There will be near-perfect conditions for New Year fireworks displays in most parts of Britain, forecasters said. But heavy snow has forced the cancellation of a major Hogmanay street party in Inverness. A dry night with mainly clear skies will
THE great problem in persuading people out of their cars and on to public transport has always been infrastructure. Some proponents of more sustainable transport systems have, at times, said there needs to be the demand before large scale projects can
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A man suffered a fractured jaw after he was attacked by a group of men. The incident started at about 11pm on Wednesday when the 31-year-old came across two women arguing in Balmoral Avenue, Banbury. He stopped to check on one of the women, who ran
AN ESTATE agent has been banned from driving for refusing to provide a breath specimen after failing a roadside breath-test. Benjamin Miles, 29, of Barrow Hill Close, Abingdon, admitted the charge at Oxford Magistrates’ Court today. Miles was stopped
A BUSKER admitted pushing over a Christmas tree and being abusive to police officers. Homeless David Harris, 58, who plays a keyboard in the centre of Oxford, was asked to leave Oxford Night Shelter on Wednesday, December 23, for smoking, but became
A man had his jaw fractured in an assault in Banbury last night. The 31-year-old man was walking along Balmoral Avenue at about 11pm when he came across two women arguing in the street. The man stopped to check on one of the women, who then
Banbury United boss Billy Jeffrey says his depleted side will have to be at their very best to beat high-flying Brackley tomorrow. Jeffrey is missing three players, and has doubts over another. Joe Coleman, Jon Gardner and Jason Taylor are
MACHETE-wielding robbers wearing Halloween masks stole a substantial amount of money from a Wallingford bookmaker last night. Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses after the Coral bookmakers in Market Place was robbed by the two men. At about
Flood warnings remain in place across the county today. The Environment Agency has 16 ‘Flood Watches’ in force across the region, including the Thames and its tributaries in the Oxford area. Other rivers still on alert include the River Ray in Oxfordshire
Oxford United manager Chris Wilder has continued to strengthen his squad with a new signing this morning. Left-sided centre back Jake Wright has joined from Brighton until the end of the season. The 23-year-old is well known to the
Police are appealing for witnesses after a bookmakers was robbed in Wallingford. At about 8.50pm yesterday, two men entered the Coral bookmakers in Market Place wearing Halloween masks. One of the men was armed with a machete, while the other man carried
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The freezing weather that has marked the end of this year could be seen as a metaphor for the bitter wind of recession which has blasted through 2009. While Oxfordshire’s economy has been resilient in many respects, it could not escape the effects of
A broken-down lorry today partially blocked the A420 near Kingston Bagpuize. The vehicle broke down on the roundabout at the junction with the A415 Abingdon to Witney road. Police are directing traffic.
Jenson Button has described being awarded the MBE in the New Year Honours List as 'the crowning glory' of a superb 2009. Button won six of the first seven grands prix of the 2009 season and sealed the Formula One drivers' title in Brazil with
REBECCA WILLIAMS’s story of her ‘eco-freak’ childhood in West Oxfordshire has become an Internet phenomenon. Now it’s a book When I was three, my father had a mid-life crisis. He didn’t buy a Ferrari or run off with a supermodel, though. He
TEENAGER Byron Haines has been given a three-week curfew after he once again breached his anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) in Greater Leys. The 19-year-old, given a two-year Asbo in October 2007 after 17 convictions in three years, admitted
NEW signing Lee Fowler says he has a point to prove after joining Oxford United until the end of the season. The 26-year-old, who has been released from Kettering, is in the U’s squad for tomorrow’s trip to Rushden, but is unlikely to feature. Fowler
Revellers are gearing up to give a warm welcome to 2010 even though sub-zero temperatures are expected across Britain. Final preparations are being made for huge fireworks displays to usher in the New Year in London and Glasgow. Hundreds of thousands
A BUILDER who shed almost half his body weight has encouraged Oxford Mail readers to follow their own weight loss New Year resolutions. Gary Day feared he was destined for an early grave when he ballooned to more than 26 stone, thanks to a
The prospect of a large expansion of Thornhill park-and-ride car park will be welcomed by anyone who uses it. It is the most popular of the park-and-rides for the obvious reason that it can be used for those heading into Oxford and for those heading
A builder who shed almost half his body weight has encouraged people to follow their own weight loss New Year resolutions. Gary Day feared he was destined for an early grave when he ballooned to more than 26 stone, thanks to a lifestyle of
Congratulations to all those from Oxfordshire honoured in the New Year’s Honours list. The list reflects huge contributions on the community, business, scientific and political fronts, and the awards are richly deserved. The honours system can only recognise
Sir – Now that Christmas is over, surely the Christmas lights should be switched off — and left off for future Christmases. Does this irresponsible extravagance benefit mankind in any way or give anyone any lasting pleasure? David Bradnack, Haddenham
Sir – Yuletide is a time of goodwill, and rather than complain, we should praise public bodies for what they have achieved. Queen Street, New Inn Hall Street and the High Street are looking improved, with bus stops generally in the right place and
Sir – In 1910 to 1914 my father was a student at The Queen’s College. For part of that time he lived in lodgings with a landlady in Turl Street. He had full board, and his laundry done for 15 shillings a week — 75p a week. He loved every moment and
Sir – The United Learning Trust’s withdrawal as sponsor leaves the county council’s plans to replace Oxford School with an academy in disarray. It’s high time that councillor Waine and his team focused their efforts instead on supporting the school
Sir – Your editorial Period of calm (December 17) makes some strange assertions. Oxford School now has the highest contextual value added score of any secondary school in Oxfordshire — a clear indication that the ‘legitimate’ governing body has been
Sir – John Tanner complains about the lack of information in relation to proposals for an academy at Oxford School (Letters, December 24). There was to have been a very full and extensive consultation exercise early in the New Year. The consultation
Sir – Mr Gray states in his side line (December 24) that Terry Wogan’s programme on BBC2 was “a tad boring”. I suspect he has not read his own columns which should win prizes for boredom, self-opinion etc but have obviously been overlooked. His unneccesary
Sir – It was with a sense of perturbation and dismay that I read your lead article of (December 10) OFS revamp major threat to arts in city. As an appreciator of art in many of its multiple forms and genres I am sympathetic to the cause of arts groups
Sir – I find it incomprehensible that the Government is encouraging citizens to scrap their cars after only nine years in order to replace them with a new one. I have a car which is 14 years old. It sails through its MoT; last time it required no
Sir – In 2005 following a diagnosis of mouth cancer my wife underwent some major mouth and face surgery. Since then she has had a long battle to try and get her life back to normal but a major challenge even now is being able to eat solid foods. She
Sir – It is interesting that in parallel with the publication on Thursday, December 17, of Christopher Gray’s positive review of the Ashmolean Dining Room, there was a far less complimentary review by the restaurant critic, Tony Turnbull, in the magazine
Sir – May I offer my heartiest congratulations to the powers that be who decided to allow Madley Park to become the country’s largest ice skating rink in the run-up to Christmas. It made the festive period great fun for all residents and was worth
Sir – The lack of salting on paths in the Welch Way area of Witney during the cold snap was an absolute disgrace: I remember about ten years ago seeing a council lorry with workmen on the back, throwing salt on the paths outside my house in Moorland
Sir – So, what excuse this time? Days after snow fell and temperatures plummeted, the state of some Oxfordshire side and residential roads was truly appalling. Coated with ice and snow and apparently untreated, they make many routine journeys literally
Sir – I was interested to read the letter from the Oxford East Liberal Democrat candidate Dr Steve Goddard and colleagues (Much-loved pool, December 17). The City of Oxford Swimming Club is a frequent user of Temple Cowley Pool and a major contributor
OXFORD’S busiest park-and-ride site is set to be expanded by more than 500 spaces because it is “swamped” with motorists. Oxfordshire County Council officers have recommended another 540 spaces are added to the 850-vehicle Thornhill site following
December’s London Chess Classic was the most prestigious tournament held in England for years. I visited the Olympia Conference Centre and found first-class organisation and superb facilities. The grandmaster commentary provided by, among others, Danny
The bad news is that most of you are feeling half a stone heavier and a lot poorer. The good news is that the days are getting longer, leaving you enough time to browse through seed catalogues. So propel yourself into next summer and pick out some hardy
PLANS are being drawn up for a major expansion of Oxford’s Thornhill park-and-ride site, with commuters having to bear some of the extra costs. Oxfordshire County Council is set to expand the site on the south-eastern edge of the city to create
This case contains the best-selling favourite wines of 2009 as chosen by The Oxford Times Wine Club members. Have a great New Year! The most popular wines 2009 case costs £76 and includes three bottles each of the following four wines. Hutton Ridge
White Christmas: It’s not every year that Oxfordshire has so much snow in the run-up to Christmas. The crisp, cold weather is lovely and a fresh blanket of gleaming snow makes the new year feel bright and clean. Walking in the snow is one of my favourite
JANUARY IT WAS to be a year that would see British servicemen and women suffer heavy losses in Afghanistan. But in January, Oxford mourned the death of William Stone, one of the last three surviving veterans in Britain of the First World
Reedbeds on the Otmoor reserve and the neighbouring upper River Ray region are a focus of a new national survey on these endangered habitats that are important to several forms of wildlife. The survey over the next two or more years is being carried
AMONG the big names honoured nationally, there were knighthoods for Star Trek and X-Men star Patrick Stewart, National Theatre director Nicholas Hytner, and rugby legend Ian McGeechan. There were MBEs for Formula One world champion Jenson Button and
A WOMAN who has helped thousands of school children to read, sew and rear animals during a career spanning more than 40 years has been made a MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list. Jean Heath, 72, started helping at Chadlington Primary
