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M4 motorway – BMW hogging lane two and blocking blue lights

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The incident happened over the Oxfordshire border in Berkshire, at the Calcot stretch of the M4 near Reading, on Thursday, April 23.

Officers driving on blue lights said the blue BMW 1-Series delayed them from getting to a report of a serious injury incident.

They accused the BMW driver of being “convinced that lane two in Calcot belonged exclusively to him, and that our blue lights and sirens were merely decorative”.

“After a prolonged game of ‘please move over’ we finally managed to stop him with the help of some colleagues,” police said.

“It quickly became apparent that alcohol was the reason he struggled to react like every other road user, with him being over double the drink drive limit by the time we got to custody.

“Minimum 12 month ban inbound… and most likely followed by a BMW up for sale.”





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Planning documents confirm 2027 Clarkson’s Farm series

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The reality TV series follows former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson and his crew as they navigate the challenges of running his Diddly Squat Farm near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

The fifth instalment of the series is launching on Prime Video in June this year.

Mr Clarkson revealed in his Sunday Times newspaper column in February that filming of the sixth series had been suspended because of the poor weather.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson reignites council row with new farm planning bid

But planning documents submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council for a variance in conditions at his farm shop reveal the sixth run will hit TV screens next year.

The programme, which first aired in 2021, brings to light problems which British farmers face and the costs of running a farm.

“Given series five is yet to air, we are requesting a new time limit is imposed, ending on December 31, 2030,” wrote a planning consultant on behalf of the former Top Gear presenter.

“Season five will air this year, and season six has been commissioned and will air in summer 2027.

READ MORE: Fire tears through Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper’s barn

“Three further years to monitor and review thereafter seems appropriate.”

Clarkson bought the then Curdle Hill Farm, which sits within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, nearly 20 years ago.

After deciding to run the farm himself in 2019, he renamed it the Diddly Squat Farm over its lack of productivity.

Two years ago, Clarkson opened the Farmers’ Dog pub, formerly known as The Windmill, at Asthall, near Burford, which sells produce grown or reared by British farmers.





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Bicester fire – house up in flames in Launton Road

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More than half a dozen fire engines raced to Launton Road in Bicester to tackle a fire which broke out in a garage.

Flames could be seen coming from the garage door and the home attached to it before firefighters came to extinguish it.

Police closed off Launton Road for some hours while firefighters tackled the flames which were first reported at around midday on Friday, April 24.

Officers urged people to avoid the area.

Fire in Launton Road, Bicester (Image: Neil Plant)

(Image: Facebook)

(Image: Facebook)

The fire service said nobody needed to be rescued by firefighters and would not comment if anybody had escaped from the home before the engines arrived.

Nobody was injured, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

READ MORE: Synagogue attacker ‘was driven to Oxfordshire for hostile reconnaissance’

A spokesman said: “Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called at 12.35pm on Friday 24 April 2026, sending six fire engines from Bicester, Kidlington, Rewley Road, Slade, Thame and Buckingham fire stations, and a hydraulic platform from Rewley Road, to an address at Launton Road in Bicester.

“Crews were responding to reports of a garage fire that had spread to a house. They are using hose reels to extinguish it.”

One pedestrian on scene said: “No one is allowed down that section of Launton road as been closed off by police so even if on foot you have to find another way round.”

Another added: “Oh the poor family, I just hope they are all ok. It’s sad to loose your possessions and home but I hope they are all safe.”





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Kidlington waste mountain handling slammed after new report

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An Oxfordshire County Council report has confirmed dumping at an 8,000 sqm rubbish heap close to the A34 and River Cherwell, near Kidlington, continued through the summer of 2025 after enforcement action had begun.

A scrutiny committee meeting on Wednesday, April 22, heard concerns about communication and inaction after the tip was visited in July 2025, as illegal dumping by lorries persisted in a suspected “organised crime” operation.

Cllr Liam Walker for Hanborough & Hailey (Oxfordshire Alliance and Conservative Party Member) said: “We did nothing to stop the lorries going in.”

He questioned why CCTV was not used, and police were not called.

The 150m long mountain of rubbish that has been illegally dumped beside the A34.The waste mountain (Image: Jonathan Brady / PA)

Robin Rogers, director of economy and place at Oxfordshire County Council, replied that the majority of the waste had been dumped before the site was detected, and the Environment Agency had immediately taken responsibility for criminal proceedings after the July visit.

He added: “I am not arguing that the system response was adequate, as we didn’t stop the waste in the first place, and that’s why it needs reviewing.

“We certainly weren’t doing nothing in July and August.”

Ward councillor, Laura Gordon for Kidlington North & Otmoor (Lib Dem) was one of the first elected representatives to hear about the dumping – others did not know about the situation until it hit national headlines.

She said “the council swung into gear” in October, but “were slow to get to that point”.

Mr Rogers said the tip had been treated like “business as usual” by the authority, which regularly deals with illegal dumping, admitting “we did not step back and think ‘well this is really very significant'”.

He stated that lessons will be learned.

Works are now underway to clear the waste and should be completed by the end of the year.

Site in preparation for waste removal, April 2026 (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

In July 2025, the Environment Agency (EA) issued a cease and desist order to halt activity on the land.

In October of the same year, it used a restriction order to prevent access to the site after a “spot check” in early September revealed additional waste had recently been dumped.

Since then, four people have been arrested in connection with the tip. No charges have been filed in connection with the tip.

The Environment Agency (EA) did not attend the scrutiny committee and said that this was due to the current pre-election period.

Previously, Anna Burns, EA area director for Thames, said: “We are working to remove this waste as quickly as possible while continuing our investigation to bring those responsible to justice.”





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