Crime & Safety
A34 litter picking responsibility questioned by councillor
Concerns have been raised over persistent litter problems on the dual carriageway, with some describing the current system for clearing rubbish as “highly inefficient”.
Emily Smith, Vale of White Horse district councillor for Botley and Sunningwell, said: “Residents living near the A34 frequently raise concerns about the amount of litter along the dual carriageway and ask for the council’s support in addressing this issue.
“Litter not only looks untidy but can also have a negative impact on people’s mental health, wildlife, and the local economy.”
She said the mess alongside the busy stretch of road poses risks to wildlife, mental health and the local economy.
National Highways manage most trunk roads and motorways, but the responsibility for litter clearance on the A34 falls to the district councils through which the road passes.
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Access for litter picking is only granted during road closures for maintenance, as it is unsafe for teams to operate while the road is open to traffic.
Ms Smith said: “Permission is only given when the A34 is closed for maintenance works, as it is not safe for council staff or our waste contractor’s staff to work on the carriageway while it is open to traffic.
“Although Vale of White Horse District Council and our contractors work hard to coordinate litter clearance on the A34, this is time consuming and depends on multiple organisations coordinating staff availability during road closures, which often occur overnight and at short notice.
“This coordination must be repeated in every council area through which each National Highways trunk road passes, which is far from efficient.”
She asked whether the council would support legislative change to make National Highways directly responsible for litter clearance on their routes.
Robert Clegg, cabinet member for environmental services, climate action and nature recovery, said the council supports a change in the system.
Mr Clegg said: “The council’s officers and contractors work hard to ensure that litter is cleared from across the district, achieving excellent results in the vast majority of areas.
“The areas along the A34 are an unfortunate exception to this; not from a lack of effort on the part of the council’s officers and contractors, but rather due to the highly inefficient framework that they must operate within.”
He explained that substantial time is spent coordinating with National Highways and its contractors to secure safe access during road closures, which are often subject to last-minute changes or cancellations.
“If National Highways were responsible for the cleansing, then they could coordinate much more efficiently and effectively, likely achieving better results at lower cost than at current,” he added.
“We would therefore support a change in legislation to give National Highways the responsibility for cleaning up the assets where there is restricted access to street cleansing crews.”
He also called for tougher enforcement measures and public awareness campaigns to address the culture of littering from vehicles.
Mr Clegg said: “Greater use of signage, cameras, and control of cargo on high-speed roads should also be considered.”
Kenneth Hancox, of Quarry Road, Hornton, near Banbury, was sentenced on Friday, May 22.
The 67-year-old was charged with one count of section 20 grievous bodily harm, threats with a knife in a private place and threats to kill.
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The court heard the grievous bodily harm offence was committed on September 5, 2017 and resulted in the victim having a broken jaw.
The knife threat was committed on December 6, 2022 and the alleged threat to kill on February 13, 2024.
All the offences were committed at the home address of Hancox in Hornton, near Banbury.
The defendant pleaded guilty just before a trial was due to start earlier this year.
He was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment, suspended for three years.
The warning comes from Legionella Guard amid changes to the Renters’ Rights Act and following the UK’s hottest bank holiday weekend on record.
Legionella bacteria, which causes the potentially deadly Legionnaires’ disease, thrives in water systems at temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees Celsius.
Leah Stone, director of Legionella Guard, said: “Warmer weather provides the ideal conditions for Legionella to thrive.
“Water tanks and pipes that are in direct sunlight very quickly become more susceptible to Legionella growth.
“With enforcement tightening under the Renters’ Rights Act, and temperatures rising as summer approaches, Oxfordshire landlords cannot afford to treat Legionella risk as a tick-box exercise.”
So far in 2024, the UK has recorded 472 cases of Legionnaires’ disease.
Under the updated Renters’ Rights Act, which came into effect at the beginning of this month, landlords are liable to fines of up to £20,000 if their property isn’t compliant with new regulation.
In fatal cases, landlords can even be sentenced to time in prison.
Legionella Guard has been developed to simplify compliance for landlords by offering HSE-compliant e-learning, risk assessments, and simple evidence storage.
Ms Stone said: “Our new digital platform is designed to make compliance straightforward, affordable, and achievable.
“It enables landlords to manage risk effectively, protecting tenants and themselves at the same time.
“It’s a simple answer to a long-standing industry need.”
Typical symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease include chest pain, coughing, a high temperature, and breathlessness.
While most people make a full recovery, legionellosis can be a serious condition.
Transgender women have now been banned from competing in the women’s category at Oxford University’s rowing team.
The university has changed its policy in line with the governing body’s which states a transgender women cannot compete on women’s teams.
A spokesperson for Oxford Pride said: “There has been no actual change in legislation when it comes to inclusion of trans people in sports, or any other aspect of life for that matter,
“All the ruling did is to specify whether trans women could benefit from quotas to be appointed to public boards in Scotland.
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“Anything else is beyond the scope of the ruling and simply based on informal and not legally binding guidance.”
Many critics have pointed out the irony of this move considering the pioneer of Oxford’s female rowing uniforms, from skirts to more practical shorts, was a transgender athlete.
Michael Dillon was instrumental in modernising Oxford University’s female rowing uniform in the 1930s, before then going on to become the first person in the world to undergo female to male medical transition, eventually becoming a doctor.
British Rowing policy also says that transgender and non-binary people are eligible to compete in an ‘open’ category of both genders.
British Rowing previously let trans women participate in female events if their testosterone level was below a certain level for two years.
A university spokeswoman said: “The University of Oxford remains committed to being an inclusive university, where everyone is treated with respect, courtesy and consideration.
“This is necessary to comply with UK law, as well as to ensure alignment with competition frameworks.
“The university has met with and engaged with students several times throughout the process, and will continue to engage with them to facilitate boat clubs meeting their obligations in relation to law and governing body requirements.”
The spokesperson for Oxford Pride continued: “Exclusion of trans people is a choice, not a legal obligation.
“Whereas the protection against discrimination on the basis of gender reassignment is indeed an obligation under the Equality Act 2010.
“Oxford Pride urges all public and private groups, organisations and institutions in the UK to continue to include trans people; at least until an actual new piece of legislation (not just guidance) says otherwise.”
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The Supreme Court ruled last year the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
This means, as the equalities watchdog stated, a gender recognition certificate does not change a person’s legal sex for the purposes of the Equality Act.
The ruling has been interpreted to mean that trans women can be excluded from women-only spaces like toilets and changing rooms.
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