Stories for 25 July 2008

Abingdon

Drugs dealer jailed at last

One of Oxfordshire's major drug dealers was jailed after police found cannabis and £68,000 in cash hidden on his canal boat.  more...

Drugs dealer jailed at last

One of Oxfordshire's major drug dealers was jailed after police found cannabis and £68,000 in cash hidden on his canal boat.  more...

Freeman honour for Lord Lieutenant

THE Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Sir Hugo Brunner, is to be made an honorary Freeman of Abingdon.  more...

72 years at her village school

A DINNER lady has hung up her apron and ladle after 72 years at Clifton Hampden Primary School.  more...

Bicester News

Town in a jam

Roadworks in Bicester are said to be causing significant delays to motorists.  more...

Columns

Its fun to see OAPs fighting

"And I've never slept with a girl whose parents earned less than £100,000 a year..."  more...

Cricket

YOUTH CRICKET: Freeland land county cup in fine style

Freeland became the first winners of the Oxfordshire Under 15 Girls Club Championship after beating Hook Norton in the final.  more...

YOUTH CRICKET: Oxford clinch title with one-run victory

Oxford won a thrilling Oxfordshire Under 11 Cup final as they snatched a seemingly impossible victory from the jaws of defeat at Combe.  more...

YOUTH CRICKET: Finch holds nerve to win a thriller

Oxfordshire Under 13s put in their best performance of a magnificent season as they made it six wins in a row with a last-ball victory against Middlesex at Brondesbury.  more...

YOUTH CRICKET: Rowant miss out in regional final

Aston Rowant lost out to North Middlesex in the regional final of the MCC Spirit of Cricket Under 13 Club Championship.  more...

YOUTH CRICKET: Barrett efforts in vain

Joe Barrett's half-century proved in vain as Oxon Under 12s lost to Berkshire at Wellington College.  more...

YOUTH CRICKET: Hume is star for Challow

Nigel Hume smashed an unbeaten century as Challow & Childrey thrashed Swinbrook by 141 runs in Section C.  more...

CRICKET: Coaching scheme

Bicester & North Oxford CC are running summer cricket coaching courses, available for boys and girls from ages seven to 15.  more...

CRICKET: Rae puts Shrivenham to sword - twice!

Westbury run machine Ben Rae was celebrating after hitting two half-centuries in the space of 24 hours - against the same opponents.  more...

Didcot

Former mayoress fears men's return

A DIDCOT woman is frightened that two men who pressed her into having work done on her roof will be back to demand money from her after she stopped a cheque she gave them.  more...

Head and deputy head bid farewell in villages

TWO of the Didcot area's longest-serving teachers have retired.  more...

Editorial Comment

Never on Friday for Game Fair

We all know that traffic in Oxfordshire is on a knife-edge.  more...

City pride

Full marks to Oxford City Council for admitting that street cleaning is below par.  more...

Features

An Asian woman of achievement

By carefully rearranging her busy diary, Sue Ashtiany was able discuss her latest achievement in the delightful surroundings of the garden of her North Oxford home, where she broke off the conversation intermittently to observe blackbirds splashing about in the bird bath and swifts announcing the arrival of summer with a joyful swoop over the rooftops.  more...

Football

FOOTBALL: Barcelos gets off the mark

Bicester Town's new striker Felipe Barcelos made it two goals in as many games as he helped them to a 2-0 win against Spartan South Midlands League side Winslow United on Tuesday.  more...

Headlines

Ferry in court on assault charge

Countryside campaigner Otis Ferry will appear in court today charged with attacking a hunt monitor and robbing another.  more...

Cameron's cycle stolen

Witney MP David Cameron has become a victim of crime.  more...

Tourism is the biggest earner

TOURISM is still the biggest earner for the West Oxfordshire economy, according to latest figures.  more...

Projects and displays awarded

SCHOOLS in Witney have been praised for bringing a bloom to their flower beds, buildings, and grounds.  more...

Ferry denies hunt assault

The son of rock star Bryan Ferry has denied attacking a hunt monitor and robbing another at a Heythrop Hunt meet.  more...

Hockey

HOCKEY: Charlotte gets England call

Oxfordshire's young star Charlotte Crampton Smith has been called up by England Under 18s for the Home Nations Tournament.  more...

Leader

Homes alone

The Government decision to endorse plans for an urban extension of Oxford was the least surprising of the week. Once the inspector in charge of the inquiry into the draft South East Plan had added the proposal, Ministers were never going to take it out.  more...

Letters

Age of the car, not the bicycle

After reading your cycling correspondent James Styring's column (Oxford Mail, July 15) about the proposed 20mph speed limit in Oxford, I feel I must present an alternative point of view to his obviously biased one.  more...

Chaotic business

Courtesy and efficiency in business - where have they gone? I have written before on the subject, but things have not improved: Account query not acknowledged by a national company - sent June 2, 2008.  more...

Not so rare plant

I am replying to Carl Butterworth's letter about the blue-coloured crop in the fields each side of the Marston Ferry Road in Oxford (Oxford Mail, July 19).  more...

More transparency

I refer to the reply from Rachel McQuilliam, the Community Relations Manager for Thames Valley Police justifying the Thames Valley Police 40th birthday celebrations at Eynsham Hall (Oxford Mail, July 19).  more...

Tax on tennis?

Sir - In the wake of the recent Wimbledon final we took our two sons to Bury Knowle Park in Headington to relive the exploits of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the council's tennis courts.  more...

Act locally on recycling

Sir - The pilot food waste collection due in April 2009 is no loss. We in East Oxford do not need yet another bin we need a reward system for recycling and minimising refuse. We also need weekly collection of general refuse.  more...

Half-baked scheme

Sir - Councillor Jean Fooks (Letters, July 18), the City Works team and Oxford residents deserve a lot of credit. Doubling the amount we recycle from 19 per cent to 40 per cent in two years is a fantastic achievement.  more...

Rodent fallout

Sir - I entirely disagree with councillor Jean Fooks' assertion that the Labour party are not listening to the residents of Oxford regarding food waste recycling.  more...

Open to abuse

Sir - In reply to the article (July 18) about the new website www.iwantgreatcare.org, no doctor I have talked to and certainly not myself are in favour of this website. I was not informed about it prior to being told that my name was on the site.  more...

Disregarding rules

Sir - Why is it that the cyclist populace of Oxford seem to be made up of a high proportion of people who cannot look over their shoulder while simultaneously travelling in a straight line? Why do so many of them lack the skills to safely negotiate across the highway from one side to the other without the aid of zebra (pedestrian!) crossings? There are those who just utilise the pavements full-time . . .  more...

Minimum of clutter

Sir - I welcome the county's 20mph speed limit report and I hope that it puts an end to a piecemeal introduction of new limits in Oxford city.  more...

Move the buses

Sir - We are grateful that your coverage of our campaign High Priority has stirred such an interesting debate in the letters pages of your newspaper.  more...

Re-route coaches

Sir - Margaret Pargeter's objections to removing London and airport coaches from city streets (Letters, July 18) are easily resolved in the following way. These services could begin their journeys at the Pear Tree park-and-ride and call in at Thornhill park-and-ride to pick up further passengers. During daytime hours, coaches would take the A40 northern bypass from Pear Tree to Thornhill, and intending passengers from Oxford would connect using existing 300 or 400 bus services.  more...

Saving millions

Sir - I have watched with disappointment as the usual arguments and insults have been thrown about over this last local government pay dispute.  more...

Why the haste?

Sir - The meeting of South Oxfordshire District Council on July 16 did nothing to restore people's flagging confidence in local government.  more...

New ideas

Sir - The city fathers of New England are much less tolerant of littering than we appear to be.  more...

Irreparable damage

Sir - CPRE must challenge recent statements by Parkridge, developers of Weston Otmoor eco-town, refuting "myths" (their word) about its environmental impact: 1: Building on Oxford Green Belt - Parkridge say only 6.5 per cent of the "developed" area is Green Belt. In fact 24 per cent of the proposed eco-town is within the Green Belt and it is uncertain how much development and infrastructure that means.  more...

Historic building

Sir - Many readers may be unaware of the current planning application for redevelopment of the site of Youngs Garage in Woodstock.  more...

Bod cards only

Sir - Banbury Road and Woodstock Road are conservation areas and part of our heritage. Traffic along them should be banned, including buses.  more...

Motors

Roadtest: Six-speed sizzler

The last thing you need when you have almost 200 horsepower under the bonnet is any distraction. So Renault has got rid of them.  more...

Hunt on for money-saving motors

THE hunt for cheaper cars to offset rising running costs is well and truly on.  more...

Cool Peugeot promises hot features

Peugeot's new coupé cabriolet, the 308 CC, has a hot new feature.  more...

Lighter new Fiesta cuts consumption

Ford will launch the new Fiesta in three-door and five-door versions from October, priced from £8,695.  more...

Speed spots identified

The AA's 2009 Road Atlas Britain is out soon with a range of new features.  more...

Super Merc on the way

Mercedes has a sensational new high-performance coupe out in November, the SL 65 AMG BLack Series.  more...

Music

Logical progression

Get ready for the gig of the week: the Oxford debut of Fuzzy Logic  more...

News

Police hunting missing woman

Police are looking for a woman who has gone missing from her home in Oxford.  more...

Cancer centre lands jackpot

Bingo players in Kidlington have raised £1,000 for the new Oxford Cancer Centre, at the Churchill Hospital.  more...

City litter piles up

Oxford's main shopping street has been branded an embarrass- ment, because of overflowing rubbish bins and litter scattered around.  more...

School investigates photo theft

Police are investigating allegations a member of staff at a school had a photograph of herself in her underwear taken from her mobile phone and distributed among pupils.  more...

Man faces murder charge

A man accused of murdering a police station cleaner is due to enter a plea to the charge today.  more...

Drugs dealer jailed at last

One of Oxfordshire's major drug dealers was jailed after police found cannabis and £68,000 in cash hidden on his canal boat.  more...

Arson inquiry into house blaze

Police are treating a fire at a home in Oxford this morning as suspicious.  more...

Man denies murder

A 21-year-old man today denied killing an Oxford police station cleaner.  more...

United cancel football bus

Oxford United have cancelled a bus service which took fans from the city centre to the stadium.  more...

Play area saved

Sermon Close play area in Risinghurst was officially saved from redevelopment by Oxford City Council.  more...

Boatyard plan fails to impress

Residents in Jericho have vowed to continue their fight against a large block of flats after developers announced last-minute changes to their plans.  more...

The road with everything

It is a road that harks back to a time when communities had everything on their doorstep.  more...

Writers hit out over pupil targets

Author Philip Pullman is one of several leading writers and educationalists accusing the Government of setting unrealistic targets for young pupils.  more...

Police hunting missing woman

Police are looking for a woman who has gone missing from her home in Oxford.  more...

Town in a jam

Roadworks in Bicester are said to be causing significant delays to motorists.  more...

Drugs dealer jailed at last

One of Oxfordshire's major drug dealers was jailed after police found cannabis and £68,000 in cash hidden on his canal boat.  more...

Non Leage

FOOTBALL: Hemmings eyes USA challenge

Abingdon United midfielder Tom Hemmings (pictured) has won a scholarship to play for Oklahoma Drovers in the United States.  more...

Other News

Police target underage drinkers

A summer crackdown on the sale of alcohol to underage drinkers has been launched in Oxfordshire.  more...

Cameron calls for General Election

Tory leader and Witney MP David Cameron today urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to call a General Election in the wake of Labour's disastrous Glasgow East by-election defeat .  more...

Update: Jams form as Game Fair opens

Queues formed on roads around Oxford today as thousands headed for the CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace.  more...

Delays hit M40 drivers

Traffic was stopped on the northbound M40 in north Oxfordshire this evening to allow the Highways Agency to recover a sheet of metal from the carriageway.  more...

Talks avert post strike threat

The threat of strike action by postal workers in Oxford has been averted.  more...

Bike test slots filled up

Oxfordshire's two motorcycle test centres - which are due to close in September - have no more test spaces available.  more...

Game Fair proves a blast

The tens of thousands of people who braved the traffic jams to make it into the 50th anniversary CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace today were clear about one thing - it was worth the wait.  more...

Police helicopter to cost £4.6m

Police have handed over the deposit on a new force helicopter.  more...

Other Sport

GOLF: Jupp into Faldo final

Bicester's Lauren Jupp, 17, has reached the final of the Faldo Series which will be played at Walton Heath on August 19.  more...

GOLF: Welcome aboard

Bicester's new professional Peter Thompson (pictured) and course manager Jamie Herbert were officially unveiled at their Pro-Am. Herbert has stepped up from club pro to this new role, while Thompson has recently returned to the area.  more...

Oxford News

School probes staff photo theft

Police are investigating allegations a member of staff at a school had a photograph of herself in her underwear taken from her mobile phone and distributed among pupils.  more...

CITY SHAME: litter piles up

Oxford's main shopping street has been branded an embarrassment, because of overflowing rubbish bins and litter scattered around.  more...

Ferry in court over Heythrop Hunt incident

Countryside campaigner Otis Ferry will appear in court today charged with attacking a hunt monitor and robbing another.  more...

Cameron calls for General Election

Tory leader and Witney MP David Cameron today urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to call a General Election in the wake of Labour's disastrous Glasgow East by-election defeat .  more...

Crash adds to game fair traffic

Traffic was gridlocked this morning north of Oxford as thousands of drivers headed for the CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace.  more...

House fire 'is suspicious'

Police are treating a fire at a home in Oxford this morning as suspicious.  more...

Traffic update: crash cleared

An accident on the A34 north of Oxford has now been cleared, which should ease traffic heading for the CLA game fair, according to police.  more...

Postal ballot under way

A ballot for industrial action by postal workers in Oxford was being completed today.  more...

Play area saved from developers

Sermon Close play area in Risinghurst was officially saved from redevelopment last night by Oxford City Council.  more...

Man denies murder of Afghan

A 21-year-old man has today denied killing an Oxford police station cleaner.  more...

UPDATE: Game fair traffic delays

Two hour delays have been reported by traffic stuck on congested roads surrounding the CLA Game Fair.  more...

Football bus cancelled 'due to fuel cost'

Oxford United have cancelled a bus service which took fans from the city centre to the stadium.  more...

Pre-school building must stay for children

The former manager of a Oxford pre-school which was forced to close earlier this month has called for buidling to be used for the future benefit of children.  more...

Go teen-total

A blitz on fake identification and teen boozing has been launched to stop youngsters getting their hands on alcohol during the summer holidays.  more...

School to get science building for all

Young scientists will soon have every imaginable gadget and gizmo at their fingertips when an Oxford school unveils its latest facility.  more...

Bike test? No chance!

Oxfordshire's two motorcycle test centres - which are due to close in September - have no more test spaces available.  more...

Boatyard plan fails to impress

Residents in Jericho have vowed to continue their fight against a large block of flats after developers announced last-minute changes to their plans.  more...

Talks avert postal strike threat

TheE threat of strike action by postal workers in Oxford has been averted.  more...

The street with everything

It is a street that harks back to a time when communities had everything on their doorstep.  more...

Game fair's a blast

The tens of thousands of people who made it into Blenheim Palace on Friday were clear about one thing - it was worth the wait.  more...

Football Special stops

Oxford United says it cannot afford to run the Football Special 601 subsidised bus service, operated by Oxford Bus Company, from the city centre to the stadium next season.  more...

Ferry denies hunt assault

The son of rock star Bryan Ferry has denied attacking a hunt monitor and robbing another at a Heythrop Hunt meet.  more...

Goodbye Jaz

Family and friends fought back the tears to pay a loving tribute to an Oxford man who lived life to the full today.  more...

Retiring staff say goodbye

Deputy headteacher Linda Hindle said her retirement would be "one long gap year" as she said goodbye to pupils for the last time this week Mrs Hindle retired from LARKRISE PRIMARY SCHOOL in Boundary Brook Road, OXFORD, after 31 years. And she paid tribute to all the pupils, parents and teachers that made them "31 wonderful years."  more...

Leukaemia fundraiser

A woman whose mother was recently diagnosed with leukaemia has helped raise £500 for Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital.  more...

Writers hit out

Author Philip Pullman is one of several leading writers and educationalists accusing the Government of setting unrealistic targets for young pupils.  more...

New police chopper will cost £4.6m

Police have handed over the deposit on a new force helicopter.  more...

Fair fares for teenagers

Oxford Bus Company has launched a new fares deal for under 18s.  more...

Police hunting missing woman

Police are looking for a woman who has gone missing from her home in Oxford.  more...

Warrant issued for stab accused

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a student accused of a stabbing who failed to turn up at court.  more...

Police hunting missing woman

Police are looking for a woman who has gone missing from her home in Oxford.  more...

School Sport

Warland delivers gold for England

ATHLETICS: Oxfordshire's Kirsty Warland continued her golden run with victory for England in the Schools International Athletic Board (SIAB) Track & Field International at Bedford.  more...

Lambdon is Warriner hero

CRICKET: Pocket dynamo Justin Lambdon upstaged his big-htting teammates to steer Warriner (Bloxham) to a seven-wicket win over Burford in a high-quality Oxfordshire Under 14 League final.  more...

Burford's glory

CRICKET: Burford triumphed in a triangular Ten10 Under 12s cricket tournament at Shipton-under-Wychwood CC.  more...

Share Prices

Local share prices

25/07/2008 AEA Technology 48.5 BMW 2367 Electrocomponents 157.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 118.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.5 Oxford Catalyst 168.5 Oxford Instruments 222.5 REED 541.25 RM 191 RPS Group 293.75   more...

Tennis

TENNIS: Maskens happy with team effort

Oxfordshire's men finished in fourth place in Group 7 after losing 7-2 to Avon in their final match yesterday.  more...

U'S News

Keeper Ben gets United chance

OXFORD United have taken on 19-year-old goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe on a short-term deal with the opportunity to become their No 2 for the season.  more...

Wallingford

Meadows chosen to fly the flag

WALLINGFORD'S biggest public open space - the 35-acre Castle Meadows alongside the River Thames - has won south Oxfordshire's first Green Flag award as one of the best green spaces in the country.  more...

Wallingford News

Bunkfest is back in style

Wallingford's BunkFest is back with a bang and will take over the town for a weekend next month.  more...

Witney News

Pedalo power on the Thames

A gang of west Oxfordshire mates are hoping to raise thousands of pounds for charity by navigating the length of the River Thames - in a pedalo.  more...

Bid to buy a Formula One car

A defunct motor racing team is offering enthusiasts the chance to buy their own Formula One car.  more...

  
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