Great Western Railway has said that damage on overhead electric wires has caused mass disruption on lines between Reading and Paddington, with Oxford commuters often using that route.

A spokesperson said: “Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between London Paddington and Reading all lines are blocked.

READ MORE: Best and worst performing Oxfordshire GP surgeries revealed by NHS

“Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”

Indeed, the majority of trains between the stations are delayed and several have been cancelled.

In addition, the railway company has said trains between Gatwick Airport and Reading may be cancelled, due to repairs.

The Rose & Thistle in Haddenham, near Thame, is closed and a community campaign has been launched to raise the necessary funds to buy it.

So far, more than £84,000 has been raised – about 10 per cent of the target – and campaign leaders including local councillor Greg Smith are calling for an increase in donations so that a “tipping point” is reached.

READ MORE: 80s singing legend backs village pub bid

The Rose & Thistle Reborn group hosted a meeting at Haddenham Village Hall on Tuesday and about 70 people attended.

The Rose & Thistle Reborn meeting in Haddenham Village Hall (Image: The Rose & Thistle Reborn)

The group posted: “Amazing turnout at our meeting tonight. By 7pm it was standing room only with around 70 people in attendance.

“Thanks to Greg Smith, Alex Foreman-Peck, Dan Freeman and Keith Handshaw for the presentation about where we are now and what we need to do to get to the tipping point so the rest of the village comes with us.”

The group added: “Join the team. We’re a small team and don’t always have capacity to take up all the fundraising opportunities on offer.

“If you have experience of running events or fundraising from trusts, foundations or high net worth individuals: brilliant! If you‘re enthusiastic and like to get stuff done: perfect! Just get in touch!

“Invite us to your event. If you’re a local organisation, invite us to come and speak about the project. Or if you’re running an event and need a bar, hire our pop-up-pub!”

The garden at The Rose & Thistle (Image: The Rose & Thistle Reborn)

Former Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley, who now has a successful solo career and is performing at the New Theatre in Oxford in November, is a keen supporter of local pubs, and has backed The Rose & Thistle Reborn campaign.

He said earlier: “I am wholeheartedly, absolutely supporting the community of Haddenham in trying to get The Rose & Thistle back open again.

“It’s a fantastic little pub – I have been there many times in the past. We have to preserve our village and small town pubs.”

Tony Hadley (Image: Contributed)

The singer has urged people to buy shares to back the crowdfunding campaign.

He has spoken of his love for local pubs and in 2024 he backed a successful campaign to raise more than £500,000 to save The Hundred of Ashendon.

The Rose & Thistle Reborn campaign said earlier: “Tragically, The Rose & Thistle closed in 2019 and, while the current owners had hoped to reopen, it is now for sale and at risk of being sold to developers and converted to a residential property. And once a pub is turned into a house, it’s almost impossible to bring it back.

“We’re not here to be alarmist – but we are being honest: this is a time-limited opportunity. If we do nothing, we may lose the pub for good. We need your help to stop it from being last orders at The Rose & Thistle.”

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has confirmed that a power cut is currently impacting around 597 households in the Cholsey area with engineers currently on site.

The situation was first reported to the company at 8.21pm today (Thursday, July 9) with SSEN aiming to restore power by 2.30am tomorrow.

READ MORE: Best and worst performing Oxfordshire GP surgeries revealed by NHS

A spokesperson said: “We have had reports of damage to our network. When this happens, the power will automatically turn off to keep everyone safe.

SSEN (Image: SSEN)

“Our engineers know exactly where the problem is and are working hard to make the situation safe, repair the wire and get your power back on.

“These types of faults often require extensive work and specialist teams, such as tree cutters, which is why the restoration time seems so far away.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire towns snubbed as UK Town of Culture shortlist announced

“If we can restore power sooner, we promise we will do so.”

The statement comes after multiple people in Cholsey reported a ‘huge explosion’ with some saying they could hear it from Wallingford.

Others have reported that fire engines have been seen in the area although this has not been confirmed.