Homeowners in flood-hit areas of Oxford could be forced to seek specialist insurance. Some homes in the city, including the Botley and Osney areas, have been hit by three major floods in eight years and premiums could be set to rise sharply. Phil Hutt
I must congratulate the editor and all the staff on the Oxford Mail for producing editions every day during the recent floods at Osney Mead. It was a tremendous effort by everyone and a credit to the newspaper industry. Not a day's edition was lost,
Flooded out Oxford council tenants could be back in their flats by Christmas, according to the team behind the clean-up operation. More than 200 properties in the city were affected by flooding, among them 26 council homes in Bullstake Close, West Oxford
I feel sorry for residents who have had their homes flooded. Tory Party leader and Witney MP David Cameron said people wanted answers and that serious questions needed to be asked about flood defences. I will give him an answer, and it's not blaming
A network of children's centres offering Oxfordshire parents support and advice is set to expand following a £35m Government cash injection. The money will help provide 12 new centres across the county by March, 2008 - taking the current number from
The flood defences for Abingdon and Botley Road in Oxford were promised years ago. So where did that money go? We must get this big job done now. Flooding could happen again within five years. I would like to thank all the people who have done a great
I am writing to commend all the local authorities which were able to help keep the floods at bay. In Kidlington, about five houses were flooded. If the flood defences had not been installed, many more houses would have been flooded in areas such as
The recent catastrophic floods that have hit many parts of the county are a disaster that has been in the planning for a number of years. The systematic removal of public services, with record hikes in council tax over the last 20 years, has come to
Oxford city councillors who are due to debate whether to back striking post workers in Oxford have been handed a heart-felt memo from Royal Mail top brass. On Monday, all 48 councillors are due to take a vote on whether to back the Communication Workers
Mystery surrounds the demise of a legendary Oxford eaterie - causing the gnashing of hungry teeth across the city and beyond. Peppers Burgers, in Walton Street, has been a popular takeaway for more than 20 years and is considered by many - even Americans
A woman has died after being pulled from the River Thames tonight. Paramedics, police and firefighters were called to Iffley Lock, off Mill Lane, Iffley, at 5.50pm after a member of the public rang reporting a woman had jumped in the river, an ambulance
A CYCLIST who sent a five-year-old girl flying across an Oxford pavement could kill someone next time, the victim's mother warned. Disabled Sonia Denmark said her daughter Emily-Rose was lucky she was not knocked unconscious by the rider who crashed
MOTORISTS stopped as part of a crackdown on summer drink-driving have supported the campaign. More than a dozen drivers were breath tested during stop-checks in Oxford, but no one tested positive for excess alcohol or drugs. However, across the county
Ron Cross was de-mob happy when he went for a drink in an Oxford pub with his mother and father at the end of the Second World War. But Mr Cross was even happier after meeting Megan, a 16-year-old friend of the family. He took the plunge and proposed
Childhood sweethearts who grew up in the same street have celebrated 50 years of marriage. Mary Souldern and Douglas Green, of Evenlode Close, Bicester, met when they were just 13 years old and lived along the road from each other in Nuneaton, Warwickshire
A MAN was knocked over and robbed of his rucksack by two men as he walked through an alleyway in Banbury. The man was walking in an alleyway off Longlandes Way, Banbury, that runs behind the Demag factory, at about 7.15pm yesterday when he was pushed
A publandlord is planning to put his 'Dutch courage' to the test by kayaking all the way to London to raise money for charity. Rob Oakley, landlord at the Oxford Blue Pub, in Marston Street, East Oxford, will be joining two friends to canoe 135 miles
A blind man is hoping to make sporting history by becoming the first disabled athlete to represent Great Britain at the World Triathlon Championships. But there is another obstacle preventing Graham Kiff from realising his dream - money. Mr Kiff,
Motorists stopped as part of a crackdown on summer drink driving have supported the campaign. More than a dozen drivers were breath tested during stop-checks in Oxford, but no-one tested positive for excess alcohol or drugs However, across the county
Hundreds of youngsters took part in performances of High School Musical in front of sell-out crowds at Oxford's New Theatre. The New Theatre Stage Experience's version of the Emmy award-winning musical tells the tale of high school basketball star Troy
Dad-of-two Rufus Burdett got more than he bargained for after pinching a Channel 4 news presenter's bottom. The 37-year-old was cautioned by police for the incident, which occurred while reporter Sue Turton was live on air in flood-hit Osney Island
Oxford rail commuters have welcomed £425m improvement plans for Reading station which will ease pressure at a notorious bottleneck on their journey into London. The Government has announced ambitious proposals for improving the railway, including 1,300
AEA Technology 114 BMW 2878 Electrocomponents 250.5 Isoft Group 64.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 150 Oxford Biomedica 46.75 Oxford Instruments 271 Reed Elsevier 596.5 RM 210 RPS Group 337 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
A hit-and-run cyclist who sent a five-year-old girl flying across an Oxford pavement could kill someone next time, the victim's mum has warned. Disabled Sonia Denmark said her daughter Emily-Rose was lucky she was not knocked unconscious by the rider
WALLINGFORD Rowing Club has issued an invitation to those interested in learning how to scull to join them this weekend. Tomorrow, a beginner's adult scullers course, which will include a swim test and a capsize drill, will take place at the Peers
AN EVENT to fill the last remaining posts for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in Oxford and Abingdon is being held next week. Local PCSOs will be at the Holiday Inn on Peartree Roundabout on Tuesday, August 7, to speak about their role and
POLICE today appealed for information following an attack on a man who was punched and kicked 30 times. A couple were walking along Dover Avenue, in Bretch Hill, Banbury, at 12.30am on Sunday when they were asked for some money by a group of white
Sir - My letter last week which you headed "comically unintelligible" was much too long, and you were right to shorten it. However, you left a conclusion which was not justified by what you printed. My original letter, having commented on difficult
A man was savagely kicked and punched up to 30 times by a gang of teenagers. A couple were walking along Dover Avenue in Bretch Hill, Banbury, at 12.30am on Sunday when a group of teenagers aged between 17 and 19 asked for money. When he refused
NETWORK Rail said it expects to reopen the line between Oxford and Worcester this afternoon following the recent flooding across the Cotswolds and the Thames Valley. Passenger services are expected to run from about 4pm today. About 150 engineers
Bike thefts in north Oxfordshire have rocketed in the past three weeks, police have said. Thieves have stolen 19 bikes from Banbury, Bicester, Deddington and Kidlington since the middle of July. They are being taken from gardens, sheds, alleyways,
Max Hastings is absolutely right to claim that "in a democracy where security was properly debated, the Typhoon programme would long ago have been recognised as a scandal." I have been making speeches for at least ten years on that very theme. The Typhoon
Rail services between Oxford and Worcester are expected to reopen for passengers today. The line was closed due to flood damage which swamped much of Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds last week. Network Rail said today it was expecting passenger services
Robert Kubica topped the practice timesheets for the first time this season ahead of Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix. The opening 90-minute session conjured up a surprise, with BMW Sauber driver Kubica leading the way ahead of the Ferraris and McLarens
Giancarlo Fisichella is confident of another season with Renault that would see him become an elite member of the '200 club'. The Enstone-based Renault team have failed to live up to their billing of reigning world champions this season, leaving Fisichella
POLICE today warned that cycle thieves are targeting north Oxfordshire, with 19 stolen since mid-July in Banbury, Bicester, Deddington and Kidlington. They are being taken from gardens, sheds, alleyways, schools, clubs and outside shops. Police
FORD of Europe's model range will have a new addition early next year - the Ford Kuga. A preview model of the production vehicle will be shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, which opens on September 13. John Fleming, president and chief executive
MAZDA believes its new CX-7 will make its mark by offering something different in the growing 4x4 market. Mazda UK's marketing director Mark Cameron said: "British motorists are presented with a huge range of SUV-type vehicles to choose from so we
NEW car releases - and even motor manufacturing plants - are stepping up the pace to save the planet. Renault has just announced that it will launch its first bioethanol car in the UK - the Mégane Hatch E85 - at the end of 2007, while Smart says its
Volvo has a new Sport trim, with sport-inspired exterior and interior details, available for its C30, S40 and V50 ranges from October. The latest Sport with its special R-Design specification package replaces, and greatly improves on, Volvo's current
Subaru's final editions of its current Impreza 2.5 WRX saloon and Sports Wagon, called GB270, offer about £7,000 in extra equipment. Both models cost £22,995, and that's £2,898, and £1,898 more than the standard Impreza WRX saloon and Sports Wagon
Vauxhall has a new flagship Zafira, the Elite, which sells from £18,950. The Elite comes with full leather trim, electronic climate control, cruise control, stereo audio with MP3 socket, alloy wheels, a trip computer, automatic lighting, rain-sensing
IT was 8.05pm, threatening to rain, I was stuck miles from home beside a lake and I had a big problem. When I say big, I mean big or, to be more precise, long. Without getting overly technical, two sections of an 11-metre long carbon pole, with
THE impact of the post strikes has led Vale of White Horse District Council to extend its deadline for people to sign up for the new national bus pass scheme. Last month Vale sent letters to all residents who qualify advising them of changes to the
I'm looking forward to meeting one of my childhood heroes later this month when boyish reporter Tintin appears at the Oxford Playhouse. Rufus Norris and David Greig have adapted Hergé's Tintin in Tibet for the stage. The production has been playing successfully
Members of the public are being invited to fill the last few remaining places for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in Oxford and Abingdon. To fill the few positions left, there will be an awareness event at the Holiday Inn, Peartree Roundabout
DETAINEES at an Oxfordshire detention centre are suspending their hunger strike while they wait for a response from the Home Office, it has been reported. More than 150 detainees at Campsfield House Immigration Centre, near Kidlington, in Oxford have
The impact of the post strikes has led Vale of White Horse District Council to extend its deadline for people to sign up for the new national bus pass scheme. Last month Vale sent letters to all residents who qualify advising them of changes to the
After laying on one of the city's most surprising gigs, bringing the mighty Maximo Park to the usually fusty surroundings of the Oxford Union, those geniuses at Vodafone, have gone and repeated the feat - with a hometown gig of spectacular proportions
AEA Technology 111 BMW 2915 Electrocomponents 253.25 Isoft Group 64.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 150 Oxford Biomedica 46.5 Oxford Instruments 267.5 Reed Elsevier 602.75 RM 210 RPS Group 337 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Detainees at an Oxfordshire detention centre are suspending their hunger strike while they wait for a response from the Home Office, it has been reported. More than 150 detainees at Campsfield House Immigration Centre, near Kidlington, in Oxford have
FIREFIGHTERS and animal experts rescued a bird of prey caught in a TV aerial. The rescue happened in Mill Street, Abingdon, at 10.30am yesterday. Fire crews used a hydraulic platform to reach the bird, thought to be a Harris' Hawk, and were assisted
Firefighters and animal experts rescued a bird of prey caught in a TV aerial. The rescue happened in Mill Street, Abingdon, at 10.30am yesterday. Fire crews used a hydraulic platform to reach the bird, thought to be a Harris Hawk, and were assisted
WANTAGE MP Ed Vaizey was today due to meet Gillian Pratt, area manager of the Environment Agency, in a bid to find out what lessons have been learned from the recent flooding. Mr Vaizey said he also wanted an update on the overall situation, as well
AN RAF mechanic who claims he was sleep walking when he allegedly raped a teenage girl may have been suffering from "sexsomnia", a court heard. Kenneth Ecott, 26, was displaying signs of the nocturnal condition when he stripped off and climbed on
WALLINGFORD'S temporary post office was due to open its doors at 9am today, with mayor Betty Atkins as the first customer. The four-bay portable cabin was brought in because the town's only post office, at Martin's newsagents in St Martin's Street,
It is becoming increasingly clear that greater controls are needed on small motorbikes and mini-motos. In June last year, Police Community Support Officer Simone O Dell was injured when she was run down by a a reckless rider. In a similar incident,
LUCY Collinson hailed her new-look Oxfordshire team after they produced a battling display to retain their Group 3 status at County Week. Without their full-strength side for most of the week, Oxon were forced to blood several youngsters. And Collinson
OXFORDSHIRE'S men are still coming to terms with the news that they are NOT promoted from Group 7. Despite winning their first four matches last week, Oxon were unaware of a bizarre rule which proved their downfall. It means that they must now do
Summer signing Gary Twigg gets another chance to prove he should be in Oxford United's starting line-up for the new season when he starts tonight's pre-season friendly against Wycombe Wanderers. Scottish striker Twigg is in from the off partly because
Oxford Downs will look to their buoyant team spirit to carry them one step from Lord's when they visit Cresselly, near Tenby, in the quarter-final on Sunday. The Oxfordshire champions are now within two wins of a dream day at the home of cricket, and
Former Banbury CC president and groundsman George Sabin has died at the age of 68. Mr Sabin, of Shutford, near Banbury, passed away on Monday after battling cancer for more than a year. A skilful medium pace bowler capable of genuine swing during
Captain Dave Taylor is looking to his Kidlington side to get back on track after the bust-up that preceeded their first defeat of the season in Sommers Home Counties Premier League Division 2 West. The flare-up between two un-named players occurred
Oxfordshire are fielding a virtual full-strength side for their crucial match against Minor Counties Championship Western Division leaders Cheshire at Banbury, starting on Sunday. Skipper Ian Hawtin has named three changes to the Oxon side following
Henley completed the semi-final line-up in the Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup with a 23-run victory over Abingdon Vale. In a match played at Oratory School, Woodcote - Abingdon's Hale's Meadow ground was still recovering from the flood - Henley scored
Judge Julian Hall has fallen foul of public opinion lately in dealing with sex offenders, but he should be applauded for wanting to find a way to 'cure' Stuart McGhie. McGhie's predilection for trying to entice women with money is indeed disturbing and
Sir - Reading Eddie Duller's letter (July 27) I thought it worth re-stating the reasons for introducing a new recycling service in Oxford and why it had cross-party support. We cannot keep dumping waste unnecessarily in landfill tips. It's bad for
Sir - I should firstly like to take my hat off to those civil engineers who are working day and night to repair our railway after the floods. The Cotswold Line from Oxford to Worcester and Hereford was washed away in 25 places. The floods also appear
Sir - I was heartened to read the letter encouraging folk to study after the article on Bob Warburton. It is not generally known, but retired and retiring readers may be interested to know that Oxford Brookes offers a free study course to anyone who
Sir - I read the continuing saga about the closure of independent shops in the Cowley Road. However, you cannot make a silk purse out of a pig's ear, as my mother would say. The area has been dying the death for years. In the Sixties it had the air
Sir - It is not the cameras that are ineffective in preventing drivers from driving in banned streets (Report, July 20), but the road signs. The signs are failing because many people do not know what they mean. All drivers recognise the white bar on
Sir - We are horrified at the decision to open High Street to general through traffic, thus ensuring city centre air thick with traffic fumes and endless lines of cars. At a time when the real effects of climate change (disturbed, unsettled, extreme
Sir - A salient fact that Sir Anthony Kenny and other critics of the governance of Oxford University (Feature, July 13) need to take account of is that, according to accepted international rankings, Oxford and Cambridge figure in the top ten of world
Sir - 300,000 Gloucestershire residents have no available water in their taps. All because their water treatment plant failed. Not from sabotage, terrorism, or mechanical fault, but only and simply because . . . it flooded! Numerous occupants of
Sir - I wonder if it is altogether wise for the Environment Agency to warn us of flooding in such dramatic terms: "extreme danger to life and property". For days, that was the constant refrain of their recorded telephone message. Something like panic
Sir - Those of your readers who suffered, or were threatened by flooding, should know just how urgently the authorities are acting to prevent future recurrences: The Environment Agency commissioned the Oxford Flood Risk Management study six years ago
Sir - During the last 12 months The Oxford Times has carried extensive articles about proposed plans for both a rowing lake and a reservoir to be built close to Oxford. I wonder, could not the two be combined to the satisfaction of both Thames Water
Sir - I was deeply moved by the article on epilepsy and the treatment of epileptics, emphasizing Jane Hanna's heroic efforts to bring this neglected disease into the public domain and to remind us of the scale of the problem (Exposing a scandal, July
THE brother of a murdered nursery nurse is organising a charity ball to fund a playroom in her memory at Oxford Children's Hospital. Richard McGlone, 26, is hoping to raise £50,000 in memory of his sister Becky, 23, who was strangled by her ex-boyfriend
WITNEY Town Council is reminding local community organisations to apply for aid grants before this year's deadline of Wednesday, August 15. The council reserves funds for grants to groups which contribute constructively to the life of the town and can
Sir - Re Christopher Gray's comments on planning consultants (July 20): I wasn't aware that these even existed until a friend elsewhere who had had a planning application refused, was contacted by one such firm and offered their services on a 'No win
An unpleasant sense of déjà vu swept over us this week with news of yet more delays in postal deliveries following another outbreak of damaging strike action. Last August, there was disruption to the postal service in Oxfordshire and at the time we
Passers-by who investigated a suspected burglary have criticised the police for the time it took them to look into it. Trude Colwell and her husband Duncan were walking along London Road, Headington, Oxford, with friends at around 11.45pm last Friday
There has been plenty of misery caused by the recent floods, but an unexpected bonus, too, in the way local communities have pulled together as the seriousness of the problems became apparent. Of course there are lessons to be learned by everyone
A GUIDED walk led by Ian Gourlay on Sunday, August 5, in Woodstock will be looking at trees. Meet at 2.30pm by the Oxfordshire Museum in Park Street.
SHE will tell you that she hates all hospitals and has done with a passion since the age of three. But you would be hard pressed to find anyone better qualified to design a new ground-breaking centre for heart patients than Hannah Warner. For the
VOLUNTEERS are needed to help improve their local hospitals and surgeries. The Patient and Public Involvement Forum is looking for more residents from Oxfordshire to lend a hand. Volunteers work between ten and 12 hours a month visiting hospitals
HOLYOAKE Road, in Headington, will be closed to traffic today to allow for the removal of a crane. Builder Brad Andrews, who is working on the key worker development Jon Leon House on the corner of London Road and Holyoake Road, will be closing the
TRAFFIC experts have admitted they cannot guarantee new developments won't bring gridlock to Bicester - and say the situation is already much worse than predicted. Highways officers from Oxfordshire County Council said opportunities were lost by granting
IRISH dancers jigged their way to success at their first Irish dancing competition. Pupils from the O'Gara School of Irish Dance in Didcot took part in their first annual 'feis' at the Irish Centre in Reading. Students, aged five to 18, scooped 30
A TALK on 18th-century astronomy will be held at the Museum of the History of Science in Broad Street, Oxford, tomorrow. Gallery director Dr Jim Bennett will lead the event from 2pm.
FEARS are mounting this week that an incinerator will be built in Oxfordshire. Companies involved in incineration make up half of a shortlist drawn up by Oxfordshire County Council of firms that the local authority believes could treat the county's
A dog owner whose pet was blinded by a motorbike is celebrating after getting nuisance vehicles confiscated from riders on his Oxford estate. David Troth's seven-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier Jazz suffered horrific wounds to her face after she
A disabled man will be given the chance to save his Oxford home from demolition at a public inquiry set to be held later this year. Earlier this month, Vincent McKeown lost his High Court battle for a judicial review of Oxford City Council's decision
A judge is baffled over how to stop a man who gets kicks from waving money at teenage girls. Stuart McGhie - first given an antisocial behaviour order five years ago - was back in court again yesterday for breaching the ban on waving notes at young
A former soldier from Oxford was found collapsed after becoming depressed following service in Bosnia, a coroner heard yesterday. Andrew Clark, 20, was discovered beside the River Thames moments after sending his father a text message saying "I love
Four council-run play areas in Oxford will stay closed for at least another week, because of safety fears after last week's floods. The playgrounds affected are: Boulter Street, St Clement's; Botley Park; Hinksey Park in Lake Street; and Oatlands, off
