A NURSING home in West Oxfordshire has been evacuated this evening due to fears that the River Evenlode may burst its banks. Thirty-three residents of the Old Prebendal Nursing Home, in Shipton-under-Wychwood, and 14 people who live in nearby sheltered
Two men arrested as part of a crackdown on metal theft have been charged with attempting to acquire criminal property. Peter Smith, 68, and Tommy Smith, 36, both of Bloxham Road, were bailed to appear at Banbury Magistrates’ Court on December 14
PETER Andre brought some Aussie sunshine to George Street on Tuesday when he played to a sell -out crown at Oxford’s New Theatre. The 100-minute set opened with an impressive laser and light display with Andre and his muscled backing dancers in
DRIVERS in Wantage and Grove will face “nightmare” traffic congestion if road improvements are not put in place before a major development goes ahead, a county councillor has warned. At a meeting on Monday, Wantage Town Council discussed the planning
THE A420 at Tubney is currently blocked both ways because a tree has toppled down. The tree has also brought down a telegraph pole. The Met Office is warning of heavy rain tonight and windy conditions, with gusts reaching up to 60mph. Live
A SURVEY should be conducted to see if pupils and parents approve of a new school meals service a year after it was introduced, said a Liberal Democrat county councillor. Carillion Plc took over the school meals service in July but the move to
ABOUT 855 homes are without power in Deddington after a power fault. Southern Electric has dispatched engineers to the scene to determine a cause. It is not yet known when power will be restored.
THE Environment Agency is expecting flooding to be likely near seven rivers and streams in Oxfordshire tonight. It has just said it may soon elevate the waterways up to Flood Warning - meaning flooding is expected - from Flood Alert. The agency
A 26-year-old man has been charged with stealing £2,000 from the Help for Heroes charity. Thomas Richards, of Lowell Place, Witney, has been charged with one count of theft and seven counts of fraud. He will appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court
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GAMBIT (12A) Comedy/Romance. Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay, Stanley Tucci, Cloris Leachman. Director: Michael Hoffman Michael Hoffman’s remake of the 1966 screwball caper about a cat burglar and showgirl who plan an
How calm staff and great food saved the day for KATHERINE MACALISTER I haven’t always been kind, it must be said, when writing about chain restaurants on George Street. I prefer to champion the independents’ corner and stand up for the locals
TIM HUGHES discovers the future of Californian rock ‘n’ roll courtesy of Taylor Goldsmith of LA band Dawes HAILING from the City of Angels, Dawes have quietly and without fanfare, acquired near cult status, revitalizing their home city’s rock
* THE rich tones of singer-songwriter Mim Grey will be accompanied by the Oxford-based Tim Dawes Jazz Trio at a gig in Beckley tomorrow night. Mim, right, has performed with music luminaries such as Paul McCartney, Dave Stewart, Michael Ball and ABC
She made her name alongside her brother in the Magic Numbers, but Michele Stodart tells Tim Hughes she is now ready to open up her heart and go it alone as an artist FOREVER known as one-quarter of The Magic Numbers, Michele Stodart is stepping
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (15) Comedy/Drama/Romance. Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, John Ortiz, Julia Stiles, Brea Bee. Director: David O Russell Writer-director David O Russell is
The intricacies of nature are transformed into breathtaking art by Trevor Ashby at Art Jericho, as SARAH MAYHEW discovers THE devil is in the detail at the latest exhibition that opens at Art Jericho tomorrow and continues until December 23. Celebrating
* YOU know it’s nearly Christmas when the kids present you with their Christmas list. But Maison Blanc is also out there to remind you ever so gently with its new Christmas patisserie range which is available to taste and order at a special preview
Master of improvisational comedy Ross Noble tells KATHERINE MACALISTER why he decided to take a year off and why his audiences have nothing to worry about... It’s hard to imagine comedian Ross Noble being nervous about anything. Having been packing
Esther Browning dives into the festive season with a trip to Nuremberg and its famous Bavarian Christmas Market If you know anything about the Second World War, when you hear ‘Nuremberg’ you probably think of the infamous Nuremberg trials.
They’re not from Alabama and there’s more than three of them, but, says frontman Larry Love, Alabama 3 love to keep people guessing ALABAMA 3 just don’t make any sense.Rolling out dirty Southern blues riffs flavoured with rock, leavened with funk
TRIBUTES have been paid to Maureen Page, former Mayor of Wallingford, who has died aged 89. After being mayor, she was chairman of governors at both Wallingford School and at St Nicholas Infants’ School, and was later a trustee of the Wallingford
A DIPLOMAT who went to St Edward’s School in Oxford and then served as a governor of the school for 12 years has died. Sir John Moreton joined the Colonial Service in 1948 and would go on to work as a diplomat for nearly 30 years. He died on
WILDLIFE supporters fighting to conserve threatened orangutans are hoping to boost funds with the help of a lucky rabbit foot. The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band are among the acts playing the orange Tie Ball at the Big Bang on Saturday, in
AS a chronicler of modern Britain, Frank Turner has long had a loyal following of fans, happy to sing along with his honest tales of life, love and loss. But one evening performance, earlier this year, saw the man tipped as the British Bruce Springsteen
WORK to replace Bicester’s £5m hospital could be delayed by six months and the project “jeopardised” after an objection over the re-routing of a footpath. Originally four people objected to the removal of a footpath across the hospital site, but
A WOODSTOCK town councillor has stood down for personal reasons after only seven months in the role. David Yates has been a member of Woodstock Town Council since May. Last night Mr Yates, a former police officer, told the Oxford Mail he had
CHILDREN across Oxfordshire will be shown how organisations including charities, theatres, youth hubs and businesses are run for this year’s Takeover Day. At East Oxford hospice Helen and Douglas House, the youngsters who will be taking charge
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Billy Trinder was Mr Consistency for Young Guns in the Gladiator Friday Night Lea-gue. He hit 5-5-5 as his side saw off The Ox 6-0. Steve Walton and Steve Arthurs were the stars for Deddington in their 6-0 win over Castle Quay in the Banbury
Wallingford Regals and Didcot Barn Owls shared the spoils in their Oxfordshire Short Mat League encounter, taking four points each. RESULTS OXON SHORT MAT LEAGUE Wallingford 23 (4pts), Didcot Barn Owls 23 (4) – 1st leg: Wallingford (E Pilgrim
Mark Lawrenson was the guest of honour at the sixth and final Five Star Events tournament of the year, held at Frilford Heath. The television pundit, who managed Oxford United in 1988 after a successful playing career at Liverpool, spoke after
PARENTS, children and staff in Headington dressed up as zebras to push for new pedestrian crossings near their schools. People from St Andrew’s Primary School, Headington Quarry Nursery School and Windmill Primary School donned black and white
Eddie Pepperell was upbeat after getting a first taste of the European Tour in South Africa. The Abingdon golfer has earned a place on the elite circuit for the 2013 season after an excellent year on the European Challenge Tour, but received an
Oxford Stadium will host some first-class open fare next month, with the staging of three big competitions. They begin with the Blanchford Oxfordshire Stakes, followed by the Cesarewitch and the Claydon Racing Gold Cup. Open races in November
BICESTER’S new £3.2m cinema will be able to show movies all night and serve alcohol until the early hours, despite concerns from residents. Vue Cinemas has been given a cover-all premises licence for its seven-screen, 854-seat movie theatre as
OXFORD has joined a list of areas across the county now on flood alert following yesterday’s heavy rain. The Environment Agency has put The River Thames and tributaries, including areas between Wolvercote to Radley and Jericho, on flood alert,
SOAKED students have been queueing outside an Oxford lettings agency to make sure they get the accommodation they want. Two cold and wet groups of friends have been taking it in turns to wait outside North Oxford Property Services in Jericho since
A mass brawl broke out in the town centre. Up to 10 people were reported to be involved when a fight broke out in High Street, near the Raj restaurant at about 11.20pm on Sunday. Police only released details yesterday. Two men, aged 37
OXFORDSHIRE’S B team are celebrating after winning Division 2 of the seven-a-side County Championships at Reading, writes PETE EWINS. Locked on 19 points with Surrey and Bucks third on 17, Oxon had to win their last match and did so in style –
WAKEFIELD Wildcats have forged a partnership with Championship One newcomers Oxford Rugby League. Super League club Wakefield will work closely with semi-professional Oxford to develop the 13-man code in Oxfordshire. Oxford board member Tony
English National League OXFORD City Stars got their Division 2 South campaign back on track with a 3-1 win over Romford Fury thanks to goals from Nick Oliver (2) and Darren Elliott. It was a hard-earned success against a physical Romford side
Frilford Heath ladies have won the Oxfordshire Silver League after finishing the season unbeaten. A record of five wins and two draws from their seven matches saw Frilford finish four points clear of their nearest rivals. It sealed a first
A BOAT has sunk in Oxford because of the heavy flow of water down the Thames. The boat broke free of its mooring and sunk. The quick moving water down the Thames has rammed it against barriers at Osney Lock. The Environment Agency is trying
RESIDENTS living next to a park-and-ride site were last night bracing themselves for problems after transport bosses announced motorists would start to be charged next week. Long stay parking fees will be introduced at the county council-run Thornhill
MAY I thank all who supported the recent piano recital by Anita D’Attelis, our new accompanist, at St Peter’s, Wallingford. Everyone was spellbound by her playing. Anita waived her fee so that proceeds amounting to more than £1,000 could go towards
l would like to add my voice to the D. Holloway letter in your paper recently. I raised this point of receiving two letters per each hospital appointment. I asked my consultant and he said it was not possible to stop this practice, he had tried
We reported yesterday that rogue trader Jason Butcher, 29, from Bloxham, has been jailed for a year after conning almost £8,000 from five vulnerable people. Butcher, who traded as Oakland Tree Care, Oakland Tree Services and Country Tree Services
Police have issued an efit picture of a man wanted in connection with a distraction burglary in Kidlington. Two men claiming to be police officers forced their way into the home of an elderly man in Oxford Road, injuring him in the process.
AN ambulance boss unmasked as a murderer after he was convicted of drink-driving has been cleared of the motoring offence because of a laboratory blunder. A judge quashed Robert King’s conviction despite earlier evidence that he had been three
THREE members of the same family were killed when the driver of their car swerved to avoid a deer and slewed off the road before crashing into a tree. The relatives had all been out earlier in the day and had enjoyed an Indian meal a short time
LAST Saturday I was asked to escort a young blind lady to Didcot from Grove. I decided rather than use my car I would use Thames Travel service number 32. We walked the quarter-of-a-mile to the bus stop, getting there in plenty of time. The
SO far so good was the message from the head coaches of Henley Hawks and Chinnor as they reflected on their starts to the season. Henley top National 2 South with 50 points out of a possible 55, while Chinnor look solid in mid-table, 19 points
INTERNATIONAL rugby is on the bill at Iffley Road tomorrow night when the Maori All Blacks take on Canada (7.30). Known as New Zealand Maori until this summer, the All Blacks will perform a traditional haka before kick-off. Appearing for the
A chip pan blaze in Banbury prompted a warning from fire chiefs about leaving cookers unattended. A female resident placed a damp tea towel over the fire, however large volumes of smoke quickly spread through the house. The incident occurred on Tuesday
Students from Oxford yesterday joined with thousands of protesters across the country for a protest march in London. Sixty-two Oxford University students boarded a bus in Oxford to take part in the protest with Oxford University Student Union,
OXFORD City secured a gold and a bronze medal in the British Masters Cross Country Relay Championships at the Moorways Stadium, Derby. Roy Treadwell won gold for the fastest leg by a vet 65 athlete, recording 12mins 26secs for the 3.1km course.
RADLEY College will host the UK’s first six-day track race for 23 years next summer. The British Ultra Fest runs from August 11-17 and will also feature 24 and 48 hour races. One man likely to compete is Radley College teacher and Abingdon
A FORMER scholarship student at Oxford’s Pegasus Theatre has told of the moment he watched his friend die in a rocket attack in Gaza. Just months after returning to the Palestinian country, Mahmoud Balawi, 17, was caught up in a fierce bombing
A STATE-OF-THE-ART science centre will help inspire a generation, exhibition visitors claimed yesterday. Members of the public viewed the plans for The Magnet, which is proposed in the shadow of the Castle Mound in New Road, and had their say on
I have come to the conclusion that all this talk of ‘the economic climate’ ‘recession’ and other such by-phrases are just a load of rubbish. Why? Because we are having a hard time finding a decent builder to do a few jobs for us. We had a builder
PAMELA St Clair correctly pointed out that St Aldate’s is often unpleasantly clogged with buses. However, she is mistaken in thinking that most of them are under-used. The bus companies do use smaller buses on lightly-used routes (such as the one
Berinsfield's Chris Murphy scored the fastest recorded goal in Oxfordshire football and now wants a plaque put up to mark the achievement. The 21-year-old made history in the 7-0 win away to Kidlington Reserves in the Oxfordshire Inter-mediate
NO: James Styring, spokesman for Cyclox, Oxford city cycling lobby group Although I think these accidents could be a wake-up call to many, I don’t think making cyclists wear helmets or high-viz vests mandatory would reduce accidents any more than
At Leslie Belcher’s funeral today there will be many, many people of all ages and all walks of life, due to the respect they all had for him. He was a man with a big personality and a big heart who would stick up for people that couldn’t stick
I DO not think that the Oxford Mail headline, Apathy Reigns at Polls, when reporting on the crime commissioners, is correct. I think it was a vote for common sense. Something that repeated governments fail to have. I did not vote because I do not
JOHN Carter says there is still a chance for players to force their way into Oxford University’s Varsity Match squad. The Dark Blues have one final match at Esher on Monday night before captain Carter announces his team and replacements. Although
The Banbury Cross Players are about to display some naked ambition with their latest performance. Women from the town’s amateur dramatic group are joining forces with hundreds of others from across the globe to raise both awareness of and funds
CHRISTMAS officially kicks off in Banbury on Sunday when Coronation Street stars switch on the Christmas lights. Thousands of people are expected to converge on a stage in Bridge Street for the 5.30pm switch-on outside the town hall. Corrie
Former top rider James Toseland, who raced in MotoGP for two years for Tech 3 Yamaha, says having two British riders in the team is a boost for the sport. Oxfordshire’s Bradley Smith has joined Cal Crutchlow for next season and Toseland believes
An update from the corridors of power VETERAN Labour councillor John Tanner cosied up to Conservative colleagues as energy reduction policy was discussed. The former city council leader praised the county council for its work to cut carbon
DARRELL Bellinger successfully defended his Berks, Bucks and Oxon Cross Country Championship title at Braywick Park, Maidenhead. The Oxford City athlete took the men’s crown after completing the surprisingly firm and fast 9.6km course in 29mins
We keep seeing and hearing the word democracy being used but how many people really know the meaning of the word? In the name of democracy we have just had an election for the police and crime commissioner, the first thing the winning candidate
GREEK-BASED Minoan Air plans to operate scheduled flights from Oxford to Munich, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, and Edinburgh. Bosses at Oxford Airport declined to comment on a statement from Minoan Air, which said the flights would be introduced
DOWNPOURS across Oxfordshire brought misery to residents and commuters as homes and roads were flooded yesterday. County council officials said eight properties flooded in the Bloxham area near Banbury after two brooks in the village overflowed.
A POLICE officer has described his investigation on the night homeless man Denis Witney was found badly beaten. Dc Justin Walsh gave evidence yesterday at Oxford Crown Court. Mr Witney was discovered outside Marcus Roberts’ Pianos in St Clement
SOME may look down their noses at “Preston Likely’s” oddball spoof adverts that he places in newsagent windows. It’s all stuff and nonsense but if you can’t raise a smile at most of them, the next notice to concern you may regrettably be the one
ILLEGAL alcohol and tobacco were seized in a crackdown on fraud across Oxfordshire. The smuggled or counterfeit goods were found during raids by officers from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and Trading Standards in Banbury and Oxford. A operation
A FIRE gutted offices inside an Oxford Brookes University building yesterday morning. The John Payne building, in Gipsy Lane, Headington, is currently closed to staff and students and will remain shut for the next few days. The blaze broke
POSTERS for divorce photographers, soul donors and missing match boxes have all appeared in shop windows across Oxfordshire over the last few months. And they have one thing in common – they are hoax advertisements by artist Preston Likely.
Oxford United will have to reshuffle their defence after Johnny Mullins was recalled by Rotherham United. The defender’s loan was cut short by the Millers amid an injury crisis which has hit Steve Evans’s side. It is a significant blow for
THE redundancies at Oxford Spires Academy and the threat of teacher posts being chopped is something that should concern people outside of East Oxford. Spires is one of five academies in the city and there is currently a rush away from Local Education
Oxford Past Times by Chris Koenig Reviewed by Ann Spokes Symonds Chris Koenig has been writing about the history of Oxford and Oxfordshire in The Oxford Times for more than ten years. This book contains a selection of his well-researched and
SIXTEEN people will lose their jobs as Oxford Spires Academy makes cuts of half a million pounds. The posts at the East Oxford school are to be made redundant next month. Teaching assistants, cleaners, caretakers, administrators and technicians
HEAVY rain and flooding is continuing to cause problems across Oxfordshire this morning. On the roads the A417 at East Challow has flooded and one lane of the A44 Woodstock Road is closed with queues stretching back. Last night downpours swamped
Money is tight in our house and I’m already starting to worry about how we’re going to pay for Christmas this year. I don’t want to disappoint the kids, but just can’t see how we’re going to do it. Any suggestions?” Just a typical morning at the
From the moment the Games of the XXX Olympiad were awarded, the naysayers were convinced that something would go wrong. The budget would spiral; the venues would never be ready in time; terrorists would launch an attack; and the legacy would insufficiently
What has been most striking about the recent boom in animation for adults has been the diversity of graphic styles in such pictures as Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis (2007), Ari Folman's Waltz With Bashir (2008), Sylvain Chomet's
LIMITING staff travel and making buildings more efficient have failed to help Oxfordshire County Council meet its own energy reduction targets. Five years ago, the council pledged to cut 11,368 tonnes of its annual carbon footprint, the equivalent
WITH Lord Justice Leveson due to publish his recommendations about future regulation of the press soon, Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood writes about why she believes Parliament needs to be involved, but in a dispassionate and non-political
PUPILS are to carry out energy audits in schools across Oxfordshire in a bid to help the environment and save money. As part of EDF Energy’s Switch Off Fortnight, which starts on Monday, pupils will be challenged to switch off lights and unused
