Glitter, 82, whose real name is Paul Gadd and was born in Banbury, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and three counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14 between 1978 and 1981.

Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay KC said the alleged offences occurred between 1978 and 1981, when the complainant, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was aged eight to 11.

The offences allegedly took place at Glitter’s home address in Kensington and Chelsea, west London.

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Prosecutors allege Glitter would give the girl chocolate and “invite her into his house where he then committed a number of serious sexual offences”.

Glitter appeared at the court via videolink wearing a blue shirt, glasses and a cap.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded Glitter into custody and he will next appear at the Old Bailey on September 2 – the judge added it was “to be determined” whether this would be via videolink or in person.

The judge told Glitter: “You face charges that include an offence which is indictable only, which means only the crown court can deal with it.

“The other three charges are related because it’s the same complainant.

“In that circumstance, all four charges are sent to crown court, the Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, where you will appear on September 2.”

Oxfordshire County Council has pledged “firm action” against Scottish and Southern Electricity Network for the closing an A40 slip road without street works permits being approved.

Having closed at Marston on July 7 and expected to remain shut until December 2027, the work has resulted in traffic disruption in nearby villages Elsfield and Woodeaton.

A40 slip road at Marston (Image: OCC)

As highways authority, the council has vowed to issue fines and other fees against the company for the unauthorised closure.

By failing to obtain the necessary permit and working outside the agreed statutory process, the council accused SSEN of preventing it from managing the wider impact of the roadworks to minimise disruption.

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Tim Bearder, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “It’s completely unacceptable that they did this unilaterally and without agreement.

“We, as highways authority, need to agree and schedule roadworks in a planned and considered way and I will be challenging this company about why this happened.

“It has caused immense disruption to residents who have seen heavy goods vehicles, double decker buses and a huge amount of traffic diverted on to a single-track road through their tiny villages.

A40 slip road at Marston (Image: OCC)

“This must not happen again, and we will be making that perfectly clear to the utility company involved while also making sure that this work is completed as soon as possible.”

Oxfordshire County Council has taken formal enforcement action in relation to the permit breach.

A fixed penalty notice has been issued in accordance with national regulations – the highest level of penalty ordinarily available for this category of permit offence.

In May, the council’s lane rental scheme came into force – a system which allows it to charge companies up to £2,500 per day for working on the busiest roads at peak traffic times.

As the work took place on a designated lane rental road during periods where charging applies, the firm is now facing fees of around £60,000.

Council officers will continue discussions with SSEN to ensure that “appropriate improvements” are made and that a similar situation does not arise again.

SSEN has been approached for a comment.

It is understood the company has acknowledged that the business undertook work without a permit.

Workmen have been tasked with replacing overhead lines with underground cable to improve supply reliability.

Grand Village Imperial, in unit E4 on Kelso Road in Bicester, was given the low food hygiene rating after a visit by inspectors in June.

But Raymond Chu, the owner of the Chinese restaurant, said the score does not accurately reflect the standards the restaurant maintains and they are appealing the process.

Mr Chu said they “also concerned that the inspection may not have been conducted impartially” and that the score is “unfair”.

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The Lion Dance at the Grand Village Imperial in Bicester (Image: David Chu)

He said: “As our appeal has already been submitted and is currently awaiting a response, we understand that the hygiene rating should not have been published until the appeal process has been concluded.”

Indeed on the government website it confirms that if a business appeals the rating within 21 days, the council should not publish it online.

The restaurant was told improvement was necessary in hygienic food handling and the cleanliness and conditions of the building.

Bicester Village (Image: Contributed)

The business was also told major improvement was necessary in the management of food safety.

This means the systems or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.

The business is a beloved part of the shopping centre with customers regularly advising shoppers to book in advance and highlighting the fantastic service, food, and generous portions of food.