Archive

  • Minister will not intervene on Westgate

    A revamped Westgate Centre in Oxford could open before 2011 after the Government said it would not examine the controversial application. City councillors gave approval in October for what was described as the biggest planning application in the city

  • NHS picks up keys to new Children's Hospital

    The doors to Oxford's new Children's Hospital and the West Wing at the John Radcliffe Hospital were thrown open for the first time as the keys were handed over. Vickie Holcroft, director of private finance initiative projects for the Oxford Radcliffe

  • Cashcard cloners strike again

    A mother and son are facing a bleak Christmas after fraudsters cleaned out their bank accounts. Single mother Julie Millard, 42, and her 19-year-old son Simon, have been told that they are unlikely to get the £1,140 refunded by their bank until the

  • Road crash death toll rises again

    A fatal accident involving a lorry and a car yesterday morning has brought the number of people killed on Oxfordshire's roads to 62. A man travelling in a BMW was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision on a single carriageway stretch of the A420

  • Christmas approaches

    Christmas approaches...but this past two weeks has been quite a mixed bag not related to Christmas at all…more study days, more counselling people, baptizing some Brazilians, teaching on our marriage course,(the church becomes the best restaurant in town

  • Bogey team end unbeaten record

    Team Bath 3, Banbury United 0 Banbury United lost their unbeaten Southern League Premier Division away record - and suffered their heaviest defeat of the season - when they went down 3-0 to Team Bath at Twerton Park on Saturday. Bogey side Team Bath

  • Today's local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 101 BMW 2924 Electrocomponents 296.5 Isoft Group 54.75 Oxford Biomedica 41 Oxford Instruments 248.5 Oxonica 150 Reed Elsevier 557.25 RM 186.5 RPS 270.25 Torex Retail 50.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Murder-charge jury considers verdict

    A JURY will tomorrow continue trying to decide whether a Faringdon man murdered a North Oxford academic. The jurors had been deliberating since just before 11.30am on Friday, but did not reach a verdict and were sent home for the weekend. The jury

  • Vandals leave trail of car damage

    VANDALS left a trail of damage after a spate of attacks on parked cars in Thame. Wing mirrors on vehicles in Kings Road, Park Street, Lord Williams's Lower School car park and Seven Acres were vandalised between 6pm on Friday, December 8, and 10.30am

  • Vandals attack cars

    Vandals left a trail of damage after a spate of attacks on parked cars in Thame. Wing mirrors on vehicles in Kings Road, Park Street, Lord Williams' Lower School car park and Seven Acres were vandalised between 6pm on December 8 and 10.30am the following

  • Children's Food Festival

    What are these?" asked Roland Paterson from Buscot Park Estate Soft Fruit Farm."Poisonous berries!" shouted a girl in the front row. "No, they're redcurrants" explained Roland. He was giving a talk at Burford School as part of Oxford Inspires Eat the

  • Man dies in A420 smash

    A MAN has died following a collision between a car and a lorry on the A420 between Fyfield and Appleton today. A woman and a child also travelling in the BMW car, and the driver of the lorry, have all been taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford

  • Update: Botley Road death victim identified

    DETECTIVES have discovered the identity of the teenager found dead in West Oxford. He is a 19-year-old Lithuanian who had lived in Oxford for about two years, but police today refused to release his name. The man's body was found on wasteland near

  • Update: M40 crash victims named

    TWO people killed in an incident on the M40 at the weekend were both named today. Fourteen-year-old Raymond Lovlace died when the Mitsubishi Trojan he was travelling in with his father and sister overturned near Watlington at 1.40am yesterday.

  • Photographic studios fold

    TWO photographic studios in Oxford have closed suddenly, leaving dozens of customers without photos taken as Christmas presents. The half-dozen staff employed by Olan Mills photographic studios in Oxford also face a bleak Christmas, with no jobs and

  • Children's hospital site is handed over

    Hospital managers will today get the keys to the new children's hospital and West Wing, marking the completion of a £135m project. Vickie Holcroft, director of private finance initiative (PFI) projects for Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, will

  • The day my Raleigh gave up the ghost

    I was cycling to the pub last week when my frame snapped. Now, I've had my share of punctures and broken chains - but a frame? I couldn't believe it. I had a love-hate thing going with my old Raleigh Pioneer. I bought it five or six years ago, one of

  • Halifax at home if United win

    OXFORD United have been drawn at home to fellow Conference National side Halifax Town in the second round of the FA Carlsberg Trophy, shoud they win their first-round replay against Lewes on Wednesday. Halifax, who were beaten 2-0 by United in the

  • Fault ends school term

    Students at St Birinus School in Didcot thought Christmas had come early today, when an electrical fault meant lessons were cancelled for the final two days of term. A problem with one of the mains cables caused electricity to be cut off on Friday evening

  • Jury sent home again

    The Dr Johnston murder trial jury has been sent home for a second night after failing to reach a verdict today. Michael Humphries, 43, of Ferndale Street in Faringdon, denies murdering Barbara Johnston in her home in Woodstock Close, North Oxford, in

  • Botley Road body: Police ID man

    Detectives have discovered the identity of the man found dead in Botley. He is a Lithuanian who had lived in Oxford for about two years, but police this morning refused to release his name. The man's body was found on wasteland near the park and ride

  • 14-year-old to spend Christmas in custody

    A 14-YEAR-OLD boy will spend Christmas in custody after he was charged and remanded after a Mitsubishi pick-up was seen speeding through an Oxford estate. The teen, who cannot be identified but is from Oxford, was charged with aggravated vehicle taking

  • Teen charged after car theft

    A 14-year-old boy will spend Christmas in custody after he was charged and remanded after a people carrier was seen speeding through two Oxford estates. The teen, who cannot be identified but is from Oxford, was charged with aggravated vehicle taking

  • Power problems close school

    CHRISTMAS came early for students at St Birinus School in Didcot when an electrical fault meant lessons were cancelled for the final two days of term. A problem with one of the mains cables caused electricity to be cut off on Friday evening, leaving

  • Today's local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 101 BMW 2909 Electrocomponents 295 Isoft Group 55.5 Oxford Biomedica 41.25 Oxford Instruments 248 Oxonica 150 Reed Elsevier 559.5 RM 185.5 RPS 273.5 Torex Retail 51.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Rail commuters switch to buses

    OXFORD commuters angered by train timetable changes are switching to the coach to get into London. Changes brought in by First Great Western on Monday prompted a furious reaction from regular rail passengers. City MPs Andrew Smith and Evan Harris

  • FOOTBALL: Bogey team end Banbury record

    Banbury United lost their unbeatenSouthern League Premier Division away record - and suffered their heaviest defeat of the season - when they went down 3-0 to Team Bath at Twerton Park on Saturday. Bogey side Team Bath are now unbeaten in six matches

  • FOOTBALL: McSporran goal clinches victory

    Abingdon United made hard work of beating second-from-bottom Beaconsfield SYCOB 1-0 in a low-key Southern League Division 1 South & West match on Saturday. The hosts were reduced to ten men on the hour when skipper Dan Willment was sent off for a second

  • FOOTBALL: Keeper Harris denies Didcot

    Draw specialists Didcot twice had to come from behind to share the spoils 2-2 at home to Hillingdon Borough in an action-packed Southern League Division 1 South & West game on Saturday But in the end it was only the heroics of Hillingdon keeper Ben

  • River put on flood alert

    THE River Thame has been put on flood watch status by the Environment Agency. The river is in danger of flooding from Long Marston to Dorchester, the Bear Brook, the Chalgrove Brook and their tributaries, after heavy rain over the past few days.

  • Woman cut free from car

    A woman had to be cut free from the wreckage of her car after she crashed off the road between Upper and Lower Heyford on Sunday evening. Fire crews from Woodstock and Deddington and the rescue tender from Kidlington were called to the accident just

  • Policewoman missing for five days

    Concerns are growing for an Oxfordshire police officer who has been missing for five days. Annabelle Potter, 23, was last seen by colleagues when she finished work at Abingdon police station at 7am on Wednesday. She is missing from her home in Kingston

  • Police tax bill set to rise almost 5pcm

    Council taxpayers are likely to see an increase just under the Government's capping limit of five per cent levied by Thames Valley Police. The police authority met on Friday and was told the current proposals for next year's budget would need an increase

  • Shoppers make late stampede

    Christmas shoppers went on a belated spending spree in Oxford over the weekend. Businesses are now preparing for a hectic week after a slow start to the month. Higher interest rates, recent tax and heating bill increases and unseasonally mild weather

  • Punch knocked out man's teeth

    A shop worker knocked out a man's teeth after he was thrown out of an Oxford nightclub during a stag night. Steven Steptoe, 25, of John Morris Road, Abingdon, admitted maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on David Lestrade during an argument

  • Red tape holds up parking ban

    A promised crackdown on car boot sale customers clogging up streets on Oxford estates has been held up awaiting Government approval. Fed-up residents want restrictions, used to stop people parking in Blackbird Leys, Greater Leys, Minchery Farm and Sandford

  • 'It'll drain our trade'

    Villagers near Bicester have launched a fight to save their post office being sunk by sewer repairs. The road outside Weston-on-the-Green post office will be closed for up to three months when Thames Water starts work in January. Sub-postmaster Peter

  • 'Spare lake and put ash in dump'

    'An extra 4.6 million cubic metres of landfill space has just been found there. That's about nine times the volume of Thrupp Lake at Radley' Marjorie White Campaigners fighting to prevent Radley Lakes from being filled with ash say an important discovery

  • Fine if you say you're English

    Your correspondents (Oxford Mail, December 12) may be interested to know that while on route to Orlando, Florida, my wife and I were issued with immigration landing forms. Question 1: Place of birth? My reply - London. Question 2: Which country? My

  • Liam's first birthday against all odds

    Today is a day Robert and Marianne Boyce thought they might never see. Little Liam Boyce, born three and a half months prematurely and weighing just 1lb 11oz, was given a 40 per cent chance of survival by doctors. But today, he celebrates his first

  • Festive hopes faring better

    Clutching their vouchers and preparing to hit the shops, Oxford families caught in the Farepak collapse will see Christmas after all. The first batch of gift vouchers have arrived through the letter boxes of families who thought they would have to cancel

  • Knife threat man sent to jail

    A drunken man held a knife to an Oxford taxi driver's throat and said "give us your money", a court heard. Charles Middleton, 26, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, admitted assaulting taxi driver Safin Ali on May 4 with intent to rob and was jailed for two

  • 'Festive lights are a fire risk'

    The craze for lighting up the outside of homes at Christmas has snowballed, but overloading electrical sockets could have devastating consequences, Oxfordshire's firefighters have warned. The county's fire and rescue service made the plea at a time

  • Children's hospital site is handed over

    Hospital managers will today get the keys to the new children's hospital and West Wing, marking the completion of a £135m project. Vickie Holcroft, director of private finance initiative (PFI) projects for Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, will

  • Regular meetings

    City councillor John Tanner expounds his views on Trident nuclear deterrents (Oxford Mail, December 13). That very nice man, Anthony Blair, and his entourage of yes men in Downing Steet haven't a clue what they are doing, neither, it seems, have Oxford

  • American Graffitti: December 18

    I flew back to the States from London this past weekend and what was the first thing I did upon returning home? Not unpack, not shower, not even hug my dog. No, I headed straight to the family room, plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. It's

  • Birthday boy won't be beaten

    There is a widespread feeling that newspapers highlight only the bad news. That's untrue, of course. But if proof were needed, read the heartwarming story on Page 3 today. When twin Liam Boyce was born three-and-a-half months prematurely and weighing

  • Woman freed from crashed car

    A WOMAN had to be cut free from the wreckage of her car after she crashed off the road between Upper and Lower Heyford last night. Fire crews from Woodstock and Deddington and the rescue tender from Kidlington were called to the accident just after

  • Fire crews tackle warehouse blaze

    FIRE crews spent three hours tackling a blaze in a warehouse on an industrial park. The fire was reported at an industrial unit on a business park at Telford Road, Bicester shortly before 9am on Saturday. Five crews from Oxford, Bicester, Deddington

  • FOOTBALL: Witney crush Clanfield

    WITNEY United shared the goals around as they swept aside local rivals Clanfield 5-1 in the Hellenic League's Linaker Insurance Brokers Cup first round at a raw Marriotts Stadium. It took Premier Division Witney just ten minutes to open the scoring

  • FOOTBALL: Chippy survive massive scare

    CHIPPING Norton Town were given a fright by Launton Sports before coming out on top 5-3 in their Oxfordshire Senior Cup second-round tie. Oxon Senior League outfit Launton raced into a two-goal lead against their Hellenic League opponents. Sam Donaldson

  • FOOTBALL: Pendell saves Letcombe

    ADAM Pendell's late equaliser gave Letcombe a 2-2 draw against Malmesbury Victoria in Division 1 West of the Sport Italia Hellenic League. Pendell stooped to head home Simon Tabor's free-kick in the 85th minute. Just two minutes earlier, Malmesbury

  • FOOTBALL: Headington throw it away

    HEADINGTON Amateurs twice blew two-goal leads as they crashed to a 5-3 defeat at home to Binfield in Division 1 East of the Sport Italia Hellenic League. Jamie Murray's sweet strike gave Headington the lead after three minutes, and he struck again in

  • FOOTBALL: Abingdon subs to the rescue

    SUBSTITUTES Andy Hough and Mark Flanagan helped Abingdon Town salvage a 3-3 draw in a thrilling Premier Division clash against ten-man Wantage Town at Culham Road. Abingdon were trailing 3-1 when manager Keith Stopps introduced the pair in the second

  • HORSE RACING: Murphy lands Ladbroke on Acambo

    TIMMY Murphy delivered Acambo with perfect timing to land The Ladbroke (Handicap Hurdle) at Ascot on Saturday. The Shrivenham-based Irishman cruised to the front on the David Pipe-trained five-year-old entering the straight. And despite fluffing the

  • FOOTBALL: Fans' reaction disappoints Smith

    Jim Smith expressed his "disappointment" at a section of Oxford United fans who barracked individual players during Saturday's FA Trophy first-round tie at Lewes. The tournament favourites were held to a goalless draw by Conference South side Lewes,

  • FOOTBALL Beechers shines for City

    A STUNNING goal by Billy Beechers helped Oxford City end Bracknell's unbeaten Division 1 South & West home record with a notable victory 2-1 in the British Gas Business Southbern League on Saturday. Beechers struck the decisiive blow just after half-time

  • Top prizes for Oxford children's authors

    BOOKS by two Oxford children's authors have won prizes in a national competition. Julia Golding, of North Oxford, picked up a gold medal in the nine-to-11 years category of the Nestle Children's Book Prize for her first novel, The Diamond of Drury Lane

  • RESULTS December 16/17

    FOOTBALL. FA TROPHY 1st round: Lewes 0, Oxford Utd 0. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Team Bath 3, Banbury Utd 0. Div 1 South & West: Beaconsfield SYCOB 0, Abingdon Utd 1; Bracknell 1, Oxford City 2; Didcot Tn 2, Hillingdon Borough

  • Development faces final hurdle

    A FINAL decision on the planning application for a cinema, multi-storey car park, shops and houses at Witney's Marriotts Close could be taken tomorrow. Members of West Oxfordshire District Council's development control committee could give the controversial