Customers arriving at Botley Road Waitrose this morning were still able to access a free coffee using their Waitrose card from one of the dispensers close to the front of the store.

But the other dispenser is out of order, and has leaked coffee and other liquid over the floor, with staff soaking up the mess with paper towels.

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“This time it’s got a leak there’s an engineer on 24-hour call-out who should be on his way,” said a member of staff.

A customer notice on the coffee machine at Waitrose (Image: Andy Ffrench)

Customers determined to get their caffeine fix stepped around the leak to get their free cappuccino or flat white.

Last month, the two coffee dispensers at the Botley Road Waitrose were out of order for about a week.

One of the dispensers was eventually fixed, but then broke again, leaving customers with the choice of going without their free coffee, or buying one from the store’s cafe.

Both dispensers were up and running for a short time, but now one has broken again – leaving staff and customers upset.

The issue is not a countrywide problem – coffee machines at other Waitrose stores including the one in Abingdon are working well.

One customer, who works on a nearby trading estate, said: “Like a lot of Waitrose customers I enjoy the perk of getting a free coffee using my Waitrose card.

“I can’t believe this has happened for the third time in two months – it does make me wonder why they don’t invest in some new machines.”

The Waitrose chain, owned by the John Lewis Partnership, restored its free coffee offer in January 2025.

Following outrage over the withdrawal of the offer during the pandemic, the company told the nine million members on its My Waitrose loyalty scheme they would again be entitled to a complementary americano, cappuccino, latte or tea once a day regardless of whether they bought anything – as long as they have their own reusable cup.

In a statement, Waitrose said at the time: “Some of our My Waitrose members like to have the free coffee before they shop or during the shop, rather than afterwards, so we are just offering a bit of flexibility in response to customer feedback.”

There were queues at coffee stations and complaints from customers that the offer was attracting the “wrong type of shopper” when Waitrose introduced the perk in 2013.

In 2017, it cracked down on ‘freeloaders’ by forcing members to buy something before pouring themselves a free hot drink.

The scheme was scrapped during the Covid crisis, but reintroduced in November 2022 – again for customers making a purchases. This is no longer a requirement.

One of the windows in the supermarket’s cafe remains boarded up after a Blue Badge driver in the car park crashed into the cafe.

Several police officers were spotted at the unauthorised site at Oatlands Road recreation ground off Botley Road on Monday afternoon, June 15.

Thames Valley Police said they were there to hand out the relevant notices, with three police cars and a police van parked up in Ferry Hinksey Road.

Bags of litter was spotted strewn across the grass close to the parked caravans on the perimeter of the field.

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One policeman was spotted talking to some of the people at the encampment while dogs were barking.

Around 15 caravans, along with the associated cars and trucks, have pitched up at the recreation ground.

Thames Valley Police has been approached for further comment.

Upon receiving the award she said: “I’m very honoured to be even thought of.”

Fourteen years ago the Sunningwell-based music teacher nearly died after suffering a brain aneurysm and now counts herself lucky not only to be alive, but not to have suffered any long-term effects.

The East Oxford Community Choir has since performed a wide range of music, from medieval pieces to modern commissions and regularly supports charities through its concerts.

Across Oxfordshire she has has founded two choirs, an orchestra and a youth theatre group, as well as becoming one of the driving forces behind the Oxford-Grenoble Twinning Association, which is nearly 40 years old.

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Mel Houldershaw in Germany for a choir event with East Oxford Community Choir and choir Interlude (from Grenoble) (Image: Mel Houldershaw)

Speaking to the Oxford Mail in 2014 she said: “The international language of music makes it so that you can go anywhere and you’re still singing the same music.”

In 1991, Mel formed the East Oxford Youth Choir with some of her pupils, and realised that many of the parents seemed keen to get involved.

This led to the formation of the East Oxford Community Choir, and this has been hugely successful, exploring a wide repertoire from medieval music to modern commissions and tackling major choral works such as Mendelssohn’s St Paul.

But the East Oxford Community Choir’s biggest success story has been the links it has established with Oxford’s twin towns of Bonn, Leiden and Grenoble, which has resulted in a number of exchange visits and joint concerts with the towns’ choirs and orchestras.

In 2006, she became chair of the Oxford-Grenoble Twinning Association, helping to revitalise the group and deepen its cultural ties.

Ms Houldershaw grew up immersed in music, taking piano, recorder, and violin lessons as a child before moving to Anglesey in her teens, where she played in the North Wales Youth Orchestra.

She later studied at Oxford Polytechnic and became involved with the choral society there.

After earning a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, she began teaching at Peers School (now Oxford Academy) in Littlemore, where her involvement in school productions set her on the path to forming the East Oxford Community Choir.

Anna Proudfoot, the chair of Oxford Padova Link and secretary of Oxford International Links, said: “I sing in a smaller group (Byrd Chorus) with her, we were both founder members.

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Mel Houldershaw in Germany for a choir event with East Oxford Community Choir and choir Interlude (from Grenoble) (Image: Mel Houldershaw)

“I’m Chair of the Oxford Padova Link (twinned since 2019) so when a choir from Padova asked if they could come and do a concert in Oxford (2023 along with Man Choir and Oxford Youth Choirs) the first person I turned to for help was Mel.

“I’d never organised a concert in my life. So I spent my time worrying about ticket sales, sound and light team, breaking even.

“Mel’s response was always ‘it will be fine’. We did another two Oxford-Padova concerts.. and it was fine.”