Crime & Safety
Iconic tree by Oxford University college falls across street
According to local people, the large tree on Broad Street by Trinity College fell this afternoon (Tuesday, April 21) and is now sprawled across the market street.
It is not known why the tree fell and Oxfordshire County Council has been contacted about the clean up.
READ MORE: Fear and anger as numerous Traveller caravans at popular park
Already some people have expressed their sadness on social media about the tree falling with one user commenting that they regularly ate their lunch underneath it.
Located on Broad Street, it faced the market and is close to the spot where the Protestant martyrs – Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cramner – were burned at the stake.
The street is also known for its bookshops, including Blackwell’s, with the now fallen icon being one of the few trees on the road.
Crime & Safety
Police launch search for missing Oxfordshire 16-year-old
Thames Valley Police have launched an official appeal to look for a missing 16-year-old boy from West Oxfordshire, who was reported missing yesterday (Monday, April 20) at 10pm.
Police said that Cody was last seen in Witney and is also known to frequent Oxford.
When last seen, he was wearing a black jacket, white t-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms.
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The force asks that anyone who has any information should get in touch as soon as possible.
Cody, 16, from Witney (Image: TVP)
A spokesperson for the police said: “Help us find Cody, 16, missing from West Oxfordshire. Last seen 10pm yesterday in Witney.
“Cody was last seen wearing a black jacket, white T-shirt, and grey tracksuit bottoms. He is known to frequent Witney and Oxford.
” If seen, call 999 quoting 43260193403.”
Crime & Safety
Fears as numerous Traveller caravans on Oxfordshire park
According to a householder in the area, at least 30 caravans broke into the Caversfield Park in Caversfield near Bicester today (Tuesday, April 21) leaving villagers fearful and angry.
In addition, a fence at the bottom of the park, next to Buckingham Road, has reportedly been broken.
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Thames Valley Police has said it is monitoring the situation at the village and are working with partner agencies to assess its impact on the community.
A spokesperson for the force said: “Officers are aware of the unauthorised encampment.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and are working in partnership with relevant agencies to assess any impact on the local community.”
The caravans on Caversfield Park (Image: Public)
The Ministry of Defence, which reportedly owns the park, has also been approached for comment.
A 58-year-old man, who wished to remain anonymous, said that villagers are “very upset”.
He said: “Hundreds of dog walkers use it locally and lots of kids as well.”
He estimated that there were at least 30 caravans and hundreds of people now camped out at the park and claimed that police had told locals to stay away.
The caravans on Caversfield Park (Image: Public)
“It is absolutely outrageous,” said the man, who has been a Caversfield resident for three decades.
He added: “Police have got the powers to do something about it and refuse to do anything.”
READ MORE: Do not approach order issued as manhunt launched for Oxford man with knife
The man said some police community support officers had been sent but that the Travellers remained with concerns since being raised about the Travellers’ dogs.
The man said his wife was shaking when she returned from walking their own dog on the park, something either she or her husband does every day.
He added: “I fear for what could happen overnight. People are mad about this.”
Crime & Safety
Warning to UK drivers as inflation set to rise after fuel prices hike
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will shed further light on how the conflict in the Middle East is impacting the cost of living for Britons on Wednesday morning when it unveils the latest official inflation data.
Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation is expected to have risen to 3.3 per cent in March, according to a consensus of experts.
It would push inflation to its highest level since December.
READ MORE: UK drivers warned over worst time to fill up amid ‘fuel crisis’
The Bank of England and most economists have indicated that price increases are set to accelerate in the coming months as the impact of the Middle East conflict feeds into the cost of products and services.
Last month, the Bank of England indicated that inflation is likely to rise to as high as 3.5 per cent by the third quarter.
Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggested spiking energy prices could help push UK inflation towards 4 per cent, double the Bank of England’s 2 per cent inflation target.
At the start of the year, the central bank had predicted that inflation would dip below the 2 per cent target in April.
However, the conflict between US-Israeli and Iranian forces since late February has led to a sharp increase in oil and gas prices, while disruption to the Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor could hit other areas.
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The latest data for March will be the first set of ONS figures to include elevated petrol and diesel costs since the start of the conflict.
RAC data from Thursday, April 16, showed that the average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts was 158.1p, 25p more expensive than when the war began on Saturday, February 28.
The average price of a litre of diesel sits at 191.2p, up 49p compared with the start of the war.
Economists at Oxford Economics said they expect the rise in pump prices to add between 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points to the rate of inflation in March.
The fuel issues also affected Oxfordshire locally, with pumps being unavailable at certain stations in the county and prices rising.
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Oxfordshire County Council leader, Councillor Liz Leffman, spoke out last week on the fuel situation in the county and wider country, describing it as a “crisis”.
This was while announcing plans for a new £5.12m support scheme for struggling residents across the county.
She said: “We know that cost of living pressures never disappeared for a lot of people, and rising fuel costs, higher food prices and increasing household bills all continue to place a strain on residents, and the impact is often felt most sharply by those already on low or fixed incomes.
“Sadly, we expect that many more households may feel the pinch again with the ongoing fuel crisis.”
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