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New Witney cafe opening date announced for next week

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Opera Cafe first teased the opening of its second branch in a shopping centre in Witney in February, and quick progress has been made on the launch.

The business first opened its doors in Jericho in 2015 with the goal of bringing ‘the wonderful Mediterranean flavours to Oxford’.

READ MORE: Oxford – Paedophile jailed for sexually abusing girl 25 years ago

Now, more than a decade later, the signs for its second shop in Marriots Walk, Witney, have gone up.

Marriotts Walk in WitneyMarriotts Walk in Witney (Image: Ed Nix)

It will officially open its doors to the public next week on Tuesday, April 7.

A soft launch on Monday (April 6) will see any customers popping in to try it out get 50 per cent off, all day.

Opera Cafe said in a statement: “The sign is up and the countdown is officially on.

“We’re excited to announce the official open date for Opera Cafe Witney on Tuesday, April 7.

“We would love to meet as many of you as possible so tell your friends.

READ MORE: Oxford serial sex offender guilty of crimes against 4 women

“It’s been a collaboration and a journey to get here, we cannot wait to welcome you all in.”

Signage put up by Oxfordshire-based Trademark Signs shows stylish green frontage with the Opera brand’s signature gold lettering.

The existing brand in Walton Street, Jericho, in Oxford, serves up breakfast and brunch, wraps, soups, salads and toasties, plus sweet treats alongside hot and cold drinks.





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Crime & Safety

Outcry from shoppers amid rumours Asda axing pizza counter

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The create your own pizza counters have long been a popular feature at Asda, allowing shoppers to choose a base, sauce, and toppings.

Prices start at £3.33 for a medium size and rise to £4.93 for the large option, and have often earned praise for their affordability.

However, shoppers are now concerned that Asda is planning to close down its pizza counters following a viral X post.

Outcry from Asda shoppers amid rumours of axing pizza counter

Rumours of Asda’s pizza counters closing follow a post from one X user, sharing: “Going to need @asda to confirm or deny the rumours that the create your own pizza counters are going from all stores.”

The post has since gained more than 811,000 views and created a lot of stir online.

One concerned shopper said, “The @AsdaServiceTeam @asda pizzas are unreal.

“Best not be getting rid of the pizza counters in stores.”

Another X user wrote: “If true, this is the worst news of 2026.”

A third person said, “That’s a shame if true.

“They’re the best pizzas.”

It is not the first time there has been concern that Asda was ditching its pizza counters.

At the end of last year, a Reddit post in the group r/Asda asked fellow users if the counters were “permanently gone”.

Sharing: “My local Asda used to have a pizza counter where you could get a fresh one made.

“It has been closed for months with a sign saying, ‘temporarily closed.’

“Is this just the new normal now, or is it coming back?”

Members of the group commented: “My store still has a pizza counter; however, we lost our ‘Create your own’ pizzas recently.”

Another user said, “We have a successful pizza counter.”

Asda has been contacted for a comment.

Would you be upset if the pizza counters left Asda’s stores? Let us know in the comments.





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Crime & Safety

A34 closure announced for this weekend in Oxfordshire

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The A34 southbound will be closed from 9pm this evening to 6am tomorrow morning between the junctions for the M40 and the Peartree Interchange.

According to National Highways, this is for ‘roadmarkings renewal’.

READ MORE: Botley Road three-year closure has cost at least £237m

This will impact bus services, with Stagecoach warning its customers in advance that the S5 will have to divert as a result.

In a statement issued on Saturday morning, a spokesperson for Stagecoach said: “The S5 will divert between Bicester and Gosford via A4095, Kirtlington, Enslow, Bletchingdon and Hampton Poyle, and we expect delays as a result.

“Services from Oxford to Bicester are not affected.”





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Botley Road three-year closure has cost at least £237m

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The road was closed at the rail bridge on April 11, 2023, and initially the closure was only expected to last for months – not years.

“It’s astonishing – and embarrassing – that it is taking Network Rail more than three years to replace a bridge, when other countries manage to replace bridges in about three days,” said city councillor Susanna Pressel.

The road had been supposed to reopen at the bridge temporarily from October 2023 to March 2024 but delays forced Network Rail to re-think and announce the closure would continue until October 2024.

READ MORE: Botley Road station scheme moves to next stage

Network Rail then announced in 2024 there would be further delays, owing to the unforeseen “complexity” of the project, including the discovery of a Victorian arch beneath Botley Road close to the rail bridge.

In February this year, a new rail bridge was installed to boost capacity, and a new western entrance to the station and new platform five is now planned but it is unclear if the funding has been fully agreed by the Department for Transport.

Network Rail contractors remain on schedule to reopen the road by the end of August.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “The latest estimate for the Oxford Phase 2 project, including the works associated with Botley Road, is £237.4m.

“This includes some of the costs associated with the fifth platform and construction of the western entrance, but not all.

“A cost and completion date for work to complete both have yet to be agreed with the Department for Transport, though we are on course to fully reopen the road by the end of August as planned.”

City councillor Susanna Pressel (Image: Oxford Mail)

Ms Pressel added that replacing the rail bridge was “an unusually massive engineering project” because the road had to be lowered, which meant diverting 11 utilities and protecting the much deeper road against flooding.

She said: “The project has created enormous misery for many residents and businesses – and not just the people I represent in the Botley Road area, but also countless residents and businesses to the west of the city, who used to use that route for vital access. I was speaking to a couple of residents just this week who need to get to the John Radcliffe Hospital.

“They can’t possible walk all the way through the tunnel (linking Botley Road and Frideswide Square), from the end of one bus route to the start of another, and a taxi all the way round the ring road would now cost about £50. They say they are not eligible for free patient transport.”

Ms Pressel added that residents and businesses have been upset by the noisy construction work.

She said: “Most building sites are at least quiet at night, but not this one – some work can only take place when no trains are running, so that has meant quite a lot of very noisy work in the early hours of the morning, including massive pile drivers.

“Some residents are in despair.”

The city councillor said she believed Network Rail planned to start work on a new western entrance next year and open it in about mid-2029.

Former county councillor John Howson (Image: Oxford Mail)

Former county councillor John Howson, who lives near Oxford station, said: “The Botley Road closure has been devastating for the whole community – both residents and businesses.

“There needs to be an investigation as to why the brick arch wasn’t detected before work started, and why it took the intervention of a minister (Lord Hendy) to get work back on track.”

In January, community campaigner Julian Le Vay estimated businesses in the area have lost about £50m, with more than 120 jobs lost.

The new platform will eventually serve rail links to Bristol, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge – and the Cowley Branch Line.





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