Archive
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ATHLETICS: Hannah's Turin dream is ended
Oxford City’s Hannah England was left devastated after she failed to qualify for the final of the 1,500m European Indoor Championships in Turin yesterday. Prior to the race, England had been in red-hot form, having impressed at both the Grand Prix in
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Soup aid is noble idea
THE idea of giving away free soup and sandwiches is a noble one. What is astounding is the fact that families in Oxford are so badly hit by the recession that they cannot afford food and drink – the reasoning behind the credit crunch brunch? Soup kitchens
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Empty space
OXFORD City councillor Ed Turner, board member for housing, has said he is committed to bringing empty houses in the city back into use. (Wednesday’s Oxford Mail). It is a pity this does not seem to apply to council properties like those empty in The
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We'll mourn loss of swimming pool
WE WILL all be in mourning for Peers Sports Centre. It has served generations of Peers students and local residents. Mike Reading, the principal of the new academy, has made it clear that the academy would not be able to afford to replace the swimming
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Lighting up can help save lives
HAVING been in a road traffic accident and survived being run over by a car, I felt the need to write, to bring people’s attention to the need to be seen – especially in poor or reduced visibility. Twenty years ago, when I was run over, it was a dull
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It's fan-tastic!
Oxford United will have a massive following at the New Lawn on Saturday. By last night, the club had sold around 1,100 tickets for the all-ticket game. It means Forest Green’s biggest league gate of the season – 1,272 for Ebbsfleet’s visit last September
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Look out for vulnerable friends and neighbours
WITH the latest drop in temperatures – a further phase of the coldest winter for 20 years – my thoughts turn to those who find it hardest to cope with the bitter weather: the elderly, disabled people, the long-term sick and families on a low income.
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Lakes reference cleared up
I WRITE regarding Alan Morgan’s letter in Thursday’s Oxford Mail, regarding the signs in Headley Way referring to The Lakes parking zone. I am surprised that, being a Headington man, he did not know it refers to the housing estate just off Headley Way
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Banter can be harmful
NO, we do not live in a mad world, as Thursday’s Oxford Mail leader column would suggest. Casual sexism, such as that exhibited by Mr Jackson-Smyth, is not just a bit of banter. It is downright rude and demeaning to women, such as the one to whom the
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Head for headquarters
I READ your story about the Kidington Pensioner trying to report his unfortunate burglary at Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington (Oxford Mail, February 24). Does Mr Hall go to British Gas HQ to report his dodgy boiler, or Ford HQ in Dagenham
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Is victim's surcharge a stealth fine?
I HAVE noted several times in your Scales of Justice (magistrates’ court cases) page that many offenders are told to pay a £15 victim’s surcharge. What puzzles me is that, in many cases, it is not clear that there is a victim. I don’t object to magistrates
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Good manners required on packed public transport
ON THE television news recently, there was a report about how overcrowded our trains are. Some people were sitting on the floor of the carriages and many were standing, packed in like sardines. Should there be a sudden jolt, many would be crushed, sustaining
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Free books make sense
FOR me, it’s the ultimate scam. And trust me, I’ve never viewed libraries as ‘educational’ or ‘cultural’. I’m just not that high-minded. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the benefits of having them, especially when they’re as good as our Central
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Cowley church starts soup kitchen
A CHURCH will tomorrow start dishing out free soup and sandwiches to people affected by the deepening recession. Temple Cowley United Reformed Church in Oxford Road, Cowley, is throwing open its doors between 10am and noon, inviting the public in to
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Drag queen jailed for bomb hoax
A TEENAGE drag queen who made a hoax bomb threat to WH Smith’s headquarters in Swindon was today detained for 14 months. Joel Broad, 19, of Broughton Road, Banbury, telephoned the switchboard on September 1 last year and said there was a bomb
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Hamster dumped by children in dog waste bin
A HAMSTER is breathing a sigh of relief after almost coming to a pongy demise in a dog waste bin. Sidney is now enjoying life in cleaner surroundings thanks to a resident in Sinodun Close, Long Wittenham, who initially thought a rat had scrambled
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Air paramedic had child porn
AN AIR ambulance paramedic caught with child porn on his computer then stole morphine from his base at Benson for a suicide attempt. Raymond Taylor, 36, was arrested by police at his home in January when they uncovered 450 pictures and videos of children
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Benson pilot gets DFC for 'true mettle'
AN OXFORDSHIRE helicopter pilot has been awarded one of the military’s top bravery medals. It was announced today that Flight Lieutenant Kevin Harris, based at RAF Benson, had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after leading a helicopter
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Oxfordshire's 'teen MPs' selected
AFTER months of hard campaigning, Oxfordshire’s aspiring politicians have now been selected to represent the county at national level. Sixteen candidates from schools across Oxfordshire stood for three coveted positions to become a Member of
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ANGLING: Kennet barbel boost
Since the start of the slightly more settled weather, I have been fishing the Kennet at Burghfield in search of a barbel or two. It has been a bit of a struggle, not only for me, but the rest of the lads who are fishing this stretch, and blanks are
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ANGLING: Mills is new Evenlode champion
This year’s Evenlode Championship attracted a field of 33 between Chadlington and Fawler. Still high after all the snow and rain, the river had hardly any colour, so it was hard work. Charlbury’s Mark Mills took the title with 10.5.0, which included
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ANGLING: Let's keep the closed season
One of the weekly angling papers recently carried the headline ‘Don’t close our rivers!’, claiming that some anglers are calling for an extension of one month for this year’s river season. Their reasons are that it will help the tackle trade during these
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Debenhams ready to skake it up
STAFF at a department store in Oxford will today shake buckets to raise funds for the city’s children’s hospital — and encourage people to take part in this year’s OX5 Run. Debenhams’ staff will be collecting money for the children’s hospital at the
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GREYHOUNDS: Yeates hits out over Emma snub
OUTRAGEOUS – that's the general feeling at Oxford Stadium over the original omission of the Pattinson Construction Trafalgar Cup winner Freedom Emma from the Ladbroke Puppy Derby at Monmore. Emma, owned by Stuart Locke-Harte and trained by Richard Yeates
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Our housing estate: What a site!
RESIDENTS are fed up with living in an “unfinished” housing estate more than two years after the last homes were built. People living in Penlon Place and Vintner Place, Abingdon, said the entrance to the estate still looked like a building site, as
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A visit to the library
People were in the firing line this week for claiming to read books they have never picked up. Apparently lots of people say they have read George Orwell's 1984 when they haven't, Tolstoy's War and Peace, or even the Bible. I am among the 25 per
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Man convicted of raping schoolgirl
A man was today found guilty at Oxford Crown Court of the rape of a 14-year-old girl in October 2007. Kamran Khan, 27, of Netherfield Road, Bolton, raped the girl at a house in Bartlemas Close on October 17, 2007. The jury took just under five hours
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Today's local share prices (PM)
AEA Technology 14.75 BMW 1790 Electrocomponents 124 Nationwide Accident Repair 102.5 Oxford Biomedica 6.75 Oxford Catalyst 56.5 Oxford Instruments 141 Reed Elsevier 476 RM 168 RPS Group 150 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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SCHOOL SPORT/HOCKEY: Magdalen land regional crown
Magdalen College School’s Under 14 team are celebrating after winning the South Regional Championship at Bloxham School. The Oxford youngsters won three of their four games to top the group, and now go on to the national finals at Millfield School next
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SCHOOL SPORT CRICKET: Bartholomew girls unbeatable
THE girls of Barthlomew School, Eynsham, proved unbeatable as they reached the regional finals of the Lady Taverners Under 15 indoor eight-a-side competition. Five schools entered the Oxfordshire qualifier at Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre and Bartholomew's
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Burglars steal fake TVs
Thieves who broke into a show home thought they had stolen two televisions — but they actually took dummy models. The show flat in Elms Road, Botley, was burgled in the early hours of this morning. The thieves also stole light fittings
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Leisure centre 'not at risk'
TOWN councillors said there is no threat to the future of a Didcot leisure centre despite discussions over its future management. Soll Leisure, which is contracted to run the town council-owned Willowbrook Leisure Centre until 2012, confirmed it was
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GREYHOUNDS: Yeates hits out at Emma snub
Outrageous – that's the general feeling at Oxford Stadium over the original omission of the Pattinson Construction Trafalgar Cup winner Freedom Emma from the Ladbroke Puppy Derby at Monmore. Emma, owned by Stuart Locke-Harte and trained by Richard Yeates
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BILLIARDS: New boys Riley close in on title
With only two weeks of the Oxford & District Billiards League season remaining, newcomers Riley A look set to win the Division 1 title. Following their 3-0 win this week over Eynsham, they are seven points clear of nearest rivals Fieldside, who have
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SNOOKER: Bennett helps Fieldside win top-table battle
Fieldside consolidated top spot in the Premier Division of the Gentworks Oxford & District Snooker League with a 4-2 win against their nearest rivals Abingdon RBL A. Mick Bennett put Fieldside 2-0 ahead before Mick Russell shared frames with Abingdion's
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TABLE TENNIS: Bicester give holders a shock
Bicester A caused quite a stir by knocking out defending champions Forum A in the quarter-finals of the Aubrey Hug-hes Handicap Shield competition. Forum were without their captain, Karl Bushell, and paid the price. In a match where there was no handicap
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Oxford's resident art masters show off their talents
AN ART exhibition celebrating people, places and faces of Oxford has opened its doors. The Town Hall exhibition, People in the City, marks Susanna Pressel’s year as the city’s Lord Mayor. Paintings, sculptures, drawings and even a video
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Royal pages go on display at Bodleian
BOOKS once owned by four medieval and Tudor queens went on display at the Bodleian Library in Oxford to celebrate World Book Day. Staff at the world-famous Oxford University library showed the books owned by St Margaret of Scotland, Queen Eleanor of
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Green tips
NORTH LEIGH: Children from the village primary school caught the energy efficiency bug when they received a visit from Southern Electric’s schools’ liaison officer, Jennifer Kelly, and colleague Rob Pritchard. They talked to students about ways to be
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BOXING: Dark Blues go for four in row
Oxford University will target a fourth successive Varsity Match victory at Old Billingsgate Market, London on Tuesday night. Although it is Cambridge University’s turn to host the annual event, they have opted for the 1,500-seater arena. Oxford have
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BOXING: Townsend's tips from the top
Promising Oxfordshire boxer Clinton Townsend has just rerurned from a week’s expert tuition with a world champion The 15-year-old from Witney, a member of the Oxford Boxing Academy, trained at the TKO Gym in Tenerife with WBO super-featherweight title
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BOXING: Jordan out to make history
Jordan Flynn hopes to become Berinsfield’s first ever national schoolboy champion when he faces Hayden Rush, of Retford, in the class 1 42 kg final at Dagenham today. Berinsfield’s chief coach Mel Corrigan, who has masterminded the preparations, said
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CRICKET: Umpire wanted
Sunningwell Cricket Club, near Abingdon, require an umpire for their second team who are entering the OCA for the first time this summer. Those interested should email Peter Thwaites at peterthwaites@tiscali.co.uk or ring him on 01865 747682 (h) or
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BASKETBALL: Eagles brought back to earth
Oxford Eagles Under 18s’ attempt to secure their fourth victory of the season against Southend fell just short in Essex on Sunday. Having secured three National Conference wins against their Essex opponents, Eagles had high hopes of another victory.
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Sports bids
DIDCOT: A signed and framed Chelsea shirt, signed Oxford United shirt and Williams F1 cap are among the items being auctioned on Saturday, March 28. The sporting memorabilia auction at The Ladygrove pub at 9pm, is being organised by town mayor Tony Harbour
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Lights switch off a real turn off for some
HUNDREDS of street lights have now been switched off to cut the county’s carbon footprint. Oxfordshire County Council began its switch-off programme to turn out the lights for five hours a night earlier this year and is close to completing
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Rosenthal hit by Fat Duck bug
TV PRESENTER Jim Rosenthal is on a course of antibiotics after dining at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck restaurant. The Oxford United fan got a stomach bug after visiting the Fat Duck with his wife Chrissy, boxing promoter Frank Warren and three other
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Pupils lead way to award
BICESTER: A school is leading the way in learning after getting an award for the inspirational way children are taught. Staff and pupils at Brookside Primary School have been celebrating after becoming the first school in the county to scoop the Leading
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Bomb threat drag queen jailed
A teenage drag queen from Banbury who made a hoax bomb threat to WH Smith headquarters in Swindon was today jailed for 14 months. Joel Broad, 19, telephoned the switchboard of the retail giant's headquarters on September 1 last year and said there was
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Go West
WILD THYME, NEW STREET, CHIPPING NORTON 01608 645060 Angela Swann can’t wait to revisit a cosy place where the food is cooked to perfection. ATTENTION all foodies! Hitch up your wagons and head west – to West Oxfordshire that is, and
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Heavy Petting
A JOURNALIST in America writes a book about his dog and the sentimental story goes on to sell an astonishing six million copies. It sounds like the script for a Hollywood movie – and it is. The film Marley and Me, starring Jennifer Aniston,
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Cutting Edge
IMPRESS OXFORD, at The North Wall Arts Centre, Summertown. BOUND only by ability and a passion to print, Oxford Printmakers use some of the most up-to-date methods of screen-printing alongside techniques that remain unchanged since the time
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Private Eyes
WATCHMEN (18) Action/Sci Fi/Drama/ Romance. Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matthew Goode. Director: Zack Snyder. BLOODSOAKED from the outset – hence the 18 certificate – Zack Snyder
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I've Been A Bad Girl...
TEMPEST Rose is about to kick Oxford out of its comfort zone with a great big, feathery, sequinned stiletto heel and into the 21st century. The creation of former Oxford High School pupil Ariadne Blakey, right, Tempest Rose is now a proud member of
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Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink...
JUST mention the word sex and most Brits dissolve into a quivering mess. Which is why 60 Minutes Of Sex is being introduced at Oxford Science Week, to bring us to our senses and address some of those burning issues that we love not to talk about.
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Pomp Obscures Royal Romance
THE YOUNG VICTORIA (PG) Drama/Romance. Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Miranda Richardson, Mark Strong, Paul Bettany, Thomas Kretschmann, Rachael Stirling, Michael Maloney. Director: Jean-Marc Vallee. OF ALL the love stories that have defined the
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Unleash The Beasts
I’VE mentioned before the difficulty clubs always seem to have with Tuesday nights. Indeed, it’s almost as though there is a curse on that particular day of the week. The empty rooms and persistently dull R’n’B of Afrobeat a couple of weeks ago did
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Raw And Tender
FOR a change of pace you’d be hard pressed to beat the sublime folk melodies of singer-songwriter Jon Boden, left, who plays The Jericho Tavern tomorrow with his band The Remnant Kings. Known for his appearances as part of folk-dance brass band Bellowhead
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Today's local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 15.5 BMW 1759 Electrocomponents 122.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 102.5 Oxford Biomedica 6.75 Oxford Catalyst 56.5 Oxford Instruments 138 Reed Elsevier 486.75 RM 168 RPS Group 149.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Top Ranking
WHEN The Beat were at the peak of their popularity, Britain was a bleak place. The country was sinking into recession, unemployment was climbing, shops and factories were closing down, crime was on the rise, and politicians were regarded with suspicion
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Prepare To Mosh
WHATEVER happened to The Darkness? There was a time, not that long ago, when the novelty glam-rock nutters seemed unstoppable. Then, shortly after the release of their brilliantly named follow-up album One way Ticket To Hell… and Back, it all kinda went
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Death-crash driver charged
A woman has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a collision on November 10 on the A34 northbound slip road at Gosford,when Charlotte Hil, aged 13, was killed. Magdalena Ochnio, 30, of Columbia Place, Milton Keynes, was charged
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Woman charged over Kidlington death crash
A woman has been charged over the death of Kidlington schoolgirl Charlotte Hill. Charlotte, 13, died following a collision on the A34 northbound slip road at Gosford, Kidlington, on November 10. Magdalena Ochnio, 30, from Columbia Place, Milton Keynes
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Madeleine media coverage questioned
The spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann is set to address the Oxford Union about whether media coverage helped or hindered the search for their daughter Madeleine. Clarence Mitchell will discuss the response to Madeleine's disappearance from her family's
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Honda Racing becomes Brawn GP
The future of the former Honda Formula One team has been secured after the Japanese manufacturer agreed to pass ownership of the operation to Ross Brawn, who becomes team principal of the new Brawn GP outfit. The deal secures the future
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MP calls for fresh ruling on assisted suicide
Oxford West and Abingdon MP Dr Evan Harris has called for a new Parliamentary ruling on the legality of assisted suicide. It comes after the deaths of Peter and Penny Duff, from Bath, who suffered from terminal cancer and took their own lives at a suicide
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Turley sets the target
GOALKEEPER Billy Turley reckons Oxford United need to win nine of their last 11 games to reach the play-offs, starting at Forest Green tomorrow. The veteran stopper, 35, who was outstanding in United’s 3-0 victory at Eastbourne on Tuesday, feels Chris
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McCann spokesman faces Oxford Union protest
CAMPAIGNERS hoping to discover what happened to missing Madeleine McCann will stage a protest in Oxford tonight. Members of the Madeleine Foundation — a group unconnected to the official Find Madeleine group — plan to hand out flyers while the
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Reward for a true hero
IN EVERY sense of the word, Warrant Officer Gary O’Donnell is a true hero. The soldier, a member of the highly-skilled and highly-regarded 11 Explosive Ordnance Regiment, based at Vauxhall Barracks, in Didcot, was also a 40-year-old father-of-four and
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Raw sewage floods popular city park
RAW sewage has flooded one of Oxford’s most popular parks, forcing city officials to close it to the public. Last night, engineers from Thames Water were involved in a “rigorous clean-up” of Florence Park, Cowley, after sewage started flowing from manholes