Health bosses have pledged to improve their out-of-hours service after an Oxfordshire pensioner died waiting more than two hours for a paramedic. An ambulance was called for terminally-ill Peter Murray, 81, on June 6, who was at the Grange nursing home
A man accused of driving his van at four teenagers who he thought vandalised it has told a court he did not intend to mow them down. Mark Newcombe, 35, of Jerome Way, Shipton-on-Cherwell, denies two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, one of
The county's teenagers will find out tomorrow whether they have made the grade as A-Level results are released. Results will be uploaded on to our website throughout the morning. Students are due to go into their schools from 10am onwards to collect
Oxford City Council's Labour group has called for victims of last month's flooding to be given a council tax rebate. Group leader Bob Price, who represents Hinskey Park ward where several homes were affected, has asked Town Hall chiefs for a review.
An Oxford fast food restaurant has been forced to close for three months because of flooding. McDonald's in Botley Road was under 2ft of water and had its basement fully submerged in July's floods. The restaurant was forced to close early on Sunday
The family of a man killed when a car went into a tree will never know why the driver lost control. John Coleman, 44, a window cleaner from Wimborn Close, Deddington, died on Friday, September 22 last year when he was travelling into the village with
A doctor who killed a motorcyclist walked free from court yesterday after a judge spoke of her "golden" character and career. Thuli Whitehouse, 27, was given a 51-week jail sentence suspended for two years after a jury convicted her of killing father-of-two
It was no surprise to see Dr Thuli Whitehouse walk free from court yesterday. Judge David Morton Jack always seemed likely to take a course that many - including the family of motorcyclist Robert Murrell - have deemed was a lenient one. He had described
Plans to create a multimillion-pound aqua park at Blackbird Leys have kicked up a storm on www.oxfordmail.net. The Oxford Mail reported on Tuesday a pool with several flumes, slides and a wave machine, will be built next to the estate's leisure centre
Flood-hit pensioners are worried they may be left high, dry and homeless until Christmas. The waters may have receded but 16 pensioners from bungalows in Ladygrove Paddock, Abingdon, could be refugees for months. Some have moved to hotels and guesthouses
A £60m revamp at Didcot power station to secure the future of the site has been welcomed by community leaders. Energy firm RWE npower has pledged to spend the money to replace Didcot B's two old gas turbines with more environmentally-friendly equipment
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a lorry fire on the M40 this afternoon. The articulated lorry caught alight while travelling southbound between Junction 6 Lewknor and Junction 5 Stokenchurch at about 1pm. The lorry was carrying animal products and the
A north Oxford schoolgirl is planning to checkmate the world's best after being crowned British under-eight chess champion. Anna Wang, who is eight and lives near Cutteslowe Park, was named champion based on her performance in tournaments against girls
Chiltern Railways has extended its scheme to sell train tickets by mobile phone. The company has more than doubled the number of mobile tickets and introduced them on peak services. Neil Micklethwaite, commercial director at Chiltern Railways, said
Thirty years may have passed since Elvis Presley died, but The King is still very much alive and swivelling in the eyes of his fans. Debbie Waite reports. When Elvis Aaron Presley died, aged just 42, no-one could have known how long and strong his
Heath Stokes and family hopped across the Channel to Normandy and discovered perfect beaches and a laid-back way of life: Cider! I haven't touched the stuff since my mis-spent youth, when a warm bottle of Strongbow and a purloined Lambert and Butler
Firefighters were called to a lorry fire on the M40 this afternoon. The articulated lorry caught alight while travelling southbound between Junction 6 Lewknor and Junction 5 Stokenchurch at around 1pm. The lorry was carrying animal products and the
Clarence Walker, former lead singer of The Drifters and The Coasters, has died. The R 'n' B legend died at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, following a heart attack at the King's Arms Hotel, in Woodstock. As a child, Mr Walker was a leading voice
Hopes for better recycling facilities at Oakley Wood, near Wallingford, have been raised by South Oxfordshire District Council granting planning permission for an enlargement of the site. A spokesman for Oxfordshire County Council said the decision
Oxfordshire County Council's social care access team has been awarded a Charter Mark standard, the national Government award for excellent customer service in the public sector. Charter Mark assessor John Thurgood said the team offered "immediate benefit
Distinguished Oxford University academic, musician and museum curator Helene La Rue has died. Dr La Rue, who specialised in museology and ethnomusicology - the study of ethnic music - oversaw the Musical Collection at the Pitt Rivers Museum and was
A £60m revamp at Didcot power station to secure the future of the site has been welcomed by community leaders. Energy firm RWE npower has pledged to spend the money to replace Didcot B's two old gas turbines with more environmentally-friendly equipment
Tintin was no hack tabloid journalist of old: hard-drinking, and chain smoking as he banged out a piece of scandal-infested copy on an ancient office typewriter. Instead, he was a clean-living, wholesome boy reporter, who believed in the importance
Something touched a nerve last week after The Insider suggested more houses should be built to solve the current shortage of homes. Hardly rocket science, that theory. But according to Keith Mitchell, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, that's
A GAY barman has hailed his lucky pants for helping him win a place in the final of Mr Gay UK at the end of the month. James Barron, who works at the Wheatsheaf pub, in Wantage Road, Didcot, was persuaded by his friends to enter the competition at
Representatives from Oxford's many different faiths are to meet to discuss the anniversary of Indian Independence Day. Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jews and members of the Bahá'í faith will talk about the lessons that can be learned from the
Oxford City Council has been criticised for allowing weeds to grow 2ft high in a cul-de-sac. Michael Behan, of St Omer Road, Cowley, at one point believed more innocuous plants had been joined by poisonous deadly nightshade as the rogue greenery began
A youth was arrested in Oxford following a pursuit involving a police helicopter. The helicopter was called in to aid the chase of a 16-year-old boy on a moped. The chase took place along Pegasus Road and Windale Avenue in Blackbird Leys at about 11.45am
A gay barman has hailed his lucky pants for helping him win a place in the final of Mr Gay UK at the end of the month. James Barron, who works at the Wheatsheaf pub, in Wantage Road, Didcot, was persuaded by his friends to enter the competition at Oxford
I had completely forgotten until this week that I celebrated my 16th birthday on the very day that an important influence on my young life, Radio London, went out of business. I was reminded of the station's demise by various allusions in the media to
Are you experiencing déjà vu? It's a common occurrence among television viewers, particularly in summer when many programmes are repeats. But another cause may be the increasing number of programmes which cover the same ground as one another. For instance
The Veritas wine bar and bistro in North Bar, Banbury, has recently undergone a stylish makeover in order to play a starring role in Raymond Blanc's new TV series The Restaurant. It is one of nine establishments around the country to figure in the programme
The invitation was for a day by the Thames crayfishing in the Henley area with chef Duncan Welgemoed, from The Five Horseshoes, Maidensgrove, but the recent floods ruled that adventure right out. Instead, we went foraging for crab apples, early blackberries
Pamela Michael's Edible Wild Plants & Herbs was originally published in 1980 under the title All Good Things Around Us which became an accepted classic on the subject of wild foods. Grub Street Press have now republished this field guide (price £20)
The funeral service for Oxford United groundsman David Wedge will take place at Oxford Crematorium on Friday at 12.45pm. The 45-year-old had been the club's main groundsman for four years. He took over after the previous head groundsman, Mick Moore
When Ingmar Bergman died a couple of weeks ago, all the talk was of Nordic miserablism and the intimidating nature of so-called 'arthouse' cinema. Even Newsnight turned its nose up at films that make demands on the audience's intelligence. However, the
Almost five years since his lifeless, bullet-riddled body was hauled out of the Mediterranean by a fishing boat, secret agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) finally learns the harrowing truth about his past in The Bourne Ultimatum. The third episode of the
The staying power of the comic writing of the French playwright Marc Camoletti is being demonstrated in the smash hit revival in the West End of his Boeing-Boeing, which was enthusiastically reviewed on these pages a few weeks ago. Now there is a chance
A massive life-sized bronze model of a great dane named Boris sits at the entrance of the new O3 Gallery, at the Oxford Castle site. He's so life-like that the urge to give him a pat is overwhelming. Beside him stand Watson the Labrador and Lillie the
First performed in 1928, R.C.Sheriff's now classic treatment of the Great War, Journey's End, is revived on the 89th Anniversary of the second Battle of the Somme, and will feel instantly familiar in tone and sensibility to anyone who has read the poets
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If you attended last weekend's very enjoyable Cropredy festival you may have seen The Hummingbirds open the proceedings on Friday. This trio of accomplished singer-songwriters - Amy Wadge, Cathy Burton and Edwina Haynes - have been on the scene as solo
We were about to witness a piece of history, said folk musician and radio presenter Mike Harding as he introduced the first live performance on the Cropredy stage of the entire Liege and Lief album. Gathered were the members of that 1969 Fairport Convention
Do they work for a bank with a strict dress code? As Don Pedro and his colleagues drove into Kidlington Rectory garden and piled out of a Land Rover, they were all in identical suits. Certainly there wasn't any sign from their appearance that they were
Probably you've never thought of Preston as a nursery of operatic life. You'll have to think again, mainly as a result of the activities of Chris Gill including the creation of Heritage Opera in 2006 - since when they have performed and toured no fewer
Tintin was no hack journalist of old: hard-drinking, and chain-smoking - in the days when that was allowed - as he banged out a piece of scandal-infested copy on an ancient office typewriter. Instead, he was a clean-living, wholesome reporter, who believed
SCOOBY- Doo, where are you? For once there was an easy answer to the question. He was at Oxford's New Theatre last week - and providing a great time for the young fans who packed in to see him. The test of any show for children is how successfully it
A POLICE helicopter was used in the pursuit of a 16-year-old youth who was arrested for carrying a knife and stealing a motor vehicle in Oxford.. Officers were called after the youth was spotted riding what was believed to be a stolen moped through
It is regrettably the case that regional accents tend to be introduced into productions of Shakespeare's plays (especially those from the RSC) to provide us with something to laugh at. How refreshing it is, then, to hear the robust tones of Glasgie in
It was the transience of light that enabled Monet to repeat his haystack paintings over and over again. Each captured certain light effects that often lasted but a few minutes. Each picture, therefore, was quite different from the last. Monet turned a
POLICE are urging A-Level students to celebrate safely when they receive their results tomorrow. With many Year 13 students legally able to drink in pubs, bars and clubs, police said they want to be sure that the celebrations do not turn to commiserations
A DOCTOR walked free from court today over the death of a motorcyclist after she drove the wrong way down a dual carriageway. Dr Thuli Whitehouse, 27, was given a 51-week prison sentence but it was suspended for two years by a judge who at her trial
A man arrested after a fire that led to 200 people in an Oxfordshire being evacuated has been released without charge. The man, in his 30s, was arrested after the fire in a workshop at Newlands Street, Eynsham on June 21. About 200 people spent a night
United have teamed up with Oxford City for the 2007/2008 season. Season tickets holders for the U's will be given a £1 discount off the price of entry to Court Place Farm for City's home games. Admission is free for children. With United playing
A MAN arrested following a fire at a workshop in Newlands Street, Eynsham, on June 21, has been released without charge. Det Sgt Craig Kirby, of West Oxfordshire CID, said: "A protracted investigation was conducted by the police and Oxfordshire Fire
A doctor walked free from court today over the killing of a motorcyclist after she drove the wrong way down a dual carriageway. Dr Thuli Whitehouse, 27, was given a 51-week prison sentence but it was suspended for two years by a judge who at her
Police were continuing a nationwide search today for the 10 escapees who have not been caught after escaping from Campsfield House detention centre. They have now been on the run for 11 days. Of the 26 who escaped, 15 have been found, and one handed
AEA Technology 122.25 BMW 3016 Electrocomponents 255.25 Isoft Group 64.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 146 Oxford Biomedica 44 Oxford Instruments 232.75 Reed Elsevier 598.5 RM 190 RPS Group 330.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in the county has fallen for the fifth successive month. A total of 3,836 people claimed Jobseeker's Allowance in July - a drop of 107 from June and 635 on the year. Oxfordshire now has it lowest
Kidlington's plans to host the Lashings World XI may have failed, but chairman Nick Duval is still considering another big event. Lashings were due to play Kidlington at Stratfield Brake tomorrow, but Duval said the match was cancelled "due to a lack
Oxfordshire's women struggled to seventh place against some top-class competition at the senior Inter-Counties match at Portsmouth's Mountbatten Centre on Sunday. They were hit by mass unavailability, and the majority of the team was made up from under
Former Oxford United winger Chris Allen scored his third goal in two games for North Leigh, but they had to settle for a point in last night's Sport Italia Hellenic League Premier Division game at Wantage Town. Allen netted after 49 minutes to put North
OXFORDSHIRE's youngsters yesterday showed they are on track for success in the classroom, outperforming the national average in Key Stage Three tests. The county's girls also came out on top in comparison with the boys, especially in English, reading
OXFORD City Council still does not know what chemical was used to dye Hinksey Pool purple. The pool, in Hinskey Park, off the Abingdon Road, has been closed since Saturday, and Thames Water has been carrying out microbiological tests on a sample of
THREE 17-year-olds have been sent out to uphold the law on the streets of Oxfordshire. Senior officers who decided to take the three on as Police Community Support Officers have denied accusations of operating on the cheap and putting the public at
THREE families from the Bablockhythe area are still living in emergency housing provided by West Oxfordshire District Council following the flooding of their homes three weeks ago. At the peak, it had 60 residents in temporary housing. Other families
FLOOD victims rounded on the Environment Agency last night during a heated meeting to discuss the fall-out of the disaster. Homeowners, many of whom are still mopping up from the floods three weeks ago, vented their anger at the meeting in the King's
A JURY was ordered to find a defendant not guilty of a charge of attempted grevious bodily harm after a key witness failed to show up at court. Daniel Jeffries was due to give evidence against 35-year-old Mark Newcombe, of Jerome Way, Shipton-on- Cherwell
A MAN claiming disability benefits was fit enough to carry heavy equipment for karaoke sessions, a court heard. Vernon Mitchell, 54, had been receiving disability living allowance since 2004 - claiming to be suffering from several health problems,
Stuart Hole's rapid progression from village to county cricketer continued when he made his first team debut for Warwickshire. And the 22-year-old Oxford paceman made an instant impact, taking a wicket with only his second ball during Warwickshire's
Nayyir, who has been a tremendous servant to Gerard Butler's Blewbury stables, near Didcot, has been retired. The nine-year-old gelding won nine of his 37 starts, including the Group 2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket, the Group 2 Lennox Stakes at Goodwood
Steve James smashed a double sixer for Littlemore British Legion as they fought back to beat Woodman 2-1 in Section 2, writes ANDY BEAL. Losing the first leg 18-15, it looked as though Littlemore were heading for defeat. After hitting four in the
TOURING theatre and music comes to the village halls of rural Oxfordshire in a go-to-the-people programme called Full House. The scheme is put together by West Oxfordshire District Council and starts in September with 13 different companies appearing
PEOPLE in East Oxford are being asked to get involved in a new newsletter for the area. Oxford City Council is launching the East Oxford Newsletter and local people are sought to help write, print, edit and attract advertising for the new publication
SWIMMERS fighting to save an Oxford sports centre threatened with closure won a lifeline for the building. Peers Sports and Leisure Centre in Littlemore is threatened with closure because the city council wants to withdraw from a contract to run the
A SERIOUS bout of the ME illness left Kate Smith unable to work - but it unlocked her artistic talents. And now the former Wallingford School pupil is making a big name for herself in her adopted New Zealand. She won the 2007 Pastel Artist of New
CHILTERN Railways is more than doubling the availability of mobile phone tickets across its route. The daily quota of tickets has been increased from 490 to 1,010, with new ticketing options from Birmingham, Banbury and Bicester North. Passengers
TRAVEL problems are predicted in Banbury when a major through-route closes to traffic. Oxfordshire Highways is planning essential repairs to Bluebird Bridge, which carries Concorde Avenue over the canal near the bus station. Work should have started
A FOOTBALL match is being held in tribute to a man known as 'the guy with the big smile'. Ryan Lord, 22, was found dead in bed by his family in Kidlington last December - and his death has remained unexplained. Hundreds are set to take part in the
YOUNG actresses from across Oxfordshire experienced the glamour of Hollywood when they were picked to star in a new film alongside Colin Firth and Russell Brand. The youngsters from stage school Perform! beat scores of other budding actresses from across
MORE than 3,000 people are expected to descend on an allotment site in Cowley, Oxford, on Saturday. The 16th Elder Stubbs Festival gets under way at the allotments in Rymers Lane, with music, dancing, activities and stalls - and the chance to buy freshly-grown
WITNEY United are hoping to attract celebrities to pull on their football boots for a charity match. The club will host a match at Marriotts Stadium, Witney, on September 2, between Fox FM Oxfordshire Non-League Legends XI and Arsenal Legends and Celebrities
A man claiming disability benefits was fit enough to carry heavy equipment for karaoke sessions, a court heard. Vernon Mitchell, 54, had been receiving disability living allowance since 2004 - claiming to be suffering from several health problems, including
Three 17-year-olds have been sent out to uphold the law on the streets of Oxfordshire, the Mail can exclusively reveal today. Top officers who decided to take the three on as Police Community Support Officers have denied accusations of operating on
There is a couple living in a house in a field, they agreed to buy a cow so that they could have milk and make cheese for themselves as well as sell some of it. Next day he goes to the market and buys a cow, he starts his journey back home, on the way
