2005

* A third set of damning pollution figures about the quality of air in Oxford is nothing to worry about, according to county council leader Keith Mitchell.

* Hundreds of people have signed a petition asking the Vale of White Horse District Council to reverse its decision to stop issuing travel tokens to pensioners.

1995

* Children are smoking from the age of three – a survey of 850 of pre-school age in Oxfordshire showed that 25 had been given a puff by their parents.

* Oxford has lost the fight to save its blood transfusion centre – only the blood bank will stay at the John Radcliffe Hospital, with other services transferred to Bristol or Birmingham.

1985

* PC Mark Wheatman grabbed a young man and hauled him to safety as he tried to jump from the top of the Westgate multi-storey car park in Oxford.

* Abingdon brewery Morland is top of the hops – it has trebled turnover in 10 years and increased profits from £500,000 to £2m.

1975

* British Leyland said it might have to consider “short-time working or worse” if there were no Government measures to encourage car sales.

* Pipe-smoking enthusiasts converged on the Royal Oak pub in Woodstock Road, Oxford, to take part in a national competition to find Britain’s champion pipe smoker.

1965

* The Cadena cafeteria in Cornmarket Street, Oxford, may soon be under new management – Tesco, the supermarket chain, has made a takeover bid.

* Because of the snow, Abingdon’s three-day campaign to get rid of shrimp-like creatures in its water supply has been postponed for a week.

1955

* It is still touch and go for the future of the Oxford Playhouse, but ‘house full’ notices on recent Saturday nights have raised hopes that the theatre will survive.

* A 12th century vault has been found beneath the famous ‘Clarry’s Bar’ during demolition of the Clarendon Hotel in Cornmarket Street, Oxford.