Archive

Jurors in the Allan Kimber murder trial are continuing their deliberations on Friday. Before retiring on Thursday, Mr Justice David Calvert-Smith told them they must decide whether five key pieces of evidence amount to "an unfortunate series of coincidences

Scores of mourners gathered at St Peter's Church in Didcot today for the funeral of Grant Embling who was killed in a motorcycle accident. Twenty-year-old Mr Embling, who lived in Sinodun Road, Didcot, died on September 26 after a crash on the A4130

A LORRY driver who stopped on the A34 before a crash which killed a man has been found guilty of dangerous driving. Richard Brown, 55, was this afternoon convicted by the jury at Oxford Crown Court of dangerous driving on the A34 at 4.30am on December

AEA Technology 96 BMW 3025 Electrocomponents 282.25 Isoft Group 50.75 Oxford Biomedica 26.75 Oxford Instruments 202.25 Oxonica 155 Reed Elsevier 599.75 RM 170.25 RPS 238 Torex Retail 36.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

AEA Technology 96 BMW 3025 Electrocomponents 282.25 Isoft Group 50.75 Oxford Biomedica 26.75 Oxford Instruments 202.25 Oxonica 155 Reed Elsevier 599.75 RM 170.25 RPS 238 Torex Retail 36.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

A Royal Marine has died after a suicide attack in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has announced. The explosion took place in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, when a bomber tried to attack a Nato vehicle. Two children are also believed

Last night in Chipping Norton I heard a fascinating account of Chinese history since 1945. The speaker, John Gittings, had witnessed the major events of the last 30 years, including the Tiananmen Square protests. He was China specialist & East Asia

Heck, what on earth is going on? Who are all these people? Where did they all come from? As if it wasn't bad enough to wake up to find myself under Ed Vaizey (so to speak), I now find myself trampled underfoot by a whole host of other people I don't know

A PENSIONER who survived a major heart operation died three weeks later after being struck down with a superbug described as the most virulent seen in two decades. Philip Hepden, 76, of Wychwood Drive, Milton-under-Wychwood, went to the John Radcliffe

A STUDENT has uncovered how Oxford University Press helped to protect crucial intelligence documents during the Second World War with James Bond-style gadgets. Hidden copper rivets, highly flammable paper and vanishing ink were just some of the techniques

THE £110m redevelopment of Oxford Brookes will establish a new zone of Oxford dedicated to education and health. The university this week unveiled the scale of its ambitions in Headington, as it published results of a public consultation, showing strong

Teenage entrepreneur Lewis Bankes-Hughes has designs on a successful future after becoming the youngest ever member of the Federation of Small Businesses. The 14-year-old from Somerton, north Oxfordshire, created graphic and website design business Fluffy

Rapidly expanding bookies Stan James is set to continue its growth by taking over part of Oxford-based River Racing's business. The Wantage firm is looking to snap up its rival's shop in Park End Street for an undisclosed sum, as it continues to cement

Building firm Leadbitter has taken a big step in its growth plan after it took over a major rival. The acquisition of Kent-based Denne Construction, for about £17m, will take the Abingdon firm's annual turnover to around £250m, placing it in the top league

Computer wizard Stephen O'Neil has proved he is the business after being voted Oxfordshire's Most Enterprising Student 2006. Mr O'Neil, 21, from Bicester, picked up the Shell Step award after spending the summer working with high-tech Bicester firm WebmartUK

Two youngsters have completed a marathon fundraising trip to help raise cash for a new project aimed at helping ex-Services personnel start up in business. Brothers Ethan and Elliott Smith took six days to trek along the Ridgeway national trail from

Simultaneously sad and pleasing is that habit of builders to name their developments after whatever was on the site before they obliterated it. Cases in point include Osney Mead Industrial Estate, commemorating a water meadow that once belonged to the

Mark Creed, one third of an almost-holy hairdressing trinity, started out sweeping up hair and making tea. Now, he and his two partners, Sam Harding and Andrew Hall, have opened a second Philosophy hair salon. Set in a three-storey building dating from

While talking to Ruth Nussbaum, the co-founder and co-director of ProForest, I was feeling guilty about my notebook. I needed one urgently, so had dashed into the nearest newsagent and bought the first I saw. But I should have looked for one with a Forestry

Asylum Research seems a strange name for a business making microscopes to examine samples on an atomic scale and producing stunningly detailed and colourful 3D images using a probe thinner than a human hair. Managing director Dr Shelley Wilkins is used

Final closing time at Oxford's Wharf House pub leaves CHRIS KOENIG rueing a missed opportunity Received wisdom among dons and dossers, who for more than a century have frequented the Wharf House pub, in Butterwycke Place - one of only two buildings

He scaled the heights at a tender age but now the young aviator dubbed the Baby Branson' after winning the approval of the Kidlington tycoon, has come down to earth with a very different type of business. Martin Halstead, now 20, came under the national

It takes a leap of faith to uproot yourself from a comfortable career working with a large company to set up a small business. But it was a move Lisette Cook (pictured right) felt compelled to make after 18 years in middle management with telecommunications

International travel is no longer the preserve of a minority. Thanks to cheap flights and, in business terms, globalisation, millions of people visit a range of different countries every year. But do they really know where they are going? Are they armed

by Mike Collier How do you improve on what is already the best car of the year? Easy - you supercharge it. By common consent, Jaguar's latest XK is its best sports coupe since the hallowed E-Type was finally regulated out of existence. The XKR is the

The pages of In Business are usually full of entrepreneurs busy setting up their own businesses, but Jason Knight and Ash Parton are different. Although they run the specialist running shop Up & Running in Headington as if it were their own, it actually

The cluster of businesses in Botley seems to be growing almost by the day. Seacourt Tower is filling up rapidly, while the Minns Business Park is a hive of activity and, of course, there is plenty of hustle and bustle through the West Way shopping centre

Stress has long been recognised as a major problem in the workplace and can have a major impact on our health and general wellbeing. But while all of us will recognise the symptoms to some extent, how do we manage them, and what can we do to try and minimise

We have all met monster bosses, but few people have the courage to stand up to them. Tim Field, who died aged 53 from cancer in January, devoted his life to campaigning against workplace bullies after suffering a breakdown. He had enjoyed a successful

There are few more distinctive smells than that experienced in a brewery, as the heady aroma of fermenting hops and malt stimulates the senses. The Wychwood Brewery, tucked away on the Eagle Industrial estate in Witney, is no exception, especially as

Lucy Thomas talks to hotel business coach Michael Cockman There seem to be new hotels springing up all over the place, so it was a surprise to me when I spoke to Michael Cockman to find that there were hotels that were actually not performing that well

by Tom Walker of Wantage-based Charles Lucas Marshall The Companies Bill is the first fundamental overhaul of company law since 1985. It has been designed to benefit small businesses, with the aim of simplifying corporate procedures, and will become

Is every day life really worth recording for future posterity? This was a question Andrew Jewson asked himself when he first came up with the idea of producing a life journal,' a record of the minutiae of an individual's existence which are often forgotten

The enduring image of IT experts all being under 30 and capable of doing wonderful things that baffle the rest of the population is not necessarily true. At least that is the case with David Harding who, at 57, is running a sophisticated software company

The £1m Refurbishment of a former Oxfam building in Oxford is progressing fast, according to agents. Work at Barclay House, Summertown, on the first and second floor offices above Marks & Spencer, is due to be completed by the spring. The new accommodation

Families will find plenty to do at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley during the school half-term holidays next week. As well as the ever-popular children's workshops throughout the week, including Texture Tiles, Mog the Museum Cat and Going Batty,

German company Proteros biostructures, based in Munich, has opened a UK office at the Oxford Science Park. Co-founded by Nobel Laureate Professor Dr Robert Huber, the company's main offices are based in Martinsried, the suburb of Munich that boasts the

Work on the new Northgate Scheme in Banbury is due to be completed by next April, developers have confirmed. The Office Villages scheme will comprise self-contained office buildings, arranged in three blocks, in a high quality landscaped environment,

Growing citrus fruit can be very rewarding, writes VAL BOURNE Every large garden once had its own orangery close to the house and Waterperry Gardens, near Wheatley, was no exception. It is a Victorian structure and is home to a much-loved Seville orange

Work has started on the refurbishment of the former Littlemore Research Institute in Oxford. RO Developments, which bought the site last November for £5.1m, will transform the property to create a 41,000 sq ft office complex, suitable for a corporate

The last garden centre in Oxford city centre is closing, marking the end of an era. Summertown Garden Centre in Banbury Road is selling off what remains of its stock, with owner Stuart Meanwell concentrating on his thriving cycle business which will expand

It's official - workers at the Bicester office of construction consultants BYL are among the happiest in the UK. Bosses were praised by auditors for having such contented and upbeat staff. After conducting interviews, experts assessing the firm for

BOTLEY: Six legal eagles' have qualified as solicitors at leading law firm Blake Lapthorn Linnell based at Seacourt Tower. They are Chris Burt (commercial litigation); Tania Coventry and Kate Hathaway (real estate - residential); Jo Dawtrey (commercial

KIRTLINGTON: Award-winning advertising and marketing agency t2 Studios has expanded to open an office in the village. The increasing demands of a growing client base in the Oxfordshire area sparked the move to the Dashwood Hotel complex. The company

OXFORD: Patent partners Adrian Hayes and Hsu Min Chung and chartered patent attorney Dr Stephen Blance have relocated to the Oxford office of patent firm Boult Wade Tennant. And the company's trade mark partner, Emma Pitcher, has taken over advice on

Bizarre questions put to sixth-formers hopeful of university place, writes ANDREW FFRENCH Sixth-formers are being asked a series of bizarre questions when they attend interviews for Oxford University. As pupils from across the country are preparing

TO find out more details of the events listed below, contact Business Link Solutions on 0845 606 4466 or visit www.businesslinksolutions.co.uk unless otherwise stated. OCTOBER 23: Enterprise Day, Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington OX5 1AB, 9am, £20

NORTH FACE OF SOHO Clive James (Picador, £17.99) Doctors should prescribe the second instalment of Clive James's memoirs for anyone suffering mild depression. It is the funniest book I have ever read and the memory of this writer's ability to make me

HELEN PEACOCKEwalks the trails around the Rollright Stones in the Cotswolds to find out about the work of a voluntary warden Little Rollright hides its tiny 15th-century church among trees in a fold of sweeping hills. You have to travel along a dirt

Mapledurham Mill was for many years the only watermill left on the Thames, according to Stan Yorke, author of Windmills and Watermills Explained (Countryside Books, £7.99). It is a picturesque sight, but Yorke says we must shed romantic images of bygone

THE END OF IRAQ Peter W. Galbraith (Simon and Schuster, £17.99) Most commentators on Iraq have never been there and don't intend to go, but Peter Galbraith is that rare bird - an American who knows the Middle East well. Here, he doesn't argue about

THERESA THOMPSON admires the portrait work of a nation's favourite, David Hockney You know that feeling when you go to a big party full of friends you've not seen for a while? You go from one room to another and everywhere you turn there's someone

George Monbiot grew up in South Oxfordshire, where his mother was a Conservative councillor. He now lives in Oxford. His latest book Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning (Penguin, £17.99), argues that climate change will spiral out of control unless we

by Rob Stepney A year ago, Charlbury publisher Jon Carpenter hit on the novel idea of a poetry anthology based on his home town - verse about the town and surrounding countryside, by any poet; and verse by Charlbury people, on any subject. So there

A SOFTWARE seller is recruiting 30 new staff after moving its head office to Oxfordshire. K3 Retail Business Solutions, which provides electronic till systems based on Microsoft Dynamics to shops and businesses, was previously based in Calne, Wiltshire

It is an Oxford that has remained unexplored and unappreciated for decades. The millions of tourists from around the world who are led around the college quads and chapels in the city's Medieval heart are not offered as much as a glimpse of this place

DEMAND from one-person businesses wanting to move out of the back bedroom has sparked a major expansion by a company providing office accommodation. The Clarendon Enterprise Centre will open its third and largest Oxford development at Prama House, the

AN OXFORDSHIRE company has been chosen for a £10m programme to replace windows and doors at hundreds of schools across the county. 3D Aluminium Plas, of Eynsham, has won a five-year contract, which has an option to be extended for a further two years

TROUBLED health software firm iSoft has put itself up for sale after managers admitted that delays in its National Health Service contract will have a major impact on its business. The company, which last month announced it would move its head office

STUART Beavon bagged a brace as Didcot preserved their unbeaten away run with a 4-2 win at Lymington & New Milton in the British Gas Business Southern League Division 1 South & West on Wednesday. Goals from Ian Concannon and Paul Powell saw Didcot storm

Hello Blackpool and Skegness, goodbye Tuscany, the Seychelles, Ibiza and the Canaries. It's now official - we must stop taking cheap flights and start taking holidays in Britain, say Oxford University experts. Their comprehensive study on how aviation

RYAN Curtin's late strike earned Abingdon United a 1-1 draw at Newport IoW in the British Gas Business Southern League Division 1 South & West on Wednesday night. Abingdon started slowly and went a goal down after just ten minutes when Watson found

Lynne Plowman denies her new opera at the Oxford Playhouse, The House of Gods, aims to shock, writes NICOLA LISLE "Comedy and horror walk hand in hand," says the press release, and that's a pretty neat summation of the potent mix of sex, magic and

Next week David Nixon brings his new ballet The Three Musketeers to Milton Keynes Theatre. He talked to our Dance Critic DAVID BELLAN Since he took over five years ago as artistic director of Northern Ballet Theatre, David Nixon has won the company

Fire crews tackled a series of car fires last night which are now being investigated by the police. Arsonists struck first at the back of the of the RSPB building in South Bar Street, Banbury, shortly after 8pm, while a van was set alight at the back

POLICE are investigating a series of car fires last night. Arsonists struck first at the back of the of the RSPB building in South Bar, Banbury, shortly after 8pm, while a van was set alight at the back of the Reindeer pub in Bolton Road, Banbury, at

The story of Lynne Truss's enormous success with her punctuation primer Eats, Shoots & Leaves is too well known to need repeating. That it made her a very wealthy woman inspires no jealousy in me; I am the last to resent the financial success of any of

AEA Technology 96.75 BMW 2989 Electrocomponents 280 Isoft Group 50.5 Oxford Biomedica 27.25 Oxford Instruments 202 Oxonica 155 Reed Elsevier 595.25 RM 173 RPS 234.25 Torex Retail 36.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

19/10/2006 AEA Technology 96.75 BMW 2989 Electrocomponents 280 Isoft Group 50.5 Oxford Biomedica 27.25 Oxford Instruments 202 Oxonica 155 Reed Elsevier 595.25 RM 173 RPS 234.25 Torex Retail 36.5

That jovial Italian Antonio Carluccio ought to be smiling even more broadly than usual at present. Not just because it's autumn - time for all the delectable funghi that he so adores - but because his catering business is booming. Profits at his chain

2005 Orangerie de Pennautier Chardonnay: Bored with Chardonnay? Then you can't have tried this unoaked, tangily fresh apricot and citrus infused wine, with real balance, depth and texture. Not as obvious and blowsy as many New World Chards nor as under-fruited

It's been a great year for apples. Yields have been up and the size and quality of this year's fruit is worth shouting about. The apple harvest has been so good we should all be eating English apples and cooking with them too. Sadly this is not happening

Sue Butler Miles, from Barnard Gate, near Eynsham, won the 2005 national competition to find Britain's Best Bramley Apple Pie. She says the secret was a little piece of almond paste she had left over from baking a cake, which she added to the pie to

FIRE crews were called out just after 8pm last night to a fire in Curbridge Road, Witney, at a garage and unoccupied property. Four fire engines attended the incident.

For the last 50 years, the London Film Festival has always sought to bring its audience the best in world cinema. However, the 2006 English-language selection is as strong as it has been for many years, with the documentary and experimental strands matching

There is a legend of a man who lives beneath the sea. He is a fisher of men. He is The Guardian." When Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast of the US, the men and women of the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers raced into action, plucking thousands

Seth Lakeman is the thinking woman's folk crumpet and the Zodiac was packed to the rafters with hen parties ogling his toned physique and expertise on the tenor guitar. Seth is now the best-known of the Lakeman brothers who hail, appropriately enough,

Oxford is crammed with festivals, literary, artistic, musical, the latter further subdivided into instrumental, choral, vocal, early, jazz, symphonic, down almost to molecular level. Currently the Fifth Lieder Festival celebrates classical song, its opening

Possibly because a concert billed as Mostly Mozart' turned out to be wholly Schumann', the Sheldonian was scantily patronised for last Thursday's performance - though I found myself next to a visitor from California who'd booked his ticket three months

For serious and wannabe wine aficionados, London looks like the place to be for two top-class, weekend wine events this month and next. However, you'll need to get your skates on for the Wine Show which rolls into town at the Business Design Centre in

I like Beethoven. When I listen to his music I want it to be macho and brutal, in the image of the composer (recall the stone bust in A Clockwork Orange). This is made easy by sound systems which can reset one's heartbeat, and by the digital option of

Returning centre half Chris Willmott says Oxford United are doubly determined to win at Cambridge tomorrow night because they don't want to lose top spot to Dagenham - and especially on the eve of their FA Cup showdown. The former Wimbledon and Northampton

If anybody asks me to list all the shows I've seen in 2006 in order of preference then Opera della Luna's delightfully witty and energetic version of HMS Pinafore would be a serious contender for top spot. This slightly reduced version of Gilbert and

Oxford Utd 2, Ipswich Town 3 A goal on his first appearance from former Wimbledon midfielder Alex Tapp was in vain as Oxford United Reserves lost against Ipswich Reserves at Didcot Town's npower Loop Meadow Stadium last night. Although United's second

Lymington & New Milton 2, Didcot Tn 4 Stuart Beavon bagged a brace as Didcot preserved their unbeaten away run with a stunning display at Fawcett's Field in last night's Division 1 South & West encounter. Goals from Ian Concannon and Paul Powell saw

There's no question about who's in charge of the Oxford Art Society's Open Exhibition this year. It's Bully, the papier-mch bulldog created by Joan Dutton. There he stands on his plinth against the wall surveying the other 126 exhibits with that all-knowing

Newport IoW 1, Abingdon Utd 1 Ryan Curtin was the saviour for Abingdon as his late strike earned a share of the Southern League Division 1 South & West spoils in Newport last night. Abingdon started slowly and went a goal down after just ten minutes

Madagascar seems to have slipped beneath the cloak of the Brit holiday radar, writes Clare Smith. Some might say that this is a good thing, for Costa del Tropica it certainly is not. Most of us think of Madagascar, if we think of it at all, as a far

The first weekend of the Oxford Lieder Festival provided rich pickings for its devotees, kicking off in spectacular style with Dame Felicity Lott (see Page 7) on the Friday evening, and keeping up an almost breathtaking momentum over the next couple of

Autotype UTV League: Third Division side JP's caused a shock as they beat Division 2 outfit Dolphin 3-0 to reach the third round of the Ridgeway Cup. Keith Beavon chipped JP's into the lead, then James Thompson tapped home to double the lead. Lee

Morrells of Oxford Sunday LeagueHat-tricks from Tristan Lawrence and 17-year-old Tommy Heyday saw Nelson to a resounding 12-1 victory over Highfield to extend their lead at the top of the Premier Division. With Cold Arbour's game at Riverside being

I had been warned that the Bobo Stenson Trio were good but remained sceptical. Their latest album on the ECM label had failed to command my attention and this was one factor in my questioning the contemporary' credentials of Oxford Contemporary Music

Oxford Cavaliers old boy Darrell Griffin has signed for top-flight Super League club Huddersfield Giants. The 25-year-old front row forward, who hails from Witney, has joined Giants from Wakefield Trinity on a three-year deal. Griffin, at 6ft 5in

It's turned into an Oxford Greek festival. First came storytellers Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden presenting a Greek cycle. Soon Shared Experience visits the Playhouse with its free adaptation of Euripides's Orestes. And this week Welsh National Opera

Taking the week in almost chronological order for a change, this Sunday the Swindon Jazz Society features the pianist Geoff Eales and his trio at the King's Arms in Swindon from 8pm. This seems to be a departure from their usual Thursday gig at a venue

Berinsfield's Mikey Joyce tore apart Lydney rival Luke Jobson in the opening round of this year's NABC Championships at Bristol. He took control of their Class B (17 years) light heavyweight encounter from the bell by attacking his opponent's midriff

Guitartist Deirdre Cartwright has been in the music business for the past 30 years and was one of the original members of the all-female jazz ensemble, The Guest Stars, whose album Out at Night, recorded in 1985, is still one of my favourite bits of vinyl

Bicester A made it two wins out of two in Oxford & District League Division 1 with an 8-2 victory over Morris Motors B. Tony Gorman and Jeff Rigby both picked up maximums. Forum B kept up their good start by crushing two-man Rutherford 9-1. Andrew

Mark Baldwin has been Rambert's artistic director for the past four years, and although a fine choreographer himself, he has unselfishly devoted this 80th anniversary tour to the work of others, including two pieces by young dancers in the company. The

Oxford City Stars staged a tremendous fightback to win 4-3 at Milton Keynes Thunder in the English National League South Division at Oxford Ice Rink. Trailing 3-0 in the third period, Stars scored four powerplay goals in the space of three minutes to

Oxfordshire started their winter season in scintillating fashion with a 30-6 win against Hampshire at Grove. Oxon were always in control as they cruised home 220-118 on shots. On the first run of the mats, the singles saw Trevor Brown win 13-8 and

Phil Collins was the hero as Horse & Harrow (Wallingford) beat against reigning champions Morris Motors (Oxford) 3-2 in the All England Team Championships Area final. With the match at the Red Lion, Cassington, all-square, Motors' Pauline Withey opened

A lorry parked on the A34 was "an accident waiting to happen", a jury was told yesterday. Prosecutor Nicholas Syfret told Oxford Crown Court that driver Richard Brown thought only of his own convenience when, at about 4.30am in December, 2004, he stopped

A temporary court order has been issued banning animal rights group Speak from publishing the name of any company it claims is building Oxford University's controversial new animal lab. A temporary order was granted on Monday and legal representatives

Jurors will today begin considering their verdict in the Allan Kimber murder trial. Kimber, 41, of Stert Street, Abingdon, denies murdering Gary Morgan, his ex-wife's new husband, in an act of "revenge" on October 17 last year. Mr Morgan was shot

Almost £60,000 of taxpayers' money was "wasted" consulting on Oxford's controversial paid-for parking permit scheme. The Oxford Mail has discovered the final cost of the consultation project was £58,700. The Tory-led Oxfordshire County Council's plans

A pensioner who survived a major heart operation died three weeks later after being struck down with a killer hospital superbug described as the most virulent seen in two decades. Philip Hepden, 76, of Wychwood Drive, Milton-under-Wychwood, was admitted

The Pegasus Theatre in East Oxford is a step closer to having a £6.5m facelift - but more money is needed before the project can begin. Architects Feilden Clegg Bradley gave a presentation about their designs to members of Oxford City Council's east

A cyclist who died following a collision with a car on a dark, rain-drenched country road had been warned by police just days earlier to get lights for his bike. Samuel Fleming, 16, of Latchford Lane, Great Haseley, was killed on the A329 as he was

A father of three has criticised Thames Valley Police for failing to take action against yobs who have vandalised his home and made hoax telephone calls. John O'Neill, 54, of Colwell Road, Berinsfield, had a garden fence knocked down and a window smashed

A group of friends who paid just £100 for an old banger have returned from a 1,500-mile drive through Europe which they hope will raise £2,000 for charity. Gareth Hopkins, of Mayfield Avenue, Grove, and his three friends painted their elderly Jaguar

Twenty-six tonnes of rubbish, 28 fly-tipping sites and four abandoned cars were cleared from a Bicester estate during a week-long blitz on dirt, litter and rubbish. Cherwell District Council threw extra resources into cleaning up the Glory Farm area

Didcot town centre may face major redevelopment to provide new housing. Until now, expansion plans have focused on greenfield sites around the edge of the town. But South Oxfordshire District Council's cabinet member for planning, John Cotton, said

An inspirational teacher who dedicated her life to education has lost her battle against breast cancer. Liz Gilchrist, 59, who taught at Bayswater Middle School and subsequently Bayards Hill Primary School in Barton, Oxford, died on October 5. She

Friends of an 82-year-old man who was mugged while on his way home have rallied round and made a collection for him. Customers and staff at the Nelson pub, in Between Towns Road, Cowley, Oxford, were shocked when they heard that a member of the crib

Hundreds of shopping trolleys dumped in city streets are blighting the landscape, an Oxford Mail investigation has discovered. In just an hour and a half yesterday, a random drive around East Oxford found 11 shopping trolleys dumped on pavements and

Amid growing frustration over delays caused by Abingdon's new central traffic system, people living in the south of the town are calling for action to ease congestion along Drayton Road. The Tithe Farm and Ladygrove Residents' Association says traffic

Almost 200 drivers who claim their cars were damaged by potholes on Oxfordshire's roads have demanded compensation. The county council, which is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of roads, has received claims totalling nearly £50,000 from 194

More than 1,000 runners from eight countries converge on Abingdon this weekend for the 24th annual Abingdon Marathon - the biggest in Oxfordshire and rated third most popular in the country. The event - run by Abingdon Amblers Athletics Club and sponsored

The death of 16-year-old cyclist Samuel Fleming was a tragic and totally unnecessary one. He was hit by a Ford Focus near the turning to his home in Great Haseley as he was riding back on a dark November night after finishing work at Asda. He had

FRILFORD HEATH Ladies' October Stableford - Div 1: 1 A Tyreman 40pts, 2 J Manson 38, 3 F Banks 36. Div 2: 1 P Livingstone 37, 2 M Snelling 36, 3 U Price 34. Ladies' Copper Cup: 1 P Livingstone 37pts, 2 J McFarlane 28, 3 S Rowlands 26 (cb). OXFORD LADIES

I would like to register my protest at the proposed cut in services at the Horton Hospital at Banbury. I am somewhat fortunate in that I live at Bicester and therefore am almost equidistant from the John Radcliffe and the Horton and therefore receive

The situation described by Michael Sinnott, What a way to treat the elderly (Oxford Mail, October 13), with the city council "putting alcoholics among old folk, up to the age of 94", is clearly intolerable. It was accounts like this, from numerous other

IMRAN Faruq was crowned Waterstock club champion after holding off the challenge of Pat Hingley. Imran, playing off three, shot rounds of 75 and 73 for a four-over-par total, while Hingley led after a 74, but fell behind with a 75. A birdie on the

IT'LL probably be a football World Cup year by the time the next General Election comes around, but that hasn't stopped the Lib Dems' publicity machine swinging into action. So keen are they to snatch Oxford East they are trumpeting the news that an

STEVE Jenkins holed a 12-foot putt to give Studley Wood victory over Frilford Heath in Shaw & Co Oxfordshire Foursomes League Section 1. But Studley's 2-1 home success was not enough to save them from relegation with one game to go. Although they

ALMOST 200 drivers who claim their cars were damaged by potholes on Oxfordshire's roads have demanded compensation. The county council, which is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of roads, has received claims totalling almost £50,000 from 194

JURORS were today considering their verdict in the Allan Kimber murder trial. Kimber, 41, of Stert Street, Abingdon, denies murdering Gary Morgan, his ex-wife's new husband, in an act of "revenge" on October 17 last year. Mr Morgan was shot in the

A MAN was taken to hospital after being attacked by a group of young people in Abingdon. Police said the man was walking along Drayton Road at 1am on Saturday when a group of three people launched an unprovoked attack on him. It is thought that the

WILLIAM Allcroft, 13, from Middleton Cheney, was the winner of the Banbury Cake competition for VIP passes to the British Touring Car Championship meeting at Silverstone on Sunday. The passes were provided by pharmaceutical company Apotex, sponsors

BUILDING worker Steve Morcombe hopes to raise money for a cancer charity by wearing shorts through the winter. He is urging others to do the same in a bid to boost the funds of the Orchid Cancer Appeal - a charity dedicated to funding research into

A HOT-LINE set up to prevent young people from becoming hooked on booze has flopped - and Oxfordshire County Council is this week renewing its call for people to report shops that sell alcohol to under-18s. The council is also calling on adults to stop

CHARTER Community Housing Association, which controls about 4,000 former council houses in north Oxfordshire, is looking for a partner organisation to help with development plans. The announcement was made last week after board members considered the

THREE shows for children aged from three to 11m are included in a half-term holiday special at the Mill Theatre, Banbury. Bink and the Riddle of the Sphinx will be the first presentation on Tuesday. Described by the Daily Express as "hugely entertaining

AN Oxfordshire woman has been jailed after her daughter repeatedly skipped school. The 39-year-old mother was given an eight-week sentence by magistrates after knowingly allowing the girl to miss many of her classes between May 22 and July 7. The

AN ELDERLY woman disturbed two masked burglars who fled empty-handed after breaking into her home in Bodicote. The men broke through the side gate and forced open the rear patio doors while the victim was asleep upstairs. The elderly woman woke up and

A COMMUNITY radio station is about to go live in a ten-day pilot which organisers hope will lead to a permanent licence. OX4 Radio is to hit the airwaves for the first time at 7pm this Friday, on 89.7FM, and can be heard by tens of thousands of people

A TEENAGER'S four-year jail sentence for causing the death of an Oxfordshire doctor in a road smash should remain unaltered, according to the Attorney General. Banbury Conservative MP Tony Baldry wrote to the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, questioning

PUPILS from Brackley Junior School had a behind-the-scenes preview of the British Touring Car Championships at Silverstone at the weekend, thanks to Greatworth-based VX Racing. Around 20 children were invited into the team's pit garage by VX staff who

ARTS at Large, which takes professional theatre to rural locations, is back with a new season of drama, comedy, music and dance in venues across north Oxfordshire. The project, run by Cherwell District Council, will include 42 performances by over 20

A REAL collectors item will be on sale at this year's Banbury and District Model Railway Club annual show. The group commissioned model manufacturer West Wales Wagon Works to produce a local goods wagon similar to those seen at Banbury station in years

AN atlas rescued from a fire at Wardington Manor fetched an auction record of £2.1m when it was sold at Sotheby's in London. It was bought on Tuesday of last week by London dealer Bernard Shapero for a private client, and more than doubled its estimated

A DISABLED man, paralysed from the waist down after a car crash, lashed out and slashed a friend in the face with a bread knife after he was held captive in his own home. Wheelchair-bound Craig Taylor was "powerless" to defend himself against a gang

HOUSEBOUND elderly people are feeling less cut off from society thanks to Banbury mayoress Paula Donaldson and other volunteers at Age Concern. Mrs Donaldson is one of a dozen helpers who operate the charity's phone-link service from offices above The

PUPILS from Blessed George Napier School in Banbury have been encouraged to take up a career in construction thanks to local tradesmen and UGS builders merchants. UGS, with its headquarters in Southam Road, Banbury, hosted skills workshops last week

A BURGLAR caught red-handed stealing Champagne from a garden shed apologised to the homeowner and dropped the bottles before making his getaway on a bike. John Green, of Bretch Hill, Banbury, admitted the offence and was sentenced to two years and 88

LETTERBOX burglars are continuing to target south Oxfordshire, with police linking three more incidents. Between 8pm on Thursday, October 12, and 4am on Friday, thieves stole a Vauxhall Zafira from Swarbourne Close, Didcot, after breaking in to a house