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Public warned as work starts on Oxfordshire rubbish mountain

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Last year, the dumping of a 150-metre-long mountain of waste in a field alongside the A34 in Kidlington, raising risks of pollution into the nearby river, provoked widespread outrage.

The Environment Agency previously declared a critical incident over the fly-tip, and immediately attended the site on July 2, 2025, after an initial report was made.

Four men have since been arrested in connection with the dumping and remain under formal investigation, but no charges have been brought forward yet.

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Work at the Oxfordshire site. (Image: Environment Agency)

In early February, eight trees were removed from around the site entrance to enable lorries, which will remove the waste, to access the site.

Yorkshire firm Acumen Waste Services won the £8m contract to remove the waste, which is very close to the River Cherwell.

Now, the final steps are being made to prepare the site to be cleared of the mountain pile of illegally dumped rubbish.

A statement from the Environment Agency said: “The site set up is progressing as planned.

“The base layer of aggregate over the saturated ground to enable heavy vehicle access is now complete, and track matting is being laid.

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Work at the Oxfordshire site. (Image: Environment Agency)

“This will ensure lorries taking waste away can easily access and leave the site, even if we get further rain.”

With the new update, the Environment Agency warned members of the public not to enter the site.

“Please do not enter the site,” a statement said.

“It is dangerous to climb on the waste; you are putting yourself at risk and compromising the criminal investigation, which is a criminal offence. There is 24-hour surveillance in place.”

The footpath from the Bicester Road in Gosford to the East side of the A34 has also been temporarily closed by Oxfordshire County Council.

This is due to the illegal waste deposit and is “in the interests of public safety”, says the Environment Agency.

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Work at the Oxfordshire site. (Image: Environment Agency)

Callum Miller, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, welcomed the news with a statement today (Thursday, April 2).

“Work to prepare the waste site for clearance is moving forward, with temporary access measures now being put in place and monitoring equipment installed to help manage fire risk,” he said.

“This should allow for ease to be removed regardless of any weather changes, and it is good to see progress finally being made on site.

“Residents have waited far too long for action, and I hope this work can now be completed as quickly and safely as possible.

“There must also be proper accountability for those responsible for the disruption and distress caused to the local community and environment.”





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Harper Beckham, 15, refusing to give up after brand setback

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The daughter of former footballer David and ex Spice Girl Victoria lives with her family in Oxfordshire.

She had been working on a skincare line inspired by Korean beauty, initially branded HIKU by Harper and aimed at Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers.

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However, according to cosmetics industry reports and US filings, the US Patent and Trademark Office refused her first application in July “because of a likelihood of confusion” with existing trademarks already registered in the country.

Harper, David and Victoria Beckham (Image: PA)

Documents cited by cosmeticsbusiness.com show that “Hiku” is already protected for personal care products and fragrances, while “Harper” appears on the register for cleaning products such as brooms and scrubbing brushes – blocking the path for “HIKU by Harper” in those categories.

Coverage of the setback notes that Harper had six months to respond to the provisional refusal if she wants to challenge the decision or narrow the scope of the American filing.

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Yet, now, she is pursuing a new brand, this time focused around make-up and called Harlo by Harper.

According to The Sun, the teenager has lodged papers with the US Patent and Trademark Office asking to be granted sole rights to use the name and with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office to trademark the brand.

The aim is to launch the brand at some point next year, as the only daughter of the Beckhams seeks to build a beauty empire.

A source for the paper added that Victoria has been “guiding her every step of the way”.





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Major US clothing brand opens in Bicester Village with unique ceremony

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Contemporary clothing label Vuori has launched a store at Bicester Village this week, its first store outside of London.

To mark the opening of the store, Bicester Village welcomed guests to an exclusive Pilates session before the shops even opened their doors.

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A Californian athleisure brand is opening its first ever discount store at Bicester Village this week, expanding on its three London storesA Californian athleisure brand has opened its first ever discount store at Bicester Village this week, expanding on its three London stores (Image: Vuori)

Headquartered in San Diego and founded more than a decade ago, the brand has built a reputation for premium, performance-led leisurewear.

The new Bicester Village store will offer a carefully curated selection of bestsellers, including its Halo pants, the Vuori All The Feels collection and pieces from its popular Tom Holland golf collaboration.

Alongside those ranges, prices will be exclusive to the outlet, making it Vuori’s first UK discount boutique location and offering shoppers in Oxfordshire a chance to snap up the brand’s signature styles at lower prices than in its standard stores.





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Heavy rock legend switches bands after car crash on way to hotel

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The Deep Purple star was once the owner of The Springs Resort & Golf Club in North Stoke near Wallingford – now part of the Talacre-based Darwin Escapes portfolio

The rock singer’s guitar-shaped swimming pool is no more, but resort manager Ben Scholes said in 2024 renovations and new facilities – including the 1893 spa and Ridgeway Restaurant – have proved incredibly popular with visitors from across the UK and beyond.

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Ian Gillan has other strong Oxfordshire connections – one night early in 1983 a meeting at a different hotel in the county led to him joining heavy rock contemporaries Black Sabbath.

He told Mojo magazine’s Hello Goodbye column that he joined Black Sabbath after getting a call from Tony Iommi suggesting a drink somewhere between Birmingham and Reading.

Ian Gillan said: “We decided upon The Bear at Woodstock. I was driving an orange two-litre Fiat Mirafiori, which got rear-ended by a guy who was chasing me and didn’t see me stop at a junction.

“I pulled up outside The Bear with a wreck of a car.

“I can’t remember anything else until the next day when I had a call from my manager Phil Banfield.

“He said something along the lines of ‘Ian if you are going to be making major career decisions you should be talking to me first’.

“Apparently we had a few drinks and they (Black Sabbath) offered me the gig and I, who had nothing else on at the time, agreed.”

Ian Gillan in 2010 (Image: Aleksey Chalabyan Xelgen)

Ian Gillan told Mojo Black Sabbath then went straight to the Manor Studio in Shipton-on-Cherwell to record the Born Again album.

The singer added that during the recording sessions he was camping in the grounds in a small tent.

“I like camping and cooking my breakfast over an open fire. After breakfast I would go into the studio to hear what they had put down and then start work on the lyrics,” he told the magazine.

The singer left Black Sabbath after about a year, as it was agreed he should make one album and tour for a year.

He added: “I was incompatible, our backgrounds were chalk and cheese, musically and geographically.”

Ian Gillan rejoined Deep Purple in 1984 and remains a member of the band.





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