire ahead tomorrow’s National 3 South West clash at Barnstaple. After five straight league defeats, Quins find themselves on the fringe of the drop zone. And with Cheltenham

  • FOOTBALL: Mid Oxon stun Liverpool to reach final

    JACOB Hughes hit a double as Mid Oxon Schools Under 15s reached the final of the ESFA Trophy for the first time in their 55-year history with a 2-1 extra time victory over Liverpool last night, writes KIEREN BUSHNELL. It was an heroic performance from

  • College lecturers stage one-day strike over pensions

    LECTURERS at the county’s biggest college went on strike yesterday. Members of the University and College Union at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College staged the one-day action in protest at changes to their pensions. The union said about 60 per cent of

  • Cyclist hurt in accident with bus

    DRIVERS were delayed yesterday morning after a cyclist was hit by a single-decker Stagecoach bus. Thames Valley Police spokesman Alice Adderley said the accident happened in Abingdon Road outside Hinksey Park at 8.30am. She said the male cyclist was

  • Overturned car causes delays

    A CAR has overturned close to the Water Eaton Park and Ride causing delays on the A4165 and A4260. Thames Valley Police said a Volkswagen Polo had veered off the A4165 close to the Sainsbury's roundabout, overturning onto its side at shortly before

  • Sian: Police continue search

    DETECTIVES are this morning still searching the Oxfordshire countryside for a second body after finding that of missing Sian O'Callaghan last night. Roadblocks are still in place on the B4507 near the White Horse at Uffington. A 47-year-old

  • SIAN UPDATE: Villagers shocked at search for bodies

    THE body of Sian O’Callaghan was yesterday found in Oxfordshire countryside. Police had been searching for Miss O’Callaghan since she went missing after leaving a nightclub in her home town of Swindon in the early hours of Saturday. Yesterday, following

  • Ruskin College signs £5million deal for new building

    WORK is set to start on the next phase of the multi-million-pound redevelopment of Oxford’s Ruskin College. A £5m contract for the project was signed yesterday. It will include a new academic building to house the college’s Callaghan Library. It was

  • SIAN UPDATE: Detectives still searching this morning

    DETECTIVES are this morning still searching the Oxfordshire countryside for a second body after finding that of missing Sian O'Callgahan last night. Roadblocks are still in place on the B4507 near the White Horse at Uffington. A 47-year-old

  • Man, 20, faces kidnap charge

    A 20-year-old man is due to appear in court today charged with robbery, kidnap and possessing an imitation firearm Jordan Marks will appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court in connection with two incidents in Fieldmere Close, Witney, on March 14. Marks,

  • Last-ditch plea for Kelly inquest

    A group of doctors campaigning for a full inquest for David Kelly have made a last-ditch plea to Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene on their behalf. Attorney General Dominic Grieve is considering a dossier of evidence provided by the doctors