Archive

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UPDATE: Engineers working throughout night to fix burst water main

ENGINEERS will be working through the night to try to fix the burst water main beneath Oxford's Botley Road. Thames Water said a five inch main had burst tonight between Binsey Lane and Ferry Hinksey Road. The road has been closed while engineers

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Burst water main closes Botley Road

A BURST water main has closed Botley Road in Oxford. The road has been closed between Binsey Lane and Ferry Hinksey Road. Thames Water has advised the closure will remain in place until lunchtime on Sunday. Access will be maintained to

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Supporters welcome free school

SUPPORTERS say a new free school in East Oxford could be a chance to improve education standards and provide more primary school places. Tyndale Community School in Barracks Lane, will be run by Chapel Street Community Schools Trust and Oxfordshire

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Trees at risk in river hydro-electricity plan

CONCERNS have been raised about the potential loss of trees caused by an ‘environmentally friendly’ hydro-electric scheme. Plans to build a £500,000 micro-hydro generator and information centre next to Osney Lock in Oxford will cause more environmental

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Mail prize warms the hearts and home of winners

THE lucky first winners of the Oxford Mail Christmas number competition are going to spend their prize money on keeping extra snug. Clifford and Jennifer Green, from Cowley, use a traditional coal central heating system. And, with the price of

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Council sticking with ‘tacky’ market signs

NEW signs dismissed as “tacky” have been approved for Oxford’s historic Covered Market. City councillors on the west area planning committee approved the signs on Wednesday, despite previously describing them as “completely unimaginative”.

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Christmas tree-t for troops flying from Brize Norton

FLYING out to Afghanistan for a tour of duty is never easy for any soldier, but especially difficult at this time of year. Now a garden centre has tried to create a little seasonal magic by donating a Christmas tree to Brize Norton air base.

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BILLIARDS: Terrific Thame stun Abingdon

Division 2 basement boys Thame sprang a massive shock with a 5-0 win at home to Division 1 leaders Abingdon Conservative Club in the Gentworks Oxford & District League’s Stephen Reiss Cup first round. Tom Fletcher (+80) set the ball rolling

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Homes plan approved despite protests

A NEW house has been given planning permission in North Oxford despite dozens of objections from neighbours. Residents opposed a plan to knock down a house in Blenheim Drive, off Woodstock Road, and replace it with two semi-detached homes.

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Prime Minister welcomes market move

PRIME Minister David Cameron has said he is delighted that Witney Farmers’ Market will move back to the Market Square. The market had been based at Marriotts Walk Shopping Centre but has suffered falling customer numbers and seen the number of

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RUGBY UNION: Welsh well beaten by Grenoble

London Welsh 13, Grenoble 27 LONDON Welsh were effectively knocked out of the Amlin Challenge Cup after today's Pool 5 defeat at Oxford's Kassam Stadium. The Exiles are ten points behind leaders Stade Francais with two matches to play, but

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Who was Oxford United's man of the match at Morecambe?

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Music ringing out to benefit shelter funds

EFFORTS to help the homeless this Christmas are being boosted by musicians through a series of eclectic fundraising concerts. The Oxford Gatehouse, based next to St Giles Church, in Woodstock Road, Oxford, provides free food, shelter and company

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Morecambe 1 (Ellison 78) Oxford United 1 (Worley 88)

HARRY Worley came off the bench to grab a valuable late equaliser as Oxford United salvaged a point from a tight game. Morecambe looked like they had pinched all three points when Kevin Ellison opened the scoring at a corner 12 minutes from time. Worley

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Art graduates launch their first exhibition

RATHER than living off benefits in unemployment, two young Oxford art graduates created their own art group. Samir Koudoua and Joe Davis, both 22, were buzzing this week as they launched their first exhibition in Oxford. Mr Koudoua and Mr Davis

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SNOOKER: Calcutt seals victory in style

Lewis Calcutt hit Division 1’s highest break of the season with a run of 69 to help Witney E to a 4-2 home win over Abingdon RBL in the Gentworks Oxford & District League. The match was all-square after Witney’s Ron Reddy and Wayne Reddy shared

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ANGLING: Bream are back with a bang at Marston

Some rivers were getting back to somewhere near normal last weekend after the floods and big bream dominated the latest Marston AC FTB Fred Foster Cup match on a fast and coloured Cherwell. Pete Clarke had four of them and a skimmer for a winning

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Psychiatric unit opens next year

AN £11M psychiatric unit to deal with young people will take in its first patients in the new year. The revamped Highfield Unit, based at Warneford Hospital in Oxford, will provide inpatient mental health services for young people aged 11 to 18

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Musical day opportunity for children

YOUNG musicians are being encouraged to know their Bach from their Beethoven. In the new year, school children across Oxfordshire will have the chance to try out life in an orchestra for a day. The new free teaching course is being run by the

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RUGBY UNION: London Welsh v Grenoble

3:19pm Full-time: Welsh 13, Grenoble 27. The Exiles were well beaten 3:12pm Welsh 13, Grenoble 27 (Taukeiaho try) 3:09pm Welsh

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Residents recall floods of yesteryear on major road

WHEN the water level began to rise in Abingdon Road nearly three weeks ago, residents recalled the flooding in 2007. But 93-year-old Olive Goodgame’s memory goes back much further – to a time when she saw men paddling boats up and down the busy

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RUGBY LEAGUE: Oxford swoop for Thompson

Oxford RL have continued their recruitment drive by signing forward Alex Thompson. The loose forward or hooker played a handful of games for Warrington Wolves, before joining Oldham last year where he made 19 appearances and scored 11 tries.

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Milestone marks Queen's Diamond Jubilee

A WEST Oxfordshire village has installed a milestone to create a lasting celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The milestone was created by Ducklington sculptor Alec Peever and installed in Long Hanborough’s Main Road. Hanborough Parish

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Lib Dems pick Oxford West & Abingdon candidate

FLOODING and transport are among the issues on which the prospective Liberal Democrat candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon will fight the next election. Physics teacher Layla Moran has been chosen by the party to go head-to-head with incumbent

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GLOBETROTTER: An African adventure in The Gambia

AS soon as you step out of the aircraft on to Gambian ground and the sweltering air wraps around you like a hot towel, you need to take off your watch and forget about it. Time does not matter here. In fact, GMT equals “Gambian Maybe Time”. Watches

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Rounders sessions on offer to anyone over 16 years

SPORTS fans are being rounded up for good old fashioned games of rounders in the new year. In partnership with England Rounders and the Oxfordshire Sports Partnership, GO Active will be offering two courses for people to attend in January and February

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Protest over decision to extend Milton Park

VILLAGERS are protesting against a decision to allow Milton Business Park to expand by 20 per cent. The scheme would create an additional 54,000 square metres of floor space and could generate an extra £10.5m a year by 2020. However, residents

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Updates - Morecambe v Oxford United

Good morning and welcome to the Globe Arena. Oxford United have made the long trip north to Morecambe for a 1pm kick-off, all the build-up and updates to come. As always your input is very welcome, either post a comment below or via our Twitter

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Home burgled

COLESHILL: Thieves climbed up scaffolding to steal two watches and two musical jewellery boxes. The burglary happened at a home on the B4019 between 9pm and 10.30pm on December 5, but police ronly released the details yesterday.

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No new cases of ash disease

No new cases of Chalara dieback have been found in Oxfordshire, the Forestry Commission has said. In November the county’s first case was confirmed at the Kingsmere development outside Bicester. It led to more than 300 imported ash trees from

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Bailed again

Connor Aldous, 21, suspected of stealing £35,000 from his triple amputee soldier friend Alex Stringer, has been bailed again by police. Aldous, from Essex, was arrested over money allegedly missing from the former Bicester soldier’s account.

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Volunteer call to keep confused elderly safe

A NEIGHBOURHOOD-Watch-style project to return dementia sufferers to their homes has kicked-off – and now needs volunteers. The Neighbourhood Return scheme will help carers find patients who go missing by creating a network of Good Samaritans to

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GREYHOUNDS: Stalwart bookies on move

Bookmakers RD Racing and Claydon Racing will move their pitches to Perry Barr and Coventry respectively. Both have been at the forefront of Oxford Stadium – along with Robert Dunn – in providing plenty of sponsorship at Sandy Lane over the years

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RUGBY UNION: Batemen seeks to make mark

London Welsh hooker Greg Bateman knows today’s clash with Grenoble offers players like him a real opportunity. The 23-year-old has yet to start an Aviva Premiership game for the Exiles, but has featured prominently in their Amlin and LV Cup sides

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SWIMMING: Mostefai in gold heaven

Miriam Mostefai won seven gold medals as City of Oxford swimmers starred in the Maxwell Christmas Meet at the Aqua Vale Centre in Aylesbury. In her ten events, Mostefai also picked up a silver and two bronze medals. Connor Bryan won five golds

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CRICKET: Ryan ready for the challenge

New Oxfordshire captain Luke Ryan is backing his side to shine in both forms of Minor Counties cricket. The 24-year-old, whose appointment makes him the county’s youngest skipper, believes Oxon have the potential to better last year’s second-place

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RUGBY UNION: Jones looking for progress

Lyn Jones has urged London Welsh to build on their last tie at Grenoble when they host the same opponents in Pool 5 today (1.30). The Exiles’ head coach was happy enough with the performance in last Friday’s 20-9 defeat. Jones made 13 changes

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Home burgled

A rear window was smashed by a burglar who stole two laptops, two mobile phones, and a camera from a Headington home. The crime happened in Staunton Road on Thursday between 10am and 7.25pm. Call police on 101 with information.

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Carer who stole £31k from vulnerable woman jailed

A MENTAL health carer who stole more than £31,000 from a vulnerable woman with the mental age of a five-year-old was jailed yesterday. Over the course of four years Denise Kiff swindled cash from Maureen Baker, who she was supposed to be looking

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Traffic delays

A broken down vehicle on a roundabout in Standlake caused traffic delays yesterday morning. The vehicle broke down on the B449 Aston Road at the A415 Abingdon Road junction at about 7.46am. Minor delays were reported.

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First community market for Leys

The first community market in Blackbird Leys will go ahead today. Residents on the estate will be able to enjoy fresh food, handmade crafts and a community cafe among a range of 16 stalls. The market will be held at the Barn in Nightingale

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Pews quarrel almost ended in court case

A CHURCH narrowly escaped having to go through rare legal proceedings over a dispute about replacing its pews. St Mary’s Church in Witney hoped to remove all but six of its 32 pews and install chairs to create a more flexible space as part of a

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Woman in hospital after dog attack

A WOMAN has been taken to hospital with dog bites following an incident in Barton this morning. Police were called to Aldbarton Drive shortly after 8am to reports of a dog attack. Inspector Sandie Harris said: “We are still in the very early

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Flu jab for NHS workers helps protect patients

HEALTH workers in Oxfordshire are being urged to get winter flu jabs amid warnings that low vaccination rates could lead to vulnerable patients becoming infected. The Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUH) sent its health bus around sites

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OUR VIEW: What a nonsense

THE advice from Oxford City Council about a cedar tree standing in the way of building a micro-hydro generator in Osney is a nonsense. Basically, if West Oxford Community Renewables submitted plans for a generator, and kept the tree and others

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Landlords face fines over HMO licences

COUNCIL officers will knock on doors in an effort to catch licence-dodging land-lords. Enforcement bosses say about 1,860 landlords face fines of up to £20,000 each for not applying for a house of multiple occupation (HMO) licence. Since January

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RACING: Dublin Flyer dies

Dublin Flyer, the popular bold-jumping front-runner who spent his early career and retirement in Oxfordshire, has died at the age of 26. The John Sumner-owned gelding was originally trained at Letcombe Bassett, near Wantage, by the late Captain

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TABLE TENNIS: Forum C on song to batter Bicester

Forum C moved six points clear in Division 2 of the Oxford & District League after a 10-0 whitewash over previously-unbeaten Bicester C. It is a harsh scoreline on the losers, however, with four matches going the full distance, only for the

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GREYHOUNDS: Champion Kibble will double up

There is light at the end of the tunnel for Oxford’s champion trainer, Angie Kibble. The Bampton-based handler looked like being left out on a limb with the impending closure of Oxford Stadium. After being turned down by Swindon, Kibble last

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CRICKET: No change for HCPL

The Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League (HCPL) is set to continue with its current membership of clubs next season following weeks of uncertainty. Speculation has been rife that the Hertfordshire clubs may quit the league in 2013 – a move

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RUGBY UNION: Welsh handed victory

London Welsh have been awarded a surprise victory after Grenoble were found to have fielded an ineligible player in last week’s clash. The Exiles went down 20-9 at the Stade Lesdiguieres last Friday, but were subsequently awarded a 28-0 win and

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GREYHOUNDS: Igotafeeling looks primed to deliver

Gilly Hepden, second in the Oxford trainers’ championship, can land the nap in the top grade A1 tonight with Igotafeeling. Farloe Zico looks good in the Not Ur Self Stakes (8.20), while Angie Kibble has a strong hand in the 9.35 with Builders Katie

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No rescue yet for sunken boat

AN OVERTURNED boat near Oxford's Osney Lock could remain partially submerged for weeks. The Environment Agency said in order to remove the boat, which capsized during heavy rainfall last month, part of the weir would need to be closed. Spokesman

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‘Fantastical’ museum gets the go-ahead

A TURRETED museum with roof top walkways celebrating the history of storytelling has been given the go-ahead by planning bosses. Proposals for the £11m Story Museum in Oxford impressed city councillors with its unusual design, which includes turrets

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Fans say bonjour to special rugby rivals

RUGBY players in Oxford are today gearing up for some fierce but very friendly rivalry. London Welsh are taking on French team Grenoble at Oxford’s Kassam Stadium in a match which will be particularly friendly off the pitch because of a happy coincidence

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OUR VIEW: Now let justice be done in case of shamed solicitor

IT will be interesting to see if Thames Valley Police now resumes an investigation into solicitor Raymond Ridley. The Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that he dipped into clients’ money for business and personal expenses for more than six

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Carol signers show their focal range

AN EXTRAORDINARY choir will today aim to prove that you don’t need to hear Christmas carols to enjoy them. Around a dozen members of the Oxford Hard of Hearing Group have been rehearsing for an unusual concert. They have been practising carol

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Oxford boss Chris Wilder wants U's to wise up

Chris Wilder expects a big improvement in performance from Oxford United today to prove last Saturday’s flat display was a one-off. The U’s missed an opportunity to claim three vital points as they were lacklustre in a 1-1 draw at home to Aldershot

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Solicitor struck off

A SOLICITOR who plundered £370,000 of clients’ money to prop up his ailing firm has been thrown out of the profession. Raymond Ridley, 58, dipped into the cash for business and ‘personal’ expenses for more than six years, the Solicitors’ Disciplinary

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Sporty Santas and elves line up for big race

AN unusual festive sporting event will take to the streets of Oxfordshire today. The Oxford Triathlon Club is holding its fancy dress duathlon at Bletchingdon. About 50 triathletes are expected to take to the county’s roads for a ten-mile run

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Badvent December 15: Dealing suspect in the frame

HIDING from the police and behind door 15 of our Christmas crime calendar is suspected drug dealer Albert Haxhia. The 24-year-old was charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs but did not turn up at Oxford Crown Court in August

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End is in sight for 'eyesore' building

JERICHO residents have welcomed news that work will soon be starting to redevelop a boarded-up “eyesore”. Former sheltered housing block Grantham House, in Cranham Street, has been vacant since 2007 when Oxford City Council rehoused its 20 elderly

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Denis Witney case - 'treat evidence with caution'

A MURDER trial jury was yesterday told to treat evidence from twins with caution. Judge Patrick Eccles made the comments when summing up at the end of the five-week-long trial at Oxford Crown Court. Homeless Denis Witney, left, was beaten to