Oxford News
Thames Water update after incident closes Oxfordshire school
The water company said at 8pm today (Tuesday, April 28) that a temporary repair on a burst water main, which was first reported early on Monday, April 27, has now been completed.
This occurred just off Sutton Courtenay Lane, with tankers from the company being spotted on site from about 8.30am on Monday.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire primary school forced into month-long emergency closure
Supply was disrupted for businesses and households in the towns and villages near Abingdon, including Sutton Courtenay and Milton, and CofE Primary School in Milton Hill had to close to all students yesterday.
Thames Water teams on site found the burst pipe and were working to isolate it by about 9.15am on Monday, with some supplies redirected around the network to reduce the impact on homes without running water.
St Blaise Church of England Primary School. (Image: St Blaise Church of England Primary School)
A later update said customers should have water flowing through their taps again, though this may still be lower pressure than usual.
A spokesperson for Thames Water reported that a repair has been completed although more work is required and residents should expect further updates tomorrow (Wednesday, April 29).
They said: “A temporary repair has now been completed, and with the support of tankers, water supplies have been restored.
READ MORE: Firefighter who won £100,000 on ITV The Chase spin-off realises dream
“This temporary fix allows us to keep customers in supply while we prepare for the next stage of the repair.
“This will involve installing a specialist valve, which helps us safely manage the flow of water and carry out the full repair more effectively.
“Work to install this valve will begin tomorrow as the required materials have been requested and are awaiting arrival.”
Oxford News
Jeremy Clarkson announces new venture after Clarkson’s Farm
The former Top Gear and Grand Tour host purchased Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington, Oxfordshire, back in 2008.
Having taken over the day-to-day operations back in 2019, Mr Clarkson started filming for the first season of Clarkson’s Farm, which was released in 2021.
Available on Prime Video, the documentary shows life on the farm and highlights the plight of British farmers.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson bids final goodbye to Clarkson’s Farm fan favourite
The fifth series had a staggered release across this month, with fans able to now binge-watch all eight new episodes.
This time last year, series four had also just been released, and Mr Clarkson followed up the conclusion of this with an announcement on his latest venture.
The 66-year-old has written several books over the years, including multiple which have covered his farming adventures in Oxfordshire.
He announced in June of 2025 that another was set to release later on in the year called Diddly Squat: The Farmer’s Dog.
READ MORE: TV legend praises Jeremy Clarkson after meeting him at Cotswolds pub
The book covered the latest action on the farm as well as his Asthall pub, The Farmer’s Dog, becoming the fifth book Mr Clarkson has written in the series.
Having purchased the Cotswolds watering hole for around £1m, the former Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter opened it to the public in the summer of 2024.
Although no confirmation has yet been made, it is expected that another book will be released this year, following on from Clarkson’s Farm series five.
It has also been confirmed that filming for the show’s sixth season is underway, with an anticipated release date in 2027.
Oxford News
Oxford private school in new ‘mobile phone ban’ announcement
St Edward’s School (‘Teddies’) in Woodstock Road has extended its mobile phone restrictions to its Year 11 students as well as Year 9 and Year 10.
As such the 16-year-olds will no longer be allowed their phones at any time during the week, with daytime access to them at weekends.
READ MORE: Head of Oxfordshire private school defends Latin teaching
This followed a recent survey of pupils which said that four in five feel happy ‘all or most of the time’ compared to three in five before the first phone restrictions were introduced in 2022.
Alastair Chirnside, warden (headteacher), said: “This year’s pupil survey has put into numbers what we have been seeing and feeling for a long time: that Teddies pupils are leading more enriched and less distracted lives without their phones throughout the week.
Alastair Chirnside, headmaster of St Edward’s School (Image: St Edward’s School)
“While we know that extending restrictions even further won’t be universally popular with teenagers, last month’s pupil survey has quite clearly demonstrated that, when asked in private, many children are in fact thankful to be given clear rules on phone usage.
“From comments in the survey, it is clear that many children even feel a sense of relief that the burden of moderating their phone use has been lifted from them.”
Pupils at St Edward’s School (Teddies) in Woodstock Road, Oxford (Image: St Edward’s School)
Restrictions have also been extended in the sixth form with the upper sixth now following the lower sixth in only having access to phones after lessons, before handing them in at 10pm each evening.
The school has 817 pupils with 644 responding to the anonymous survey carried out last month.
Almost half said they were spending more time talking to friends, with 32 per cent noting they were working harder and 19 per cent saying they were spending more time reading.
Pupils at St Edward’s School (Teddies) in Woodstock Road, Oxford (Image: St Edward’s School)
One pupil said: “I believe the no-phone policy has been really beneficial at this school for helping friendships and hobbies grow.”
Another added: “I completely agree with it, and I think it’s an incredible way to relieve tensions and build friendships quicker in the earlier years of school.”
READ MORE: Oxford private school’s restrictive phone policy boosts joy
In addition, Teddies has revealed that – in contrast to wider societal trends – it re-introduced landline phones last September, after 15 years without them.
This was part of an overhaul about its mobile phone rules to enable pupils’ contact with their homes, family and friends.
Pupils also have access to Nokia ‘brick’ phones in their boarding houses, and to WhatsApp, Teams and Zoom at certain times through the school’s monitored network, using laptop computers which are managed by the school’s IT department.
Oxford News
Disney+ renews Cotswolds show Rivals for third series
The award-winning drama features famous faces including Doctor Who star David Tennant, Poldark’s Aidan Turner and former EastEnders actor Danny Dyer.
Set in the 1980s amid the backdrop of the Cotswolds countryside, it follows the high-stakes world of British television as careers, marriages and reputations hang by a thread when professional and personal lives collide.
The second series, which received an extended run of 12 episodes, has received widespread acclaim from both critics and the public.
READ MORE: Alex Kingston reacts to ‘devastating’ Doctor Who cancellation
It depicts the ruthless world of independent television in 1986, and follows a rivalry between Lord Tony Baddingham (Tennant) and former MP Rupert Campbell-Black, played by TV and theatre star Alex Hassell.
The mid-season finale aired earlier this month and shocked viewers with the death of a fan-favourite character, while a further six episodes will be released later this year.
Dame Jilly was an active part of the show’s production and served as an executive producer.
In October last year, during filming for the second series, she died unexpectedly aged 88 after suffering injuries from a fall at home.
READ MORE: Katy Perry selling $8.5m mansion days before Oxfordshire festival gig
Dominic Treadwell-Collins, chief creative officer of Happy Prince, and Alexander Lamb, Happy Prince’s creative director, said: “We’ve been delighted and overwhelmed by the audience’s response to season two of Rivals – testament to the hard work from everyone working on Rivals both on and off screen.
“Our one sadness is that Jilly didn’t get to witness the love for season two.
“But she’s still very much with us in spirit and would be so delighted that season three has been greenlit.
“We’re so thrilled to continue to work with Disney as we dive deeper into the Rutshire Chronicles and expand the Cooperverse even further.”
READ MORE: Cotswolds named among the best holiday spots in the UK for 2026
Lee Mason, vice-president, Scripted, Disney+ EMEA, added: “The phenomenal response to Rivals is a credit to the bold, irreverent and endlessly entertaining world created by Dame Jilly Cooper, our cast, creative team and production partners at Happy Prince.
“We’re delighted to be bringing audiences a third season on Disney+/Hulu.
“Expect more ambition, more romance, more rivalries and, of course, more scandal as we return to Rutshire for another irresistible chapter.”
The second half of Rivals series two will air in November on Disney+ in the UK and internationally, and on Hulu in the US.
Further details about the third season are yet to be revealed.
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoRyan Bridge speaks of London arrest after Oxford incident
-
Oxford News3 weeks agoOxfordshire families invited to free day of fun in Bicester
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoNew video call system to help domestic abuse victims
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoOxfordshire Lib Dems lose another councillor amid ‘serious concerns’
-
Crime & Safety3 weeks agoPhotos as 1979 Pontiac Firebird ‘bursts in flames’ at Tesco
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoNew ‘high-quality’ mushroom business launched in Oxford
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoNHS IT outages disrupt 274,620 patient interactions
-
Student Life3 weeks agoTransgender rights protest in central Oxford following updated EHRC guidance
