A NEW service has been launched to help employers tackle staff shortages in Oxfordshire. The county has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country - approaching the statistical zero figure. As jobless figures in the county hover around a 20-year
HAVE you ever thought what a nightmare it would be to lose your licence? The horror of catching the bus, bumming a lift or even using Shanks' Pony to get around doesn't bear thinking about and yet, with the ever increasing number of speed cameras and
VAUXHALL'S keenly-awaited new two-seater sports car, the VX220 will make its world debut at the 70th Geneva International Motor Show next month. Powered by a 147 horsepower 2.2-litre engine, the car reaches 60mph in under six seconds, and has a top speed
A LARGE car with a 2.0-litre engine, leather upholstery, air conditioning, cruise control and alloy wheels, all for less than £13,500. That'll be the Dae . . . actually, that'll be the Chrysler. The new Neon offers an attractive blend of space, equipment
LEADING car dealer in Oxford this week hit back at claims that UK dealers were 'ripping off' motorists with inflated prices on cars. Alf Middleton, Motorworld group general manager, said: "We're not in the business of ripping customers off. If we were
LICENSEES and pub landlords have signed up to a new scheme which combats underage drinking. Teenagers in Banbury and Bicester must now show identity cards with photographs, which prove they are 18 or over, if they visit any one of 140 pubs in the north
A FATHER-of-two who broke into a nurse's bedroom in the middle of the night and stabbed her with a pair of scissors has had his "unduly lenient" 18-month term increased to four years. Father-of-two Rashid Shioui, 24, of Hurst Street, east Oxford, pleaded
PENSIONER Bob Edmonds has scored a victory over the way a council handles concessionary fares for elderly people, writes Suzanne Huband. West Oxfordshire District Council offers pensioners £21 a year in bus tokens or towards the cost of a senior citizen's
OXFORDSHIRE athletics was humiliated on Saturday when the senior men's team were unable to record a team result in the Reebok CAU UK Inter-Counties Cross Country at Wollaton Park, Nottingham. Three runners rang manager Barrie Strange the night before
SAY Unipart and many people think of a car parts company - but there's much more to it than shiny new exhausts. In little more than 12 years, its sphere of influence has expanded from car components to a group providing storage and distribution to industries
A BURGLAR broke into a man's home, stabbed him in the throat and tried to saw his leg off because he wrongly thought he had been selling drugs to children, a court heard. Darren Clark, 28, of Laburnum Grove, Didcot, yesterday began a life sentence after
OXFORD United are giving a second chance to a young player who was kicked out of West Brom - because they believe he could go on to become something special, writes Jon Murray. Mosiah Blake was sacked by the first division club last week because of alleged
HARD on the heels of the successful Micra Inspiration, Nissan's fastest-selling Micra model ever, the company is introducing a new special edition Micra - the Celebration, which comes with one year's free insurance. Three models are available with a choice
BMW is working on a night-sight system developed by the military to help making night driving safer. Engineers at the German car maker believe that in the future, night-sight vision could be developed as a safety bonus. They said images provided by an
SUZUKI has teamed up with the AA Business Service to create a 24-hour comprehensive roadside assistance and recovery package to anyone buying a new Suzuki this year. The scheme, which would normally cost around £100, is being offered free on all new purchases
ITALIAN motorcycle giants Aprilia are in court again this week in an ongoing legal battle with the Spice Girls. The action follows claims by Aprilia, who sponsored a Spice Girls tour in 1998, that they lost out to the tune of £1.6m when Ginger Spice Geri
THREE Vantage versions of the Bloxham-built Aston Martin DB7 - now the most successful Aston Martin of all time - will be displayed at this year's Geneva Motor Show from March 2 to 12. Production of the 3,000th DB7 - a Vantage Volante with automatic transmission
On a recent trip to Southern Spain I was staggered by the amount of scooters there were around, writes John Gilbride. In most European countries two-wheeled tiddlers are de-rigueur, everyone and his aunt rides one and every teenage kid on the block can
THE parents of an Oxford University student who plunged 200ft to his death from a crane while celebrating his birthday spoke today of the huge gap in their lives following the loss of their 21-year-old son. Stephen and Gitte Dawson, of Freshford, Bath
Barton Rovers 1, Oxford City 1 (aet, Barton win 2-1 on pens) OXFORD City bowed out of the Ryman League Cup when they were denied a place in the semi-finals by some inspired goalkeeping. Barton's Brad Gillham was outstanding during normal and extra time
Sexual motive to homeless killing KILLER Mark Numms strangled Richard Jackson after trying to sexually assault him, police believe. Numms, 25, began a life sentence yesterday after a jury at Oxford Crown Court found him guilty of murdering the teenager
