Archive
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Oxford Town Hall evacuated
Oxford's Town Hall was evacuated this evening after the fire alarm sounded. The west area planning committee was interrupted at around 7.10pm, after a debate about plans to extend the opening hours of the 02 Academy in Cowley Road. Councillors
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Signal problems disrupt trains
TRAIN services between Oxford and Banbury and on the Chiltern Line are being disrupted by signal problems at Kings Sutton. Network Rail engineers are trying to find the cause of the fault, which is believed to be linked to the power supply. First Great
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Industrial site set for development
A HISTORIC industrial site near Wantage could be turned into a housing development for 71 homes. The Nalder Estate in East Challow, which is more than 150 years old, has been earmarked by developer Bewley Homes. The small site was historically used
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Chief Constable hits the dance floor
SHE’S more used to hot-footing it after criminals, but for the next couple of weeks Chief Constable Sara Thornton will be working on a different kind of footwork. The 49-year-old is taking part in the first ever Strictly Oxford dancing competition to
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Bus service is unpredictable
MAJOR roadworks on Oxford’s Iffley Road have been blamed for unpredictable bus times. Littlemore is served by Stagecoach’s route 16 buses which are supposed to run every half an hour. But Littlemore resident Dorian Hancock, who is a member of the parish
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Abingdon's County Hall Museum to reopen next month
AFTER being closed for nearly two years for a £3m restoration, Abingdon’s historic County Hall Museum is to open next month. The doors to the 17th century building will open to the public on Saturday, July 7. Julie Mayhew Archer, chairman of Abingdon
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Last chance to have say on rail changes
CHILTERN Railways passengers have until Friday to have their say about the train operator’s plans to overhaul its timetables in December. For more details of the proposals for services from Banbury, Kings Sutton, Bicester North and Haddenham & Thame
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ANGLING: Farmoor offers fly-fishing courses
Places are available for a fly-fishing course for beginners, which is being run at Farmoor Reservoir, near Oxford, on Saturday, June 23. The £35 course, which runs from 9.30am to 4pm, is run by qualified instructors and lunch will be provided
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Leisure centre in line for £350,000 update
GYM users in Witney look set to get new equipment and facilities thanks to a £350,000 investment in the Windrush Leisure Centre. GLL Nexus, which runs the Witan Way centre on behalf of owner West Oxfordshire District Council, looks set to splash the
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Busking to brighten up rainy day
WITH exams looming, the rain pouring and a return to lessons after a week off, it could have been a depressing start to the last part of the school year at Oxford Spires Academy. But a bunch of intrepid musical pupils put on an impromptu busking
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Rotary club to close
A LACK of new blood at Wallingford’s oldest Rotary club has forced it to close. The Rotary Club of Wallingford raises £14,000 a year for charity and was formed in 1966. But it will hold its last meeting on June 25. Club president
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Steer clear of the beer before Stratford's new Julius Caesar
Prospective visitors to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new production of Julius Caesar, which I review enthusiastically today on our arts pages, are advised to stay out of the Dirty Duck beforehand — or, at any rate, steer clear of the beer. Unusually
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Martin Amis peddles a dangerous myth
You might have supposed that Martin Amis’s enthusiasm for smoking would have diminished following the well-publicised death of his perpetually puffing best pal Christopher Hitchens. But there he was in the Sunday Times this week singing the praises
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Jamie Oliver's Fabulous Feasts at Garsington Opera
‘In or out?” The question that the pourer of the Angostura bitters used to ask in the days when we drank pink gin applies in more recent times to the matter of where we eat during the supper interval on a visit to a country house opera. Will it
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Probing a murder by Worcester College's famous lake
‘It is unusual for [Anthony Trollope] to use a real place name for the action of his fiction, as he does in Old Man’s Love,” writes John Sutherland in one of his explanatory notes supplied in the Oxford University Press’s World Classics edition
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Review of What's for Dinner? Second Helpings
Written by mother-of-four Romilla Arber, who has learnt first-hand how hard it can be continually to come up with appetising family meals, What’s For Dinner? Second Helpings is invaluable for others in the same position. What makes the book different
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Dev's Army: Old Fire Station, Oxford
A well-crafted play with a good cast is the perfect theatrical recipe — and that is what was delivered by Dev’s Army as part of Oxfringe. Set in the Irish Republic during the Second World War, it focuses on a band of the Home Guard. These are ‘Dev’s
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newChoir: Mansfield College Chapel
After a successful launch earlier this year, newChoir gave a promising follow-up on Sunday with an adventurous programme that contrasted sharply with their debut concert in March. From an exploration of sacred works they turned this time to secular music
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Women urged to get a smear test
A CERVICAL cancer survivor has urged women not to ignore their smear test appointments. Each year 25 women in Oxfordshire are diagnosed with cancer of the cervix, but screening rates in the county are below the national average. The
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From the garden to the shop in hours
I make no apology for featuring the enterprising market gardeners Lucy and Jonathan Bowden on this page once again. Theirs is a good luck story that has come about through their hard work and enthusiasm. It supplies evidence, too, of Eynsham’s
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The French helped to make the Oxford we know
Oxford’s early development into a university city of international importance closely mirrors the development of England as a nation. Both evolved from established French entities: Oxford from the university of Paris, and England from Normandy,
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Rock of Ages and Fast Girls
Bow down to the gods of rock as director Adam Shankman cranks up the volume to 11 for an energetic musical based on a popular stage show. Punctuated by breathlessly choreographed, show-stopping renditions of Pat Benatar, Europe, Foreigner, Journey and
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Out of the Blue: New Theatre, Oxford
The 15-strong Oxford student a capella ‘boy band’ Out of the Blue enjoyed a significant boost to their popularity as a consequence of their journey to the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent. Viewing You Tube footage of their appearance as I write has
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The Magic Flute: Longborough Festival Opera
With this new Magic Flute, Longborough Festival Opera comes to the end of its Mozart opera cycle — next year Wagner reigns supreme, with only La bohème getting a look-in alongside no fewer than three Ring cycles. As with LFO’s preceding Mozart productions
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Matthew Bourne's Early Adventures: Oxford Playhouse
Matthew Bourne is celebrating 25 years of his company’s existence with Early Adventures, three productions that began to establish his name. I saw these works first time round, when one had no idea of what was to follow; looking back now across
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Danza Contemporenea de Cuba
On their last visit, two years ago, this company was impressive; this time their show was a disappointment. Choreographer Itzik Galili has won a lot of awards, and is involved in the Olympics opening ceremony. In his Sombrisa, stark, unflattering shafts
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The Orchestra of St John's: Ashmolean Museum
Former Christ Church chorister and undergraduate Sir William Walton didn’t exactly score an immediate, universally admired hit with his self-styled “entertainment” Façade. The Manchester Guardian wrote of “relentless cacophony”. Critic Edward J. Dent,
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L'Olimpiade: Garsington Opera at Wormsley
A slow-motion performance by the actor athletes and a cheeky burst of Vangelis’s unforgettable theme music introduce an appropriate — if amusingly irreverent — element of Chariots of Fire into Garsington Opera’s timely revival of Vivaldi’s rarely seen
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The Mikado: Sunningwell Festival
It’s not often you get to see The Mikado accompanied by the occasional splashing of ducks, or with Ko-Ko making his first appearance in a punt. But this is all part of the charm of the Sunningwell Festival — a kind of mini Henley Festival set around a
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Petit Mal: The Oxford Playhouse
There was a packed house for this remarkable show — they were even turning people away — and those who had seats certainly got their money’s worth. The stage is perhaps some sort of storeroom or interior junkyard. It’s full of car tyres, lumps
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Lucia di Lammermoor: Opera Holland Park
The 2012 season of Opera Holland Park — almost a ‘home gig’ thanks to the Oxford Tube stop just down the road — is off to a splendid start with Olivia Fuchs’s unfussy new production of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Notable chiefly for a compelling
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Julius Caesar: The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Since we have long been expected — quite properly — to be colour blind over casting at the theatre, why has any presentation of Africa on the stage necessarily to be made, it would seem, through the use, almost exclusively, of black actors? This question
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Brookses bailed on phone hacking conspiracy charges
FORMER News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and her racehorse trainer husband Charlie today made their first appearance in court on charges relating to the phone hacking scandal. Mrs Brooks, 44, and Mr Brooks, 49, who live in Sarsden
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Local shares (AM)
AEA Technology 0.2 BMW 4642 Electrocomponents 197.3 Nationwide Accident Repair 65 Oxford Biomedica 2.4 Oxford Catalysts 53.5 Oxford Instruments 1160.5 Reed Elsevier 482.75 RM 74.6 RPS Group 202.3 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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School turns wasteland into sensory garden
IT IS now a lush green garden, but a year ago it was a concrete wasteland behind a school. Carswell Primary School in Abingdon yesterday unveiled its new sensory garden with the help of TV science presenter Dr George McGavin. The garden was
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AUNT SALLY: Waite fires a double-sixer
Willy Waite became the fourth player this season to hit a brace of sixes as his 16 dolls helped Bullnose Morris A to a 2-1 win at Rose Hill Club in Greene King Oxford & District League Section 3, writes ANDY BEAL. Waite was on target with his first 15
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United lack ambition
I have been an Oxford United supporter for more than 50 years and I am feeling there is a singular lack of ambition at the club after reading your sports pages (Oxford Mail, June 8 and yesterday). They have already lost one good midfield player in Asa
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Chiltern warns passengers of train diversions
CHILTERN Railways is giving passengers early warning that due to engineering work on the weekend of June 30 and July 1, trains to and from its Oxfordshire stations will be diverted to serve London Paddington station, instead of Marylebone. Passengers
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Fury over water boss's bonuses
OXON: The top boss of Thames Water has come under fire after it was revealed his bonuses in the last year almost matched his salary. Martin Baggs was awarded £418,359 for the year to March 31 on top of his £425,000 salary, according to the company's
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Stars enjoy romantic birthday treat
CELEBRITY couple Elizabeth Hurley and Shane Warne have told fans of their romantic trip to Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, in Great Milton. The actress and model tweeted: “I had the most romantic birthday night at Le Manoir aux
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Railway inquiry nears finish
THE inquiry into Chiltern Railway’s proposed £130m link between Oxford and London is set to conclude tomorrow. The scheme, known as Evergreen 3, aims to create a fast Oxford-Bicester-London service. The inquiry is being held at the Kassam
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Smoking ban justified
In response to P Howard’s letter (Friday’s ViewPoints), when are smokers going to realise that smoking is a choice, not a necessity, and smoking has no medical advantages to the human body. Furthermore, patients have to pass through hospital sites to
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Technology firm sees profits soar
IT sounds like science fiction but tiny particles have turned into huge profits for an Oxfordshire engineering firm. Oxford Instruments, based at Tubney Woods, near Abingdon, has seen its pre-tax profits rocket more than 60 per cent to £42m in the last
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Supermarket manager foils alarm code gang
A MANAGER at an Oxfordshire supermarket helped foil a gang of serial criminals who plotted to raid Co-ops throughout the county. The three men, who have 72 convictions between them, posed as security staff to gain the alarm codes for a string of branches
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Policies are wasteful
I have just returned from a trip to the Ardley recycling centre. On putting some metal in the recycling skip I noticed what looked like a brand new wheelchair. My elderly mother is confined to a wheelchair and this looked to be in infinitely better
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Fire-hit family still living in hotel
A YOUNG mother and her two children are still in a hotel more than two months after losing their home in a fire in Didcot. Dozens of people were forced to flee a block of flats in Venners Water on the Ladygrove estate when fire broke out during the early
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CRICKET: Maule rewarded
Tiddington CC coach Alan Maule has been recognised for his outstanding services to grassroots cricket. Maule, from Thame, was presented with a special coaching certificate by former England captain Nasser Hussain during the Third Investec Test against
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CRICKET: Buckingham on the mend
Andy Buckingham set Oxford Downs on the way to a six-wicket win at home to Cumnor in the Oxfordshire semi-final of the Yorkshire Tea Village Cup – before ending up in hospital after suffering a nasty blow to his mouth. Buckingham had made 67 as Downs
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HOCKEY: Wallingford's national silver
Wallingford put in a superb display to finish runners-up in the National Mixed Plate final at Sheffield. After beating former champions Solihull 4-3 in a heart-stopping semi-final, Wallingford went down 5-2 to National League side Barford in the final
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Rethink swim decision
It seems to me that the Ministry of Defence has it very wrong in withdrawing public access to the Bicester Garrison swimming pool in Ambrosden (Oxford Mail, May 31). The MoD has stated that the increase in the number of troops relocating to Oxfordshire
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Leave Jeremy in peace
I REFER to your front page picture (Monday’s Oxford Mail) of Jeremy Clarkson enjoying a cigarette at the Blenheim Triathlon. This non-story, which merely shows a well-known local personality relaxing at a local event, is a wholly unwarranted intrusion
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Imports export our jobs
Derrick Holt’s letter (Oxford Mail ViewPoints, May 14) is sadly spot on. What he fails to mention is that manufacturing industry in this country has suffered by the lack of patriotism. Our people buy German products such as cars. The French
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Self-serving attitudes
So Oxford City Council spokesman Louisa Dean resorts to saying that “research has shown” that providing homeless people with a hot meal once a week “encourages rough sleeping” (Friday’s Oxford Mail). Of course it does, just like voting means the electorate
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Scientists collaborate on giant telescope project
Scientists at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Didcot have been working with Oxford University researchers to help create the world’s largest ground-based telescope. The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) is set to be built by the European
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Camerons should be thankful
So David Cameron, his family, friends and police security team drove away from a pub leaving his daughter behind (yesterday’s Oxford Mail). Having spent the past 40 years shepherding children on to school buses and obsessively counting heads, I can say
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Man arrested after armed swoop due in court
A 24-year-old man arrested by an armed response unit last night in Oxford city centre will appear at Oxford Magistrates' court this morning. Kojo Ritchie, of Hambleside, Bicester, was arrested on suspicion of assault and firearms offences in Thames
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Dial-a-ride services may get more cash
More free buses for the elderly could be provided in Oxford next year after controversial cuts to dial-a-ride services, a senior councillor said last night. The city’s dial-a-ride service was cut in April after responsibility for its operation
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MAC THE KNIFE: Beanz meanz bother for a five-star hotel
The best thing about this column is being able to share all my Basil Fawlty moments with you all. Which brings me round to my most recent incident – baked beangate. Because I’ve recently discovered that posh hotels don’t consider baked beans worthy of
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Soup kitchen deserves to get further funding
When I picked up my Oxford Mail on Friday, I was so pleased to see a lovely photo of Icolyn Smith and thought “yes” this wonderful lady has got another award for her kindness and devotion to the homeless, but no. This lady has given her services voluntarily
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THE DISABLED SPACE: Why are we always so sorry?
WELL, the Jubilee is over and all the stars came out for a big showy concert to finish it off. I saw that Elton John made his obligatory appearance in front of the royals. I’m not a fan of Elton’s style or awful hair job, but the man can write
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FOOTBALL: Oxford City boss in cash warning
Oxford City boss Mike Ford has given a stark warning to any potential players wanting a lucrative pay-day to think again. Although he is keen to add to the squad following their elevation to Conference North, Ford said he would not be breaking
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Students take a trip to Wonderland
A FANTASY world of rabbit holes, tea parties and Mad Hatters has been unveiled at Oxford Castle. Budding artists yesterday got a glimpse of a new exhibition celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first telling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
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Lewis nabs a seventh series after huge hit
FOR many TV fans he was always seen as the sidekick, but now Robbie Lewis is finally stepping out of his boss’s shadow. Within days of the previous series of crime drama Lewis finishing, ITV has confirmed that a new series has been commissioned with
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COMMENT: One tough cop
FIRST Kevin Whatley, the star, and then Colin Dexter, the creator, have seemingly called time on the life and times of Lewis. Yet with a seventh series now commissioned, it’s hard to see anyone killing off our city’s telly ’tec for a while.
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Thieves steal copper cable from lorry as driver sleeps
Thieves stole five drums of copper cabling from a lorry while the driver slept in the cab. The Scania lorry was parked in a lay-by on the northbound A34. The theft happened between 7.30pm on Monday and 4am yesterday. Pc Ian Macpherson appealed for
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MP welcomes formal inquiry into grooming
HARROWING details of child exploitation were described to MPs at a House of Commons inquiry into grooming spearheaded by Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood. Ms Blackwood, below, said she was shocked by the allegations uncovered in the ongoing
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Councillors to rule on controversial plans
OXFORD city councillors are set to decide tonight on a bid for extended opening hours at the O2 Academy in Cowley Road, and plans for an extension at Oxford University Press in Walton Street. The planning committee meeting, which is open to the public
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County on alert with more wet weather to come
WET weather prompted Environment Agency bosses to issue more flood alerts on rivers and streams across Oxfordshire yesterday. Two waterways in the Vale of White Horse became the latest in county to be put on flood alert after Monday’s heavy rain. The
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Pensioner urges cyclists to take greater care after serious collision
A PENSIONER who believes she is lucky to be alive after being knocked down on a pedestrian crossing has urged cyclists to take extra care. Barbara Sandford last night spoke of her ordeal after being left with internal bleeding, a broken wrist
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Garden show is definitely 'on' say organisers
ORGANISERS of The Oxfordshire Garden Show are reminding members of the public that the event is still going ahead this weekend. The show opens at Cornbury Park, Charlbury, at 9.30am on Friday and runs for three days. Hundreds of people are expected to
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COMMENT: Cyclists have a road safety responsibility
THERE is a certain minority of our cycling community who fantasise they are Lance Armstrong, whizzing through a section of the Tour de France. In their mind’s eye they are extreme sportsmen and women, cutting corners and enjoying the freedom life on
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Pregnant woman rescued after flat fire
TWO people trapped in their second floor flat flat by a blaze were rescued by firefighters this morning. A pregnant woman and a man were led down a ladder to safety in Banbury's Market Place. Firefighters were called to the blaze at 3.17am.
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Help needed to catch tyre dumpers
CHERWELL enforcement officers want the public’s help after more tyres were dumped in the district. In the latest incident 125 tyres were dumped in a lay-by in Fenny Compton Road, Claydon, near Banbury. The incident, between 7pm last Wednesday and 6am
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Hosepipe ban to be lifted
OXFORDSHIRE’S hosepipe ban is expected to be lifted tomorrow. It comes after what Thames Water has described as an ‘extraordinary amount of rain’. The hosepipe ban came into force on April 5. The water company has this morning
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Stolen model trains found under hedge
A HIGHLY collectable 1960s model train set worth hundreds of pounds is among a haul of unusual items found under a hedge in North Oxford. Police are trying to track down the owner of the set, which was found at The Cherwell School, in Marston
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Deadline is here for school makeover competition entries
IT IS the last opportunity for Oxfordshire primary schools to be in with a chance to win a £7,500 makeover. The deadline for schools to put themselves forward for our School Build SOS competition is tomorrow. For the fourth year running, the Oxford
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UPDATE: Four flood alerts lifted
FOUR of the flood alerts issued in Oxfordshire over the past two days are no longer in force, after water levels fell. The Environment Agency says there is no longer a risk of the River Evenlode overflowing its banks along its course from Moreton-in-Marsh