People in Banbury were shocked yesterday (Tuesday, May 26) as a burst main dramatically sprayed water high into the air and onto passing cars and local architecture.

The incident was first reported at around 8pm close to Banbury Cross, and next to the Fine Lady Statue, between South Bar Street and West Bar Street.

READ MORE: Videos show dramatic moment ‘water pipe bursts’ in Oxfordshire town

Photos and videos showed that the roundabout quickly became flooded with cracks appearing in the road around the shooting water.

A householder, who asked not to be named, said: “There was clearly a large water leak last night.

There was a major water leak in Banbury, Oxfordshire (Image: Contributed)

“This morning the leak itself seems to have been largely stemmed but there is no access from West Bar into the town centre as Thames Water has closed the road.

“You can’t turn from South Bar or Horsefair into West Bar and driving down West Bar itself you can only get as far as the Horse and Jockey pub.”

Thames Water confirmed the road was closed and the company was carrying out emergency repairs.

There was a major water leak in Banbury, Oxfordshire (Image: Contributed)

The company added that six customers are without water while repairs continue.

A spokesperson said: “We apologise for the disruption caused by a burst water main in Banbury last night.

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“We stopped the flow of water from the burst pipe just after 10pm. 

“Six customers are temporarily without water while we continue to carry out our repair work, and a Customer Representative is in the area today to speak to anyone who has been affected. 

“West Bar Street at the junction with the Banbury Cross roundabout will remain closed while our engineers work to repair the pipe as quickly as possible and we’re sorry for any disruption this may cause.” 

It comes as the British retailer has been sold to the owners of Poundland, the Gordon Brothers, as part of a pre-pack administration.

The deal includes Radley’s brand and intellectual property assets, but not its stores, according to FTI Consulting.

It’s understood that the deal will result in 21 store closures across the UK in the coming week and the axing of 42 jobs.

Radley to disappear from the UK high street

Administrators, FTI Consulting, said that all Radley stores will remain open for 14 weeks to clear stock.

A statement from FTI Consulting shared, “The administration appointment follows a sustained period of challenging economic conditions for the retail environment, including declining customer demand and increasing operating costs, all of which have had a negative impact on trading.”

The handbag brand was founded in Camden Market in 1998 by Australian designer Lowell Harder.

Since its humble beginnings, Radley now has 21 stores and is stocked in M&S, Next and John Lewis.

UK High Street Shops That No Longer Exist

The brand was put up for sale by private equity owner Freshstream earlier this year after it brought Radley in 2016.

It was revealed that Radley had a pre-tax loss of £2.2 million in the 2024/2025 financial year, seeing sales fall to £65.8 million from £72 million.

It’s not just the UK side of the business that has been impacted, with the retailer also surrending it’s leases for its three US outlet stores in Orlando, Desert Hills and Las Vegas.

What does going into administration mean?

Going into administration means a company is not able to meet its expenses, debt obligations or other liabilities, according to SquareUp.com.

The Government website adds: “When a company goes into administration, they have entered a legal process (under the Insolvency Act 1986) with the aim of achieving one of the statutory objectives of an administration. This may be to rescue a viable business that is insolvent due to cashflow problems.

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“An appointment of an administrator (a licensed insolvency practitioner) will be made by directors, a creditor or the court to fulfil the administration process.”

A company going into administration gives it “breathing space” that frees a company from creditor enforcement actions” and allows for financial restructuring plans to be drawn up.

This could take the form of a sale to another company but if it cannot be reasonably saved, the administrator will aim to achieve a better return for creditors than would be likely if the company were wound up.

Will you miss seeing Radley on the high street? Let us know in the comments.

JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN

News Editor

Tesco Mobile has completed 65 network upgrades across Greater Manchester, covering more than 14,000 postcodes.

Carried out throughout 2025, the upgrades are intended to improve mobile speeds, coverage and reliability. The work spans Manchester city centre and surrounding areas including Bolton, Wigan, Rochdale, Oldham and Bury.

The move comes as mobile operators face rising demand for dependable connections in dense urban areas, transport networks and large public venues. Greater Manchester is one of the UK’s largest city regions, with heavy daily demand from commuters, shoppers, businesses and sports fans.

Tesco Mobile, which uses O2’s network, said customers should see better service in busy shopping districts, transport hubs, live events and on matchdays. The work is also expected to improve performance during peak travel periods and better support people working while travelling or away from fixed broadband.

Alongside the local upgrades, Virgin Media O2 has been deploying newer network technology to direct extra capacity to the busiest locations. The group has also been using small cells in dense urban areas to strengthen coverage in city-centre hotspots and around transport interchanges.

The Greater Manchester programme forms part of a wider effort to improve connectivity in the UK locations where network demand is highest, including railway lines, motorways, airports, stadiums and arenas.

Research cited by Tesco Mobile points to persistent consumer frustration with patchy mobile service. Nearly 80% of people surveyed said they had experienced a call dropping mid-conversation because of a poor connection, while 35% said more reliable connectivity in busy areas was among the most valuable benefits of network upgrades.

Regional demand

For businesses in Greater Manchester, mobile coverage affects day-to-day operations beyond calls and messaging. Retailers and hospitality venues increasingly rely on mobile data for payments, bookings and staff communications, while mobile workers need stable access to cloud-based tools and customer systems when travelling between sites.

Improved performance in town centres and transport corridors may also matter for small and medium-sized businesses that depend on uninterrupted service during trading hours. In high-footfall areas, capacity constraints can quickly lead to slower speeds and unreliable connections, particularly during large events or commuter peaks.

Tesco Mobile positioned the upgrades as a response to those pressures, focusing on areas where mobile traffic is concentrated. Manchester city centre, regional town centres and key transport routes all tend to experience sharp swings in usage throughout the day.

Laura Joseph, Chief Customer Officer at Tesco Mobile, said: “We know our customers expect fast, reliable connectivity wherever they are. These upgrades across Greater Manchester help us deliver exactly that – stronger coverage, better performance in busy areas and a more consistent experience day to day. Powered by O2, we’re continuing to invest where it matters most to keep our customers connected.”

The expansion reflects a wider industry push to improve service quality in urban areas, where population growth and mobile data consumption are rising together. Operators have increasingly focused investment on places where large numbers of users gather and where service issues are most visible.

Greater Manchester has been a particular focus for telecoms investment because of its scale, economic activity and transport links. The city region includes major retail centres, large sports venues and busy commuter routes, all of which put pressure on network performance at different times of day.

For Tesco Mobile customers in the area, the effect of the work will be measured less by technical specifications than by whether calls connect, messages send without delay and data services hold up in crowded locations. The company’s survey suggests those basics remain a concern for many mobile users.

The upgrades cover a broad spread of postcodes across the conurbation, suggesting an effort that extends beyond the city centre into surrounding towns. That matters in a region where travel between boroughs is routine and service continuity can vary sharply from one district to another.

As operators continue adding capacity and filling coverage gaps, pressure to show tangible improvements in everyday service is unlikely to ease. In high-density markets such as Greater Manchester, customer expectations are shaped by whether mobile connections remain stable when they are needed most.