Archive

  • Illegal cigarettes sold for £4 from Cowley shop

    AN OXFORD man was caught three times selling illegal cigarettes from a Cowley shop. Amar Hassan, who used to own Matean Market, admitted six offences at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Monday. The court heard that on the December 17, 2017, Oxfordshire

  • Go down to the Riverside for fabulous free music festival

    One of the country’s last real free festivals, Riverside Festival returns this weekend, celebrating 24 years of largely local music – with a twist. This year’s theme follows the band Pixies, with bands singing covers of the indie-rock legends,

  • Charity's message to burglars after window smashed

    A CHARITY which helps people with epilepsy said someone tried to break into its office. SUDEP Action - which stands for Sudden Death from Epilepsy - tweeted today to say someone had smashed a window at its Wantage headquarters. CEO Jane Hanna

  • Council hopes to challenge housing target

    VALE of White Horse District Council's leader will write to the Government to demand clarity over its housing target. Emily Smith, the council's Liberal Democrat leader since May, said the authority is concerned that homes outlined in its Local

  • Woman missing from Didcot

    A 38-year-old woman was reported missing from Didcot. Louise Davies was last seen in Nuffield Way, Didcot at around 6.30am Thursday.  ALSO READ: Fire crews at Shell petrol station after strong smell of fuel She has now been found safe and

  • Pop into the tent to learn the History of Everything

    The last chances to catch the Oxford Playhouse’s The History of everything in Oxfordshire this summer are fast approaching, writes Amy Cashman. The action-packed, pop up tent show is crammed with facts and fit-to-bursting with fun, and is out on

  • Free yoga, makeup tutorials and DJ sets at Westgate festival

    SHOPPERS can enjoy free make-up tutorials, DJ sets, live music and yoga sessions at the Westgate Centre this Saturday. The shopping centre is hosting a Summer Vibes Festival which will kick-off with yoga sessions run by Victor's Restaurant and Bar

  • Young drivers could be banned behind wheel at night

    YOUNG drivers could be banned from the road at night under plans to boost safety, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced. Ministers are considering introducing a graduated licence system for novice drivers in England amid figures showing

  • OBITUARY: Ex-OUP chief transformed the company

    GEORGE Richardson, who has died aged 94, combined a gifted academic mind with a brilliant business sense. The proud Scotsman was a fellow at Oxford University’s St John’s College for almost 40 years and helped transform Oxford University Press (

  • Foals gallop home to headline local festival

    WE are only a week away from the start of Oxfordshire’s biggest and best true rock festival of the summer. The gates will be thrown open at Hill Farm, Steventon, next Thursday for the beginning of Truck Festival. And this year’s extravaganza

  • The FASTEST speeds caught on camera by police in Oxfordshire

    MORE than 150 drivers were caught speeding at over 100mph by Thames Valley Police last year – with one reaching almost twice the speed limit. Officers have revealed the top five speeds clocked on the roads last year – with the worst offender racing

  • Storytime sessions at Waterstones in Oxford

    WATERSTONES bookstore in Oxford is hosting a series of storytime sessions to coincide with the summer holidays. Storytime sessions will take place in the children’s department of the Broad Street store on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11am and other

  • Burglary in Cholsey prompts dash-cam appeal

    DRIVERS are being urged to check their dash-cam footage following a burglary in Cholsey. Thames Valley Police want drivers to provide any footage taken in Reading Road between 12pm and 2pm on Wednesday last week. READ AGAIN: Revealed: Oxford's hotspots

  • How to take part in NHS research studies

    PEOPLE can learn more about NHS research and how to get involved in studies at an Oxfordshire library this summer. Healthcare staff will be speaking about current studies taking place in the region at an information stand at Kidlington Library from

  • Beauty brand L'Occitane opens new store at Westgate Centre

    Staff at French beauty brand L'Occitane's new store at the Westgate Centre welcomed their first customers today. After six years in Cornmarket, the chain, which specialises in hand creams and other skin care products, now has a shop opposite Bonn

  • Ice hockey player's bid to reach Jamaica

    A SPORTSMAN who battled anxiety after being put into foster care as a toddler has set his sights on the Olympics – but he needs help. A rallying cry has come from ice hockey player Marlon Williams who is vying for the chance to audition for the

  • From near death to blogging: Instagram star Tilly Rose

    FOR those struggling to get to sleep, another cliched story about someone’s tiresome ‘journey’ into Oxford University can make a handy remedy. Yet Tilly Rose’s tale, featuring a bold 10-year-old’s ‘throwaway’ comment, near-death health scares and

  • Why this boyband star was at the Ashmolean - in costume

    STARS of a kaleidoscopic show took a quick trip to 'ancient Egypt' as they prepared to take to the stage. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is being performed at Oxford's New Theatre this week, part of which is set in Egypt. Joseph

  • New nursery has rooftop garden and in-house chef

    A ROOFTOP garden, new toys and an in-house chef are among the attractions at Oxfordshire's newest nursery. Busy Bees opened its latest county branch this month on Whitelands Way on the Kingsmere Estate in Bicester. Parents and families were invited

  • Prosecco in the Park: What to expect this year

    REVELLERS will have to put their favourite sparkling wine on ice after a predicted lightning strike led to the postponement of Abingdon’s Prosecco in the Park. The three-day festival at Rye Farm Meadow was due to start tomorrow night, featuring

  • Meet the adorable new staff member at Oxford's hospitals!

    SAY hello to the John Radcliffe hospital's latest high-tech medical advance: Bree the Cockapoo. Bree has been signed up to spread cheer through the JR and Oxfordshire's other hospitals. ALSO READ: The 28 baby names that could soon become extinct

  • Remember When: An owl was drafted in to help children read

    OXFORDSHIRE youngsters took reading lessons from an owl in December 1986. The owl, which was a symbol of the publishing company Books for Students, dropped into Cutteslowe First School, near Oxford, to teach for an afternoon. It was all part

  • Two people taken to hospital after M40 crash

    TWO people were taken to hospital after a crash on the M40 yesterday. The patients sustained minor injuries in the incident that occurred shortly before junction 9, which saw two lanes closed and caused delays of up to 90 minutes. South Central

  • GRAY MATTER: Why a fat Trollope is an ideal holiday companion

    My lifelong delight in the novels of Anthony Trollope began with a childhood reading in a Collins Classics edition of Barchester Towers, the only work in his extensive oeuvre which was then (c. 1965) widely available. This was slightly before the

  • School grounds 'transformed' by DIY project

    A PRIMARY school's grounds have been 'transformed' after a housebuilder knuckled down in a two-day DIY project. Staff from David Wilson Homes Mercia spent two days painting, planting and building to overhaul the forest school and outside facilities

  • ON YER BIKE: What will get more women to start cycling?

    Column by Alison Hill July is Cycling UK’s Women’s Festival of Cycling with events taking place all over Britain. I joined a group of over 150 women cycling through London from Guildhall to Westminster Palace to launch the festival and celebrate

  • Oxford office rents are rising

    THE rapid success of the Oxford-Cambridge knowledge economy has driven up prime office rents in both cities. Office rents in Oxford have now risen to £40 per sq ft, with Cambridge rents now standing at £45 per sq ft. The university cities’ values

  • Delays remain after three-vehicle crash on A34 is cleared

    LONG delays remain on the A34 heading into Oxfordshire after a three-vehicle crash was cleared. Traffic officers attended the incident on the northbound carriageway between East Ilsley and Chilton, which caused delays of up to 35 minutes. Read

  • M40 slip road cleared after crash blocks lane

    A CRASH that closed a slip road at a key M40 junction this morning has been cleared. Traffic officers have moved vehicles away from the lanes on the northbound entry slip road at junction 11, Banbury. Lane two of the slip road was closed to

  • BOWLS: Carterton win thriller + league round-up

    CARTERTON secured a thrilling win in Division 1 of the Oxford League. They saw off Banbury Central by a single shot, their 69-68 success securing a 4-2 victory. Witney Mills continue to fight for their lives at the wrong end of the table, losing

  • BOWLS: Oxfordshire beat Kent + other county news

    OXFORDSHIRE warmed up for this weekend's Middleton Cup quarter-final against Kent with victory over their rivals in the Home Counties League. The two teams will lock horns at Egham BC on Saturday for a place in the last four at Leamington Spa next

  • Bin lorry almost catches fire due to 'careless' recycling

    A 'CARELESS' resident almost caused a bin lorry to catch fire after putting electrical and chemical items in the wrong place. Homeowners have been reminded to recycle responsibly after the incident, which occurred during the weekly rubbish collection

  • Delays expected as road remains closed after gas leak

    A DIDCOT road will remain closed today after a gas leak. Drivers are being warned to expect rush hour delays on Ladygrove Road, which is shut in both directions after the incident yesterday evening. Read also: Extra £2m for delayed cycling

  • Pupils call for climate change action at school summit

    PUPILS have launched a lobby for change as they try to protect the future of the planet. Students from St Gregory the Great Catholic School in East Oxford have become invested in the issue of climate change, and held a 'climate summit' alongside

  • BAR BILLIARDS: Oracle go top

    Oracle have taken over at the top of the Oxford & District League after a crushing 6-0 victory at former leaders Masons, writes PETE EWINS. Mark Trafford (14,920 & 13,890), Alan Donovan (14,480), Matt Jones (10,520 & 8,550) and Stan Robak (4,050

  • FOOTBALL: Oxon sides set for pre-season action

    OXFORD City play their final home warm-up game of pre-season on Saturday. Mark Jones’s men, whose other Court Place Farm fixture was a 5-3 defeat to Oxford United last week, host AFC Rushden & Diamonds. Didcot Town are the only one of Oxfordshire

  • Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 18/7/2019)

    It's always a pleasure to spend time with Agnès Varda. But it's impossible to watch Varda By Agnès without a tinge of sadness, as the irrepressible 90 year-old auteur passed away a couple of months after this valedictory documentary premiered at the

  • College makes U-turn on closure plan

    A SPECIALIST college for creative media courses has scrapped plans to close. SAE Institute Oxford, based in Littlemore, announced last year that it would close in 2020 due to dwindling demand from students. However, having reassessed its sustainability

  • New social services boss for Oxfordshire

    THE man who will be Oxfordshire County Council's new director of adult social services announced he will leave his current job yesterday. Stephen Chandler is currently in charge of adult social services at Somerset County Council. Mr Chandler

  • Growth Deal justifies thousands of more homes – council

    MASSIVE growth projects are enough to justify building thousands of new homes on Oxford’s Green Belt, the city council has claimed. It has said it cannot meet demand for new homes within its boundary. Other Oxfordshire district councils have previously

  • Delayed cycling project's cost now reaches £16.6m

    ANOTHER £2m will be ploughed into a delayed road project which has wreaked havoc for residents. The third and last stage of Access to Headington was meant to have finished in March – but the county council has said it should be completed in September

  • Time up for three men caught working illegally in Oxford

    THREE illegal workers who overstayed their visas are being deported and a small shop is being fined £20,000 after a day of immigration raids. It follows two illegal workers being caught in the act at Templars Square shopping centre last month,

  • Latest court results for Oxfordshire

    OXFORD MAGISTRATES’ CHRISTOPHER DEBANKS, 33, of Furlong Close in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, admitted stealing £60 worth of Lenor washing product from B&M in Templars Square, Cowley, on June 23. He also admitted stealing 10 bottles of Lenor from

  • 'Villagers must be realistic over A40 upgrades' - councillor

    CONCERNED residents were told to ditch 'blue-sky thinking' over planned upgrades to the A40 - despite claims the £180m changes will make 'little difference'. Villagers grilled county council representatives at a packed public meeting in Eynsham