Archive
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Flood Watch alerts issued in Oxfordshire
A SERIES of Flood Watch alerts have been issued for rivers in Oxfordshire tonight as water levels rise due to the rapid thaw after recent snow. The alerts cover the following rivers: Chalgrove Brook, at Chalgrove and Stadhampton.
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SNOW: Hamlet finally liberated from its icy jail
PEOPLE living in a hamlet in west Oxfordshire were last night celebrating after snow was cleared from roads around their homes. Residents of Asthall Leigh, near Minster Lovell, said they had been trapped since Wednesday, January 7, after 9in of snow
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Scalding company's sentencing adjourned
A CARE company which admitted liability after an 18-year-old woman was fatally scalded from a hot bath in the city appeared in Oxford Crown Court today. Lifeways Community Care Ltd admitted a charge brought by the Health and Safety Executive
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Jury retires in football club treasurer trial
THE jury in the trial of a woman accused of stealing thousands of pounds from a youth football team and the Ministry of Defence has retired to consider its verdict. Natalie Ross, 39, of Reedmace Road, Bicester, denies stealing 17 counts of theft from
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Man jailed for attacking ex with baseball bat
A 28-YEAR-OLD man who attacked the mother of his child with a baseball bat after finding her in bed with another man was jailed today. Matthew Forrest, of Fencott, Kidlington, had drunk 10 pints of Guinness and four vodkas before bursting into
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'Get drunk and you go to jail'
A VIOLENT street drinker is banned from getting drunk or being violent after being released from prison. Last month, Anthony Begley, 25, was jailed for 12 months for carrying out a violent burglary in Abingdon in which a man had his head stamped on.
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Dangerous dogs are city-wide menace
DANGEROUSLY out of control dogs are a city-wide concern, police say. The RSPCA, police, city and county councillors and Oxford East MP Andrew Smith met on Thursday to discuss a two-year string of incidents in Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys
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SNOW: Potholed roads leave a big bill
KEEPING Oxfordshire moving during the cold spell will land the county council with a £1.5m bill, according to estimates. County Hall had set aside £870,000 for snow clearance and gritting from November until the end of January, but is facing a £630,000
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SNOW: Gritters finally reach isolated hamlet
PEOPLE living in a hamlet in West Oxfordshire are celebrating after snow was cleared from roads around their homes. Residents of Asthall Leigh, near Minster Lovell, said they had been trapped since Wednesday, January 7, after nine inches of
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Sentence on care home adjourned
LIFEWAYS Community Care Ltd, which ran an Oxford care home where a disabled teenage girl was scalded in bath water and later died, is due to be sentenced for a health and safety offence on Friday. The company ran the care home in Owens Way, Cowley, Oxford
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End racing call after dog's death
OXFORD Stadium has defended its safety record after a greyhound had to be put down following a race. The stadium’s general manager spoke to the Oxford Mail after an animal rights organisation called for the dog track to be closed, following
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Friend helps deliver new baby
A WOMAN helped her friend give birth at home while an ambulance battled its way through snow and ice to help them. Mum Rebecca, who would not reveal her surname, went into labour at her home in Greater Leys on Saturday. Fortunately her friend Sasha
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PLANE CRASH: Aircraft took off from Oxford Airport
THE plane which crashed in Bladon today had taken off from Oxford Airport, it has been confirmed. Two people were killed in the crash. James Dillon-Godfray, who is responsible for development at the airport near Kidlington, said the
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Man ordered to repay benefits
A MAN who defrauded a council out of almost £600 in housing benefit has been ordered to repay the cash. David Jeffrey, 57, of Blake Road, Bicester, must pay back £597.23 to Cherwell District Council. He was also fined £100 and ordered to pay £100 court
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PLANE CRASH: Fire service statement
OXFORDSHIRE County Council Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed 45 members of personnel have attended the plane crash in which two people died. Crews from Woodstock, Eynsham, Witney and Charlbury joined Oxford Airport fire service crews and specialist
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Man's body found in flat
A MAN’S body has been found in a flat above a petrol station in South Oxfordshire. Officers were called to the flat above the Summit filling station in Thame Road, Stadhampton, shortly before 11am today. Thames Valley Police spokesman Vicky Brandon
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Local shares (PM)
AEA Technology 27 BMW 2812 Electrocomponents 175 Gladstone 29 Nationwide Accident Repair 28.25 Oxford Biomedica 11.5 Oxford Catalysts 50 Oxford Instruments 220 Reed Elsevier 510 RM 168 RPS Group 211 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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PLANE CRASH: More witnesses describe crash
ISOBEL Squibb-Williams, 20, of Heath Road, Bladon, said: "I heard the engine struggling. He must have circled two or three times over the village. "He really did seem to be trying to avoid the houses. "The engine sounded in trouble, and he was going
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PLANE CRASH: witness describes "humbling" wreckage
JAMES Thomas was at Park House Bed and Breakfast and Tea Rooms in Grove Road, Bladon, when the plane crashed. He said: "I heard something come over the house earlier on but I didn't think much of it because we hear planes all the time. "Then all the
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PLANE CRASH: First images
THESE are the first images from the scene of the Bladon air crash, where two people lost their lives. Oxford Mail reader Jeffrey Wright took these pictures and sent them into oxfordmail.co.uk. As you can see villagers are congregating
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PLANE CRASH: 'Pilot avoided houses'
CRAIG Theobald, landlord of the White House pub in Grove Road, Bladon, said he heard a low flying plane go past at about 2pm. He said: “We heard the engine really revving, and spluttering, but didn’t think anything of it. “It must have
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PLANE CRASH: Witnesses speak of "bang"
SAM Thomas, bar manager at The Boat Inn, Thrupp, said one of his members of staff was having a smoke outside when he heard the noise of a plane crashing near Bladon this afternoon. Mr Thomas said: "He heard the engine cut out and 30 seconds later he
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Lapping up the Northern Lights
The cold, crisp night air hugged us tightly as we sped, often airborne, over the snowy white trails of Norway’s Arctic Circle. Our guide had told us to keep one eye on the road and another on the sky, but both my eyes were on the green and blue lights
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Two die in Bladon plane crash
Two people died in a plane crash near Bladon this afternoon. Thames Valley Police said they were called by a member of public at 2.08pm today to a report that a plane had crashed in a field near to the A4095 in Bladon. A spokesman
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PLANE CRASH: Two dead
TWO people have been killed in the plane crash at Bladon today. The light aircraft is believed to have been engulfed in flames following the crash in a field at about 2pm. Witnesses at the scene say there is a 50ft long trail in the
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Booming car share club to buy second vehicle
A CAR-sharing scheme in Oxford has proved such a success it is getting a second vehicle. Forty people have joining the Headington scheme since it began in June last year. The project, run by Commonwheels, follows successful car-sharing
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Leys youth soccer club gets FA seal of approval
A FOOTBALL club has scored its seal of approval from the Football Association just over a year after it was formed. Greater Leys Youth FC was the first football club to represent the area when it was set up by Nick Courtney-Cramp in September 2008, after
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ANGLING: Moss voices fears over crayfish threat
In this month’s edition of Course Angling Today, there is an excellent article about signal crayfish written by local angler Stewart Moss. Stewart used to work for J&K Tackle at Bicester and is now at Drennan International. He also spends a lot of time
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SWIMMING: Ace Law wins six of the best
Olivia Law collected six of Abingdon Vale’s 21 gold medals when they hosted their Winter Open Meet at Temple Cowley, Oxford. Meanwhile, Didcot Barramundi’s Oliver Ripley picked up three gold medals in the Bluefins' New Year Open Meet at Basingstoke
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SWIMMING: Golden day for Vessey
City of Oxford ace Alex Vessey won three gold medals in the Abingdon Vale open meeting held at the weekend. More than 200 nine to 15- year-olds, representing ten clubs in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire competed in ten events and 14-year -old Vessey
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BILLIARDS: Cool Ashton are in cruise control
Ashton A booked their place in the last four of the Oxford & District League’s Atox Cup with a 4-0 win at Thame. Ashton’s Peter Fenn (+20) defeated Paul Evans (scratch) 75-41, 75-32. John Street (+20) crushed Brendon Ensoll (+20) 75-38, while Terry
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SNOOKER: Yarnton send Eynsham crashing out of cup
Yarnton RBL A pulled off a shock as the Division 4 side sent Buildbase Handicap Cup holders Eynsham B crashing out of the competition with a crushing 4-1 victory. Yarnton’s John Parsons beat Kevin Truby 2-0, before Pete Astall shared frames with Dan
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ICE HOCKEY: Forshee named as Stars coach
Oxford City Stars have appointed Ken Forshee as their head coach following the departure to Swindon Wildcats of Simon Anderson. The first job for Forshee, who will be in charge until the end of the season, will be to prepare the team for Saturday’s trip
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BOXING: Flynn is set for title challenge
Berinsfield starlet Jordan Flynn begins his National Schoolboy Championships campaign at his home gym next Saturday. For the 13-year-old, it is the start of a quest to add a second title to the one he lifted in 2009. Flynn became Berinsfield’s first
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Fears of death in plane crash
POLICE, fire and ambulance services are attending reports of a plane crash near the A44 by Bladon. There are initial reports that at least one person may have died but these have not been confirmed officially.
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HOCKEY: Hawks' plea for volunteers
Oxford Hawks have put out an urgent plea today (Friday, Jan 15th) for volunteers to come and clear snow from the pitch this evening to enable matches to take place tomorrow.
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BILLIARDS: Ashton reach semis
Ashton A booked their place in the last four of the Oxford & District League’s Atox Cup with a 4-0 victory at Thame in one of only three matches to survive the freezing weather conditions, writes DICK HASHMAN. Ashton’s Peter Fenn (+20) won both his games
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Manor Racing launch GP3 team
John Booth, the team principal of Sir Richard Branson-backed Virgin Racing, today announced the launch of a new driver development initiative, the Manor Racing GP3 team. Manor GP3 is a new team entry for the GP3 Series, a single seater racing
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Lorry crash causes M40 delays
A crash involving a lorry caused long delays on the M40 in north Oxfordshire this afternoon. The crash, which happened on the northbound carriageway between junction nine at Wendlebury and junction ten at the Cherwell Valley Services, blocked
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White rhino dies at wildlife park
A white rhino who lived at the Cotswold Wildlife Park for 38 years has died. Bull, the park’s first rhino, passed away on Tuesday, January 5, aged 41. He was one of the first large mammals to come to the park, near Burford. Three new
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Man injured in bus collision
A PENSIONER suffered head injuries after a collision with a Park and Ride bus in Oxford city centre. The 65-year-old man was injured at the junction of Worcester Street and New Road at about 11.15am. He has been taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital
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Snow: £1.5m roads bill
The cost of keeping Oxfordshire's roads moving through the winter weather will be an estimated £1.5m, County Hall said today. Oxfordshire County Council set aside £870,000 for the cost of gritting and clearing roads of snow for November to
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 26.75 BMW 2816 Electrocomponents 176.1 Gladstone 29 Nationwide Accident Repair 88.5 Oxford Biomedica 11.4 Oxford Catalyst 50 Oxford Instruments 219.5 Reed Elsevier 509.25 RM 170.5 RPS Group 219.4 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley,
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Adventures with Patrick Woodrow
Rummaging through old newspaper cuttings, I came across a curious quote from Patrick Woodrow. The novelist and creator of two successful adventure thrillers sees himself “as a storyteller rather than a writer”. I’m intrigued by what he means. He spends
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Local author
The new fictional sleuth of prolific Bicesster crime writer Ann Granger, Det Insp Jess Campbell, makes her debut in paperback in Mud, Muck and Dead Things (Headline, £7.99), set in the Cotswolds. Meanwhile, the third Martin and Ross book is due out next
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Dickensian adventure
THE LAST DICKENS Matthew Pearl (Vintage, £7.99) Charles Dickens died before finishing his last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and over the years there have been countless attempts to re-create the end of the story. US author Pearl has taken a
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Books choice
Darwin’s Dogs Emma Townshend (Frances Lincoln, £8.99) Charles Darwin was a superb observational naturalist whose meticulous observations underpinned his conclusions about the evolution of all earth’s creatures. He was a dog-lover all his life and
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How plants power the planet
Eating the Sun Oliver Morton (Fourth Estate £9.99) The subtitle of Morton’s brilliant book, The Everyday Miracle of How Plants Power the Planet, says what it’s about. It comes in three parts: the first tells how we gradually put together an understanding
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Picture books choice
Picture books are notoriously hard to get right. Just ask any parent; or, at least, one who still bothers to partake in the increasingly endangered tradition of the bedtime story. How many times have you picked up a lavishly illustrated volume
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SNOW: £1.5m bill for clearing roads
THE cost of keeping Oxfordshire's roads moving through the winter weather will be an estimated £1.5m, County Hall said today. Oxfordshire County Council set aside £870,000 for the cost of gritting and clearing roads of snow for November to
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Oxford United boost as Stevenage game is called off
Oxford United will have the opportunity to go back to the top of the Blue Square Premier tomorrow because new leaders Stevenage's game at Wrexham has been called off. Stevenage lead Oxford by a point, and United are confident that their game against
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Oxford United are back in business
Oxford United are “very confident” that their Blue Square Premier game against Tamworth at the Kassam Stadium tomorrow will be ON. Rising temperatures have greatly improved prospects, and no pitch inspections are planned. Secretary and general manager
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Oh Papa!
The price for a sporty-looking, lively handling hatchback can sometimes be a high one. High purchase price, high insurance rating and low fuel consumption can be the triple whammy waiting to take some of the shine off your dream purchase.
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Snow: More ice on way
The ice and snow covering swathes of the UK continues to melt away - but the thaw may not herald the end of the bitter weather, forecasters said. Rain and milder temperatures will hasten the thaw with the mercury rising up to 10C in south-west
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ANGLING: Weather-beater Toby's top chub
With Oxfordshire in the grip of one of the coldest winters for the last 30 years, it was no surprise that all of last Sunday’s matches were cancelled. However, one angler who wasn’t fazed by the icy blast was Toby Pope, from Abingdon. Tony, 29, fished
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SNOW: Schools back to normal
SCHOOLS across Oxfordshire will fully reopen as normal today. However, Enstone Primary School in Chipping Norton and Harriers Ground Community Primary School in Banbury will only open between 10am and 3.15pm.
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Charity intervenes for drug charges Brit
A CHARITY which fights to get fair trials for people being held in foreign jails is helping a Faringdon man. Father-of-two Alan Rae, pictured, is facing up to 15 years in jail in Peru after he was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle
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U's and council reveal vision for all-weather football park
CHILDREN could train on the same pitches as their footballing heroes under an ambitious Oxford United scheme to create an all-weather sports ground. U’s chairman Kelvin Thomas has begun talks with Oxford City Council about creating a
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Forecasters’ fog
THE Met Office has admitted it blundered in not spotting the snow which came in on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Bosses have promised a review, but this organisation is close to being completely discredited. Don’t forget it told us that last summer would
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Tragic case stresses need to get help
PATRICIA STOUTE’S death, jumping from Carfax Tower as she failed to come to terms with her debts, is a tragic one. Mrs Stoute had 14 credit and store cards and debts approaching £25,000, and had previously tried to take her life. Yesterday
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Chiltern Trains' Oxford link seals franchise extension
CHILTERN Railways has secured the right to run trains between Oxfordshire and London until 2021 after the Government yesterday backed the firm’s plans to create a second route from Oxford to London. As previously reported in the Oxford Mail
