Organisers of Sunday's Town and Gown fun run in Oxford believe that the forecast showery weather won't dampen the spirits of those taking part in the annual city event. Last year, runners battled through heavy rain and had to tredge through soggy mud
Only two people were prosecuted for dumping rubbish in Oxfordshire last year - despite more than 6,000 incidents of flytipping. The maximum penalty for the offence is five years behind bars or an unlimited fine, but the vast majority of offenders appear
A sportsman is preparing to make a comeback this summer after beating a string of life-threatening illnesses. Grant Cawte conquered leukaemia, a brain tumour, MRSA and a debilitating transplant, and is getting ready to win at the World Transplant Games
Tory leader David Cameron yesterday heralded as a 'breakthrough' the defection of two Oxford city councillors to the Conservative Party. However, one of the councillors, Paul Sargent, reckoned he "had some convincing to do" of the local electorate to
Residents in west Oxfordshire feel safer and less threatened by antisocial behaviour than they did three years ago, according to a new survey. It is based on replies to forms sent out to 3,000 households in the district. A total of 1,333 bothered to
Unusual wind patterns have brought some of Europe's most spectacular birds to the skies above the county. Cranes, which have a 7ft wingspan, have been seen locally in recent weeks, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said. Officials think
Accountant Janine Allen Robertson said she will not be making up the numbers when she competes for the Miss England crown. Miss Allen Robertson, 22, from Farmstead Close, Grove, missed out on the Miss Oxford title last week - and this time she is determined
A warning has gone out to leisure centre users after a thief ransacked a changing room and stole clothes and valuables. Neil Boon's locker was among three emptied at the Ferry Sports Centre, in Oxford, between 12.45pm and 3.30pm on Tuesday. All his
A motorcyclist has been airlifted to hospital after a crash on the A34. Paramedics were called to the A34 near Weston-on-the-Green at 3.40pm after a collision between a motorbike and a lorry. The motorcyclist, a 20-year-old man, suffered a severe
A MOTORCYCLIST has been airlifted to hospital after a crash on the A34. The 20-year-old man suffered a severe arm injury and was flown to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in the air ambulance. Paramedics were called to the A34 near Weston-on-the-Green
One of the highlights of a series of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of Oxford's twinning with the German city of Bonn takes place tomorrow at Oxford Castle. Musicians, marching bands, street theatre players, singers, dancers and market stalls
A plea for a council not to get tied down with long leases on land and property in Abingdon was made at the annual meeting of the Vale of White Horse District Council. The Conservative councillor for Sutton Courtenay and Appleford, Gervase Duffield,
PEOPLE living in Cowley will have the chance to get their say on the policing of their communities and vote on what they think are the top issues for their area. The Cowley, Cowley Marsh and Lye Valley areas are about to get their own dedicated Neighbourhood
Urban post offices are under threat as well as their rural counterparts, an Oxford sub-postmaster has warned. Yesterday, dozens of sub-postmasters across the county were left wondering if their businesses had a future after the Government said 2,500
TO find out more details of the events listed below, contact Business Link Solutions on 0845 606 4466 or visit www.businesslinksolutions.co.uk unless otherwise stated. MAY 21: Faringdon Businesswomen's Networking Group, Faringdon Enterprise Gateway
OXFORD: Architects Berman Guedes Stretton recently held a tenth anniversary celebration at Rhodes House in South Parks Road, Oxford. About 200 guests joined BGS directors and staff from their Oxford and London offices for refreshments and dinner. Organisations
HENLEY: Publican Douglas Green of the Little Angel, Remenham, has won the Brakspear Marketing Pub of the Year competition. Director of operations, David Queen, said: "Douglas has consistently built his business by striving to market the Little Angel
OXON: Christina Nawrocki and Stuart Crook have been appointed partners at Wellers Accountants, which has offices in Oxford and Thame. Ms Nawrocki has been with the firm since 1997, while Mr Crook joined in 1999 - both grew up in Oxfordshire. Managing
BANBURY: Adam Lane has been appointed aftersales development director at the Spirit Motor Group. Mr Lane, 33, joined Spirit in 2001 as aftersales manager at the company's Banbury showroom and subsequently took over responsibility for information technology
Victims of the Normandy Crescent floods are set to end a four-month stay at an Oxford hotel with a bash organised by the staff. A party is being held for six couples who have been staying at the Premier Travel Inn in Garsington Road. They moved in
I completely agree with your editorial comment (Oxford Mail, May 15) about how pathetic it is that Oxford City Council has not managed to fine a single person for dropping litter since the helpful new laws came in about a year ago. Every time I raise
Here is my report on getting ready for the Oxford In Bloom competition. Day 1: put on gloves, removed dog poo, washed away vomit from outside front gate, removed two Sainsbury's and one Tesco bag from tall conifer tree, picked up five elastic bands
The dispute between the park-and-ride so-called' security guards' and their employer, the city council, prompts me to wonder, what sort of people the council is employing? If these chaps aren't willing to work on their own and prefer to go on strike
You report a vacancy for a new chief executive to work for Oxford City Council with a wage packet of some £115,000 per annum plus, no doubt, a few little perks thrown in (Oxford Mail, May 10). Apparently some of the required attributes required to perform
Runners raised a record-breaking total for an Oxford charity. Hundreds braved the rain to take part in the annual Oxford Fun Run last Saturday round the University Parks, in aid of the Pathway Workshop. The £4,000 raised will help ensure that the Blackbird
A warning has gone out to leisure centre users after a thief ransacked a changing room and stole clothes and valuables. Neil Boon's locker was among three emptied at the Ferry Sports Centre, in , Oxford, between 12.45pm and 3.30pm on Tuesday. All
If A guy gives up gambling, going out or drinking, the likelihood is he's "only doing it for some doll". Such is the premise of Guys and Dolls, an all-singing, all-dancing look at the age old topic of the divide between men and women. It's fast-paced
A former Albanian police chief who claims he will be murdered by a gangster if he is deported has lost a High Court fight against his removal from the UK. The man, in his 30s and living in Oxford, fled the Balkan country for the UK, via Italy and France
Ralph Leavis is surely being cynical in his opinions of our beloved anti-hunt brigade (Oxford Mail, May 15). These bold guardians of our wildlife do a sterling job. Unelected, unasked-for perhaps, but sterling nevertheless. After all, what could be
Three thousand jobs could be created if plans to build a £108m business park and four-star hotel on the edge of Bicester are approved. The development would be on a 50-acre site, just off the A41 between Bicester Village and Blooms garden centre.
Twins Sasha and Caliegh Cox were oblivious to the celebrations around them during the official opening of Oxford's new special care nursery. More than £1m has been spent refurbishing the ward, at the John Radcliffe Hospital's neonatal unit. The unit
Two new jobs have been added to the decision-making Conservative cabinet of West Oxfordshire District Council. Mark Booty, from Bampton, was elected at the annual council meeting to take on the new portfolio for Change and Improvement. And Jill Dunsmore
Controversial plans to shake up secondary education in Bicester will be put to parents and pupils during public consultation. People in the town can have their say on three options - a new vocational centre, a new 850-place secondary school or the expansion
Nominet, the Oxford-based registry of UK Internet domain names, has begun the final phase of its planned move to the The Oxford Science Park. The company celebrated with a visit to the new building by all 120 staff. The new 25,250 sq ft headquarters
Languages at Lunch helps people to fit language learning into their busy lives by running short courses at their place of work. We aim to be innovative because we are trying to make language learning fun and enjoyable, and also trying to give employees
Believe it or not, but Oxfordshire has a bigger and more complex business and economic network than any of its surrounding counties. The place is buzzing with activity from people wanting to start up their own business, to those who are looking for support
Obtaining free legal advice via videolink access points will soon be a reality across Oxfordshire, thanks to new Witney-based firm Legal Advice Direct Solicitors. Officially launched by Witney MP David Cameron last month, the Internet-based system will
The notion of seeing images in three dimensions has long fascinated both scientists and the general public alike. Back in the 1950s, audiences at American drive-in cinemas donned their special red and green lensed spectacles to watch movies such as It
The Diagnox laboratories at Cherwell Innovation Centre have a new kid on the block in the shape of ProKyma and, as chief executive Damian Bond is keen to point out, it is far from your usual start-up. He explained: We are actually a spin-out from the
You stop smoking every time you put out a cigarette, so why do people find it so difficult to give up? The question will come into focus more sharply from July 1, when the Government smoking ban in public places and the workplace becomes law. Already
A business founded with a £10,000 bank loan and four Spanish terracotta tiles catered so well for home owners' aspirations when decorating their rooms that it was sold for £30m just two decades later. Nicholas Kneale could not have dreamt of such success
On a visit to a well known home furnishing retailer, I once saw a couple loading a van with a new kitchen. There were literally thousands of pieces all wrapped in cardboard and plastic and already they were scrutinising vast instruction books to ensure
Publisher Robert Boyd looked at a huge pile of books on Cowley stacked on the floor next to a bindery machine and wondered what he had done. The publication was the first volume in what became a series of three. "In the end, I need not have worried
John Raskob was the Gerald Ratner of his day; a man whose public utterances were to become infamous and a source of great personal embarrassment. He was ridiculed for what he had said and blamed for encouraging people to buy stock that later became almost
Sometimes it just feels like everything is going your way. More often than not, you simply put the feeling down to it being your day and make a mental note to pick up a lottery ticket on the way home. That's just how I felt as I effortlessly ate the
After having her children, Tanya Buchanan struggled to regain a place in the workforce. Now that she has her own business, it's still tough - but she is her own boss. Following her first maternity leave, she returned to her pre-childbirth job, working
The smell of coffee is wafting from a corner of Thame Parkway railway station after Little Italy came in from the cold. Cathrine Tjore, 31, from Norway, and her partner Simon Keeley, 42, spent ten months serving coffee from their three-wheeler Piaggio
Oxfordshire-based entrepreneur Grange Snell, who describes his age as "towards the later end of the thirties" is on a mission: to become the UK's top supplier of hairbrushes to the hairdressing industry. He also wants to become a force to be reckoned
Judy Niner had had enough. Like so many others, she drove from Oxfordshire to London every day and it was an experience she was not enjoying. Roadworks, accidents, inexplicable traffic jams - she soon realised that it was not her job as head of marketing
The name might once have conjured up somewhat unsavoury images, but pole dancing has now become a sport in its own right - and is not just something you would find in a strip club. This is the message that Sara Smith, an Oxford Brookes University student
The son of a millionaire record producer today denied killing a friend of Tory MP Boris Johnson with a 'rugby kick' to the skull. Kes Ingoldsby, 18, is accused of murdering 43-year-old business man Stephen Langford in a fight outside a takeaway close
Here is a different kind of Beecham's powder. Too much of this one would probably give you the kind of headache that its more famous cousin, invented in the 19th century, was designed to cure. Now Oxford entrepreneur Emma Beecham, great-great-granddaughter
WORK continues on a bridge maintenance scheme on the A34 at Chieveley near the M4 Junction 13 at the weekend. There will be a reduction of lanes from three to two, under the bridge on the roundabout of the A34/M4 Junction interchange. Real-time traffic
The Herb Garden at Kingston Bagpuize is an idyllic place, particularly at this time of year, when it is full of wonderful scents. Rows of herbs for sale are laid out near the entrance (priced between £2.50 and £5), while beyond, more mature display plants
Michele Spicer's career has been what she terms a voyage of discovery.' It has taken her from the shop floor of Harrods to the beaches of Corsica, where she was a travel representative, and from each new challenge she has taken away something new. In
Never mind the blazers, it's faces that must be turning pink. Whisper it: Henley's venerable Leander Club is hiring out parts of its lovely clubhouse for corporate entertainment. What will the more blimpish elder members have to say? As if instructing
AEA Technology 110 BMW 3399 Electrocomponents 299.75 Isoft Group 52.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 158 Oxford Biomedica 39.5 Oxford Instruments 280 Reed Elsevier 686.75 RM 201 RPS Group 339 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
A DRIVER was cut free from a car in an Oxfordshire village following a collision with a heavy goods vehicle nar Eynsham last night. The man, who is thought to be in his late teens, became trapped in his vehicle after the collision on the B4449 between
No wonder David Cameron is cock-a-hoop. After five years without a Tory councillor, Oxford now has two. Tia MacGregor and Paul Sargent, having quit the Liberal Democrats to become Independents, have now joined the Conservative ranks. What, we wonder
Today will be a particularly sad day for the Davidson family. It is a year ago since their daughter, Dr Margaret Davidson, was killed by a tearaway driver. Their anniversary plea for drivers, particularly young ones, to slow down is timely. In the
Paramedics and firefighters were called to Oxford University's chemical research laboratory today following an incident. A spokesman for South Central Ambulance said: "We were called to the building at 3.25am. No one was injured."
STEVE Basham and Chris Hargreaves were the big name departures as Oxford United released details of their retained list for next season. Gavin Johnson and Rufus Brevett were the other senior pros to be shown the door, along with youngsters Billy Beechers
THIRTY-FIVE firefighters tackled a blaze at Didcot A power station last night after a fire broke out when oil leaked on a turbine. Crews from Didcot were called at 9pm after the fire started in the main turbine hall. Firefighters worked into the early
PARAMEDICS and fire crews were called to Oxford University's chemical research laboratory during the early hours to tackle a small electrical fire. A university spokesman said the fire caused minor smoke damage at the Mansfield Road building. A spokesman
The great thing about sparkling wine is that you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to drink it, unlike Champagne. The Champenoise are well known for their marketing expertise and have missed no opportunities to charge a fortune for so-called deluxe cuvees
AEA Technology 110 BMW 3389 Electrocomponents 301.25 Isoft Group 52.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 158 Oxford Biomedica 40.75 Oxford Instruments 280 Reed Elsevier 685 RM 199 RPS Group 337 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Not that long ago, the Fence Gate Inn in Burnley concocted the world's most unusual and luxurious steak pie, using some rather unusual and expensive ingredients. First of all, it used the finest cut of Japanese Wagyu beef, costing around £500 per kilo
In Burford - next to the Church - on Saturday May 19th there is a great celebration of the part played by the Levellers in the English Civil War. Starting at 10 am, the speakers are Tony Benn, Caroline Lucas (Green MEP and ex Oxfordshire County Councillor
SATURDAY CRICKET SOMMERS HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE Div 1: Falkland v Banbury, Farnham Royal v Henley, Oxford v Slough. Div 2 West: Thame Tn v Kidlington, Tring Park v Aston Rowant. THE OXFORD TIMES CHERWELL LEAGUE Div 1: Banbury 2nd v Milton
Oxford Cavaliers bid to bounce back from their opening day defeat in the totalrl.com Conference Midland Division when they take on Wolverhampton Wizards at Marston Ferry Road tomorrow (2.30). Cavaliers, who will be playing the West Midlanders for the
The Farmers Bloodhounds meeting - abandoned for the last three seasons at Dunthrop, near Chipping Norton due to bad weather - is set to take place on excellent ground as it switches to Mollington, near Banbury, tomorrow (2pm). Three course winners from
Oxford City's Corin Simmonds produced the shock of the season to win the 10-mile time trial run by the Oxonian CC from Burford to Lechlade. In a quality line-up of 26 riders, she clocked 23min 29secs to beat City's John French by nine seconds. It's
Oxford Sports suffered a massive blow in their bid to retain the Ladies 3-Pair Division 1 title, losing 5-4 to Banbury West End. Despite Cressida Henderson and Millie Milsom winning all three matches at No 1 pair, an under-strength Sports side fell
Banbury open their bid for a fourth successive Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup triumph with a trip to Shipton-under-Wychwood in the first round on Tuesday, May 29. The opening ties also see Thame Town take on Home Counties rivals Aston Rowant. Oxford
Challow & Childrey have been fined £50 by The Oxford Times Cherwell League after their secretary walked off with the stumps during play. The bizarre incident occured during Saturday's opening Division 2 game with Tiddington, which has now been awarded
Oxford Cheetahs crashed to the foot of the table after losing their basement clash at Ipswich last night. It may have been a makeshift side, but Oxford, with David Howe, Chris Schramm and Shaun Tacey, taking the places of Ales Dryml, Pepe Protasiewicz
Former Oxford Cheetahs ace Davey Watt leads the charge against Swindon Robins in a Sky Sports Elite League derby at Oxford Stadium tonight. Watt, who scored 17 points for Eastbourne when they were walloped by Oxford a couple of weeks ago, comes in as
Midfielder George Redknap grabbed a brace of awards at Banbury United's presentation night. Redknap won the players' player and the manager's player accolades. Andy Baird was voted the supporters' player and won the Southern League Premier Division
North Leigh chairman Pete King has spoken of his disappointment after the Sport Italia Hellenic League club failed to get promotion from the Southern League. North Leigh, who finished as runners-up, were hoping to join Slimbridge in the higher league
Jim Smith will stay in charge of Oxford United - and says that he is more determined than ever to lead the U's to success. Despite hinting after the play-off defeat that he may step down as manager and hand over to No 2 Darren Patterson, Smith has reflected
A VERDICT of death by misadventure was recorded at the inquest into the death of a 92-year-old woman, who died after being hit by a car which mounted the pavement. Mary Crecraft, of Calder Close, Banbury, died on April 25, 2006, three days after the
MORE than 3,000 runners will pound the streets of Oxford on Sunday for the annual Town and Gown race in the city centre. It is the second biggest field ever assembled for the 10km race, which is being held for the 26th consecutive year. The first
DOZENS of sub-postmasters in Oxfordshire are wondering if their businesses have a future after the Government said it would go ahead with a wave of cost-cutting closures. Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling said 2,500 of the country's 14,000
Thirty-five firefighters tackled a blaze at Didcot A power station last night after a fire broke out when oil leaked on a turbine. Crews from Didcot were called at 9pm after the fire started in the main turbine hall. Firefighters worked into the early
THE principal of the Oxford Academy - the city's first flagship academy which is to replace Peers School - will be paid £100,000 a year. The bumper salary is designed to attract the very best to apply for the post at the academy, which aims to take
THE mother of a doctor killed in a high-speed crash today begged young drivers to take care on the roads on the anniversary of her daughter's death. Dr Margaret Davidson, 26, died when Nolan Haworth crashed head-on into her car a year ago today, on
Sommers Home Counties Premier League Oxford captain Jason Harrison says they are relishing the challenge of facing three ex-Test players when Slough visit Roman Way in Division 1 tomorrow. The defending champions boast Chris Lewis, Nantie Hayward and
Oxfordshire coach John Brodley says they can just go out and enjoy themselves against Somerset at Weston-super-Mare tomorrow. Victory would see Oxon finish as group winners, but whatever the result, they have secured their status for next season.
Sir - I was baffled by the arguments for imposing lone working arrangements for the night shifts at the Oxford City park-and-ride sites offered by the city council business manager Graham Smith (Letters, May 11). Mr Smith states that very few problems
UNWANTED plastic rubbish bins redundant under Oxford's recycling revolution have been reincarnated as water butts. Fifty bins from homes across Oxford due to be recycled were saved from the shredder and delivered to St Clements and District Allotment
A NEW environmental support group is being launched today. Gareth Wilde is setting up Didcot Earth Care to help people get more environmentally-friendly. He said: "I've been very slow to learn about reusing and recycling myself. I hope that people
BLUE-Badge guides will be offering leisurely strolls around the colleges and universities of Oxford to raise money for charity. The stroll starts at 1.30pm in Oriel Square, tomorrow, and afterwards there will a chance to enjoy a traditional cream tea
A PORTER 4x4 model has been added to Piaggio's microvan range, which comes with a 1.3-litre petrol engine and prices starting from £7,495 for a 4x4 panel van or pick-up versions. The tiny van also offers good cargo capabilities, with a 560kg payload
RENAULT'S latest big Espace people carrier range can now be ordered from British dealerships. It is enhanced with two new versions, Team and Dynamique S, and prices range from the entry-level Espace Team's tag of £18,595, up to £33,460 for the Grand
They call it the demographic timebomb. A strange term really, when you think it has been invented to describe a future holding the prospect of people actually living longer. At Oxfordshire County Council, they now prefer to talk about something called
THE chief executive of Oxfordshire's largest hospitals hopes to win foundation trust status within 18 months - but has admitted multi-million pound cuts will have to be made. Trevor Campbell Davis, of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, said
Sir - Harbord Road leads directly into Cutteslowe Park, and number 41, which is now scheduled to be replaced, really sets the tone and balance of the entry to the park. Mussolini might have been proud of it, but not the powers that be. Its pretty
Sir - Robert Sephton (Letters, May 4) suggests that there should be 'signs warning cyclists that pedestrians also use the pavements'. Shouldn't that be 'warning cyclists that pedestrians only use the pavements'? Simon Jones, Oxford
Sir - In March this year the Government published its draft Climate Change Bill, which sets out a legally binding framework for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions which lead to climate change. This is now in a consultation phase, in which members
Sir - Your analysis of the local district council election results did not include the striking failure of the West Oxfordshire Conservatives to elect any women in David Cameron's own home area. Mr Cameron has quite rightly stressed that his new modern
Sir - One issue your correspondent Isabel Pack (Letters, May 4) might look at is the number of people who start to do some recycling once fortnightly schemes like Oxford's are introduced in their area. Before our new scheme was introduced in Oxford
Sir - I completely agree with Richard Hunt (Letters, May 11). The proposed extension of parking restrictions, at least to parts of North Oxford not presently covered, is unnecessary and has been badly managed. We are told that the reason for the extension
OXFORD University scientists believe hens have a way of coping with over-amorous cockerels that may be familiar to many women. They give them what they want first thing in the morning to avoid being pestered later. By soliciting sex in the morning
OFFICIALS from a regional development agency toured Bicester to find out more about future development issues in the town. Two top officials from the South East England Development Agency (Seeda) visited the site of the planned £70m town centre redevelopment
MP Tony Baldry will take part in a citizenship ceremony today. The town MP will speak at the ceremony at Bodicote House as part of a national drive to raise awareness about the events, which are managed locally by Oxfordshire County Council. Henley
The defection of two Independent councillors to the Tory party will not make a jot of difference to the way Oxford City Council is run. Its only significance is that the Tories now have a presence on the council for the first time in five years. Given
A TALK by author Sally Vickers on psychology, art and spirit in her novels will be held at the Taylor Institution, in St Giles, tomorrow. The talk is part of Mind Week, organised by Oxfordshire Mind, and the event will start at 11am. Tickets, available
A CORONER is considering calling for an investigation into the side-effects of two drugs following an unexplained death. Oxfordshire coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded an open verdict on Janet Green, 50, of Kate Turnbull House, in Sandford Road, Littlemore
Sir - Recent correspondents have highlighted anxieties for the future of Oxfordshire Studies when the Central Library building is remodelled as part of the Westgate development. But what will happen, not only to Oxfordshire Studies but to the whole
COOKING oil from Oxford college kitchens is being converted into biodiesel fuel to run some of the university's vehicle fleet. A third of the colleges are pouring their waste oil from deep-fat friers, used to cook chips and battered fish, into cans
FOUR Oxford groups are celebrating being awarded a total of more than £10,000 in grants from a foundation set up by the parent company of The Oxford Times. Oxpots, the pottery workshop for blind and partially sighted people, scrapstore Orinoco, the
DINOSAURS will be coming to life for a spooky night at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History this weekend. Visitors will be able to see exhibits in a different light on Saturday, as lanterns guide them through the museum from 8pm to 11pm.
A TEENAGER admitted punching and kicking a father of two he is accused of murdering. But James Diggens insisted he had only been trying to stop the powerfully-built man from attacking his friend following an ill-tempered exchange of words in a late-night
We can expect some interesting arguments over the Co-op's plans for a wind turbine at Botley. The environmental movement has long been calling for greener ways of supplying energy, and the Green Party in particular has backed the notion of wind turbines
A VILLAGE football team has dedicated its trophy victory to a former manager who was unable to see them win the final. Dean Winstone, well-known in soccer and cricket circles in west Oxfordshire, is critically ill in a hospital in the West Country
THE "special character" of two picturesque villages has been recorded to make sure developments remain in keeping with their surroundings. Character appraisals of Bloxham and Hook Norton have been adopted by Cherwell District Council in a bid to record
A 'DEAD' language brought classrooms to life at an Oxford school. Younger pupils at Cheney School, which already offers Latin and Ancient Greek among its language courses, were introduced to Latin as part of the Iris project, a classics project which
BRITAIN'S Land Rover dealerships are now showcasing the latest Freelander 2 compact off-roader addition - the 2.2-litre diesel automatic. It features the same six-speed auto transmission as the 3.2-litre petrol Freelander, but the 2.2-litre four-cylinder
WHEN it comes to producing quick and classy-looking machines, BMW does it better than most. A good example is the German maker's new 3 Series Convertible, which has only just broken cover in Britain - but it is already looking like the must-have drop-top
RENAULT has updated its Clio range with two new models and a new engine: the Clio TomTom, Clio Dynamique SX and 1.2 Turbo 100 TCE unit. Available as a three-door only, the TomTom is a collaboration between Renault and navigation experts TomTom and
THE second generation Ford Focus has been named the Used Car of the Year by motoring magazine, Auto Express, and the car trade 'bible' Glass's Guide. Auto Express editor in chief, David Johns, said: "When it came to picking an overall winner, there
YOU know the phrase 'less is more'; well whoever designed the Citroën C4 Picasso had clearly never come across it. Seven seats, six-speed automatic gearbox, five-star safety rating, choice of four engines, this vehicle celebrates excess - and has more
Sir - Apart from objecting to the NHS Trust's abysmal, potentially harsh and discomforting proposals for Banbury's excellent Horton hospital, I am appalled they refuse even our MP details of the people selected to make the final recommendations even
Sir - The comments by Julie Waldron on Warneford Meadow (Report, May 11) are wide of the mark. City planners did not, as she claims, recommend approval of the Mental Health Trust's plans for Warneford Meadow. The planners recognised that the proposals
Sir - I hope there will be a resounding victory for the proposal to reinstate the canal basin on the Worcester Road car park site (Report, May 11). But no apologetic little "Y" shapes, please! A basin is round, and in this instance it should cover
Sir - At the Arriva bus stop in St Aldate's, Oxford, there is a notice drawing attention to the availability of better bus information. Is that why they have taken down the bus times and replaced them with what appears to be detailed technical information
Sir - With regard to the article on the behaviour of cyclists in our city (Report, May 4). I wrote to the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police four years ago on the matter including riding the pavements, as there is supposedly a £30 fine in vogue
Sir - Am I alone in being delighted with my new recycling boxes and garden waste bags? Not only do I no longer have to fill up my car boot with cardboard and plastic bottles to take them to the recycling bins. I am excited by the new organic vegetable
Sir - Richard Hunt (Letters, May 11) protested at the proposed introduction of a new Controlled Parking Zone in North Summertown. He complained that we, as local councillors, did not oppose the scheme despite the consultation returns showing more people
Sir - On April 27, The Guardian reported that a bike is stolen every 71 seconds in England, with Oxford coming in at number six in the list of 'bicycle theft hotspots'. Everyone knows it is a problem, but how many people know how little is being done
A FLY-TIPPING hotline has been set up by Oxford City Council in the hope residents will come forward to report instances of illegal waste dumping in the city. The Report-a-Tipper number is 01865 252900 - or email streetscene@oxford.gov.uk
A JOINT effort by Witney Snooker Club and Bakers Butchers, in Market Square, Witney, raised £2,000 for Helen and Douglas House hospices in Oxford. The fundraising evening, including local band The Inflatables, also brought in a further £500 for Breast
CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown will face questions from the Labour Party's younger members at a special hustings event in Oxford on Sunday, June 10. Older Labour members from the county will get their chance to question the leadership candidate in London
THE Muslim Education Centre of Oxford (Meco) will host a religious 'first' today, when a Christian minister preaches part of its weekly service. The Rev Peter Hewis, chaplain of Harris Manchester College, Oxford, will deliver his views about divine
