Lord Tebbit - the former Tory cabinet minister and ex-chairman of Oxford's Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre's charity appeal whose wife was treated there after the Brighton bomb - has spoken out about the hospital's future. Last week a report commissioned
A family of seven watched their Christmas go up in smoke as their home was ruined in a fire. Christmas presents and festive decorations were among the many items wrecked in the house fire in Corunna Crescent, Cowley, Oxford, on Tuesday evening. Mum-of-five
A works Christmas party was thrown out of a comedy club for laughing too loudly. Staff from car window repair firm Autoglass were kicked out of Jongleurs comedy club in Oxford on Saturday. Although the compere had picked on them for some laughs, the
A former Olympic gymnastics judge has been jailed for sex abuse after a private detective used the Internet to trace his victims. Ron Smith, 65, of Wessex Road, Didcot, was sentenced to three years in prison at Oxford Crown Court yesterday for offences
OXFORD United's FA Trophy first round replay against Lewes has been postponed due to fog. Referee Simon Hooper inspected the pitch at 6.10pm, and waited a further ten minutes, but with visibilty not improving decided the game could not be played.
TWO youths today tried to rob the Halifax bank in Sheep Street, Bicester. Police said the men, aged between 16-23, entered the Halifax, shortly before 1.50pm. They demanded money but staff activated the security system and the shutters came down. No
AEA Technology 96.75 BMW 2922 Electrocomponents 289.75 Isoft Group 55.5 Oxford Biomedica 39.5 Oxford Instruments 250.25 Oxonica 149 Reed Elsevier 558.75 RM 189.5 RPS 269.75 Torex Retail 50.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
POLICE searching for missing woman Maria Pereira have today been searching areas surrounding her home and have conducted another search of her house to try to find clues to her whereabouts. Maria Pereira, 46, who lives in Catslip, Nettlebed, has not
AN inquest has been opened and adjourned into the death of a Lithuanian teenager found dead near an Oxford park-and-ride. He was Dmitrij Machankov, 19, of Bath Street, Oxford. His identity was released when the inquest was opened and adjourned at Oxford
AN elderly woman who died after she was struck by a Ford Transit van in Henley has been named. She was Betty Bedford, 83, of Gravel Hill, Henley. She died in the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, after the collision, in Gravel Hill, at 4.20pm on
FIRE crews tackled a burning car last night on a garage forecourt in Oxford. The Range Rover caught fire at the BP filling station at the Wolvercote Roundabout at 8pm.
Police believe one man has been behind seven incidents of indecent exposure in an Abingdon park. Detectives today said they were linking the incidents in Albert Park and treating the man as a "priority offender" they want to catch. Details of six
Two burglars have been locked up for Christmas after being caught by police in the Banbury area. Neil Potter, 27, of Middleton Road, Banbury, was jailed for four years for grievous bodily harm with intent after breaking into a home in Evenlode and attacking
TWO burglars have been jailed after being caught by police in the Banbury area. Neil Potter, 27, of Middleton Road, Banbury was jailed for four years for grievous bodily harm with intent after breaking into a home in Evenlode and beating up the man
POLICE said today they believe one man has been behind seven indecent exposures in an Abingdon park. Detectives said they were linking the incidents in Albert Park and treating the man as a "priority offender" they want to catch. The incidents were
A MAN who died when his car hit a tree near Eynsham has been named as Geoffrey Desmond Hicks, 48, of Dove House Close, Eynsham. Mr Hicks was fatally injured just after 11pm on Wednesday last week when a blue BMW 325 saloon travelling towards Eynsham
Christmas is cancelled for one Oxford family after their home was ruined in a fire last night. Rachel Elliott and her five children had to flee their three-bedroom house in Corunna Crescent, Cowley, after a fire started in the front bedroom at about
AN ELECTRICAL fault was today being blamed for a fire in a university department neighbouring Oxford's animal testing laboratory. The fire was discovered on the third floor in an Oxford University building housing the Department of Zoology and Psychology
A FAMILY fled from their home in Cowley last night after fire broke out in a bedroom. Rachel Elliott and her five children had to flee their three-bedroom house in Corunna Crescent, Cowley, after the fire started in the front bedroom at about 10.30pm
AEA Technology 98.25 BMW 2927 Electrocomponents 291.75 Isoft Group 54.5 Oxford Biomedica 39.75 Oxford Instruments 250.25 Oxonica 150 Reed Elsevier 560.75 RM 188.75 RPS 267.75 Torex Retail 51 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Football Handbook: The Glory Years! (Marshall Cavendish, £9.99) This glorious reproduction of Volume 1 of Football Handbook, a part-work from the late 1970s, is a nostalgic reminder of an era when it meant the world to a team to reach the FA Cup Final
June Lewis-Jones is the historian of Fairford and has written many books about the South Cotswolds. Her latest book, A Cotswold Christmas (Tempus, £9.99), is an anthology of writings about seasonal events in the area, from wassaiing to Mrs Beeton's recipe
Political scandals, spin-doctoring and larger-than-life characters - it's been a bumper year for Ian Hislop, editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye. This year marks its 45th anniversary and his 20th year as editor, although more people probably
A LORRY driver was trapped in his vehicle for 90 minutes after it careered off the road into a ditch. The incident happened at 4.40am today on the A329 just off junction seven of the M40. Firefighters from Wheatley and Thame were called to the scene
Steve Basham looks set to return up front for Oxford United against Lewes tonight - with the challenge of getting the goal which could breathe life back into his season. oThe former Southampton and Preston striker was United's 13-goal leading scorer
One of Abingdon's most famous buildings, the Old Gaol, will be put on the market for development bids early in the new year. But it is expected to take at least a year before work starts on what the Vale of White Horse District Council hopes will be
A Wantage man will spend next Christmas all at sea following a deep desire to tackle the stormy Southern Ocean in a round-the-world yacht race. Jon Gibbard, 23, an environmental consultant at AEA Energy at Harwell who has sailed since he was a child
Four drug dealers running a massive cannabis factory near Abingdon have been sentenced to a total of 26 years in jail. David Stannard, Christopher Bridges, Jason Warrick and a 22-year-old man who cannot be named were all convicted of cultivating cannabis
Plans to develop Witney's Marriotts Close were finally approved yesterday. West Oxfordshire district councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of revised proposals for a five-screen cinema, a free multi-storey car park, shops and houses at the town
Six people have been killed on Oxfordshire's roads in just three days - taking the death toll for the year to a grim record of 65. On Monday, there were three fatal crashes which claimed four lives near Burford, Tubney and Henley. They followed two
The axe continues to hang over several Oxford advice centres with campaigners still not knowing if, or when, it might fall. Users of the advice centres, which are under threat as Oxfordshire County Council struggles for cash, crammed into a meeting
Sadistic killer Michael Humphries is facing 30 years for the brutal and calculated murder of Oxford academic Dr Barbara Johnston. It took a jury of eight men and four women 15 hours and six minutes to convict Humphries of killing Dr Johnston, 55, of
A community choir set up on an Oxford estate performed for its most famous fan yesterday - the Queen. Members of the Blackbird Leys Choir - created for reality TV show The Singing Estate - have been making their voices heard around Oxford this year.
Oxford Barbarian Colts take a well-earned rest after pulling a coach 500m to raise funds for their Ireland tour. Twenty-two players, including 11-year-old mascot Daniel Osborne-Edwards, teamed up pull a 14-tonne luxury coach a distance equivalent to
Jack Benson bagged five tries as Chinnor Under 14 A thrashed hosts Aylesbury 65-5. Dan Bartlett (2), Mitch Cann, James Lindsay, David Woods and Jason Abbott also crossed over. Tom McCorkell kicked four conversions and Abbott one to complete the rout
A £10,000 Lottery grant will help an Oxford community group transform derelict wasteland into a blossoming garden. The Barracks Lane Community Garden project in East Oxford has been given the cash by the Awards for All scheme. Together with grants
Killer Michael Humphries deserves every day of the 30-year sentence he received at Oxford Crown Court yesterday. No-one knows for sure what happened inside Dr Barbara Johnston's flat in Woodstock Close, Oxford. But Humphries inflicted unbelievable
I am disgusted to see motorcyclists stereotyped in Michael Heavey's letter, Crazy motorcyclists (Oxford Mail, December 13). I am a motorcyclist and must be crazy by Mr Heavey's assumption. I choose not to sit in queues of traffic behind him, but to
As a motorcyclist, I am pleased to know that by passing a long queue of traffic in a narrow space (a legal manoeuvre), I may keep Michael Heavey and other motorists on their toes. Unfortunately, it is not normally the case. Riding a motorcycle enables
Following a second successive disappointing Varsity Match defeat, Oxford University's players now shift their focus to choosing a new captain. The election for Kevin Brennan's successor should be in early February when Joe Roff would seem the obvious
FOUR drug dealers running a cannabis factory near Abingdon have been sentenced to a total of 26 years in jail. David Stannard, Christopher Bridges, Jason Warrick and a 22-year-old man, who cannot be named, were all convicted of cultivating cannabis
THE axe continues to hang over several Oxford advice centres with campaigners still not knowing if, or when, it might fall. Users of the advice centres, which are under threat as Oxfordshire County Council struggles for cash, crammed into a meeting
THE future of an Oxford bridleway remains undecided after a meeting of Oxfordshire County Council. Bridleway 75 - otherwise known as Roman Way, running through the BMW plant at Cowley - is earmarked for closure as the car giant wants to expand. Protesters
Joel King bagged a double as Hailey took over at the top of the Witney & District FA Premier Division for the first time this season with a 2-1 win against Hanborough, writes ANTHONY BARLOW. In one of a few fixtures in the top flight to beat the wet
Leaders Ardington & Lockinge came from behind to defeat a well-organised Blewbury team 2-1 in Division 1, writes ANDY WELLS. Johnny Pearce put Blewbury ahead and they held out until the last 15 minutes when Steve Cuddon's shot deflected off Ben Sutton
Didcot Casuals captured a major scalp when they came away from Reading League Division 1 leaders Old London Apprentices with a 3-2 win in round four of the Berks & Bucks Junior Cup. The Newbury side had only lost one game all season, but fell to goals
Roger Dell reeled off a six in his 16-doll haul to help Pips whitewash the Ox 6-0 in the Gladiator Beer Seller Friday League. Kevin Giles racked up 15 dolls and Willy Waite posted 14 - both with sixes - as Clare Car Hire came out on top 6-0 against
OXFORD University academics have voted against reforms which would give power to business experts and outside managers. The postal ballot found that 1540 dons, 61 per cent of the 2537 voters, did not support the proposed changes to the university's
WITNEY captain Jez Hicks says the best has yet to come from his promotion-chasing team. Hicks's men are just one point behind Southern Counties North leaders Amersham & Chiltern at the season's half way point. Yet, in recent times, Witney have played
A NEW wave of speed cameras is being rolled out across the county in response to demands from towns and villages. Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership has received 155 requests from residents and parish councils for tougher speed enforcement, with
THE library service in north Oxfordshire has celebrated a double 50th birthday. The branch library in Deddington and the Banbury area mobile library both opened for business in 1956 - and the twin anniversary was marked by two days of events. Letters
RAIL passengers in Banbury can avoid queues by applying for season tickets online. Chiltern Railways launched the service earlier this month. Managing director Cath Proctor said: "This is a time-saving and convenient option for busy business travellers
Jamie Ciballi scored the equaliser as Middleton Cheney battled back to salvage a point in a 3-3 draw at Worcester & Bletchingdon in their Oxfordshire Senior League Division 1 clash. Steve Ciballi gave Middleton the lead when he latched onto a poor clearance
THAME B upset clubmates Thame A for the second successive week by knocking the holders out of the Oxford & District League's Atox Cup with a 4-2 victory. It came just seven days after they dumped the A team out of the Stephen Reiss Cup. Tom Fletcher
EVERY year thousands of racehorses leave the sport due to injury, old age or lack of ability. oBut retirement from racing doesn't have to mean the end. And now a new charity called HEROS (Homing Ex-Racehorses Organisation Scheme) has been launched
LANDLORDS are used to drinkers painting the town red but now pubs are taking advantage of a new scheme to go green. Four Oxford pubs are among the first to benefit from a new project to save themselves hundreds of pounds a year and stop tonnes of rubbish
TWO more families have said they may never see professional pictures of their families after a photographic studio went into administration. Photographic company Olan Mills hit problems on Thursday, leaving scores of people hundreds of pounds out of
A MASSIVE mile-high mountain range coated with "white stuff" has been discovered on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, with the help of Oxfordshire scientists. Scientists have been stunned by the infrared images from the American space agency's Cassini spacecraft
OXFORDSHIRE County Council has been given a £400,000 bonus from the Government because of the way it has delivered transport schemes. It has been rated a 'good authority' and will get the extra cash in the next financial year - although the council
THE battle to reinstate key commuter trains from Oxfordshire to London has reached Parliament as rail managers launch a review of timetable changes that have caused overcrowding on peak services. Wantage MP Ed Vaizey tabled an Early Day Motion in the
LEISURE services in Oxford - labelled "unacceptable" by auditors earlier this year - are to be put in the hands of a charitable trust. All city council-run leisure centres and associated facilities will become the responsibility of a management board
