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Oxford mysterious water leak ongoing for three months

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A puddle of water has been growing on St Clement’s in Oxford over recent months at the side of the road in the bus lane due to an unknown leak.

One local who spotted the leak, Khadar Mohamed Abdul, said water has been flowing continuously and wasted daily for more than three months, and neither Thames Water nor Oxfordshire County Council‘s Highway’s team would help.

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Mr Abdul said: “I find it extremely disappointing that while residents are encouraged to conserve water and face significant increases in water tariffs, such visible water wastage can continue for months without accountability or urgency from the responsible organisations.

Road water leak St Clement's OxfordOxfordshire County Council initially denied responsibility for the long-running water leak (Image: Contributed)

“Water is a precious natural resource, and protecting it should be a priority for everyone, including public authorities and utility companies.”

When approached by this newspaper, a spokesperson for Thames Water said the leak had been tested and, as it did not contain chlorine, was not accepted as an issue on the company’s network.

A spokesperson for the water company said: “We responded to reports of a leak on St Clement’s Street, Oxford, in April.

“We visited the site twice and carried out tests to ascertain the cause of the flow of water on the road.

“Our tests revealed that this water is not from a leak on our network.”

READ MORE: Emergency hygiene shutdown of Oxford burger joint explained

The company pointed instead to Oxfordshire County Council, suggesting it was a groundwater drainage issue.

Oxfordshire County Council had previously denied the leak was the council’s responsibility, saying it lay with Thames Water.

Responding to the water company this week, a spokesperson for the council said: “The issue is being investigated.”





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West Oxfordshire council reveals new executive team

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West Oxfordshire District Council revealed the team at its annual general meeting.

The executive is responsible for delivering the council plan and setting key priorities.

Councillor Andy Graham will continue as leader of the council.

He said: “We have an ambitious Council Plan that is delivering for West Oxfordshire and we still have a lot of work to do over the coming years.

“I am really proud to announce this Executive team to drive that change and deliver on the key priorities our residents and businesses have told us they want us to act on.

“We will be focusing on planning for the future by delivering a Local Plan that brings the homes local people need linked to vital infrastructure such as new roads, new facilities and better sewage management.

“We will also deliver our Carterton Area Strategy setting out a bold vision for how Carterton can grow while bringing new jobs, new homes and improvements to the town centre.”

Deputy leader of the council and executive member for economic development is Duncan Enright, while the executive member for finance is Alaric Smith.

Liz Leffman will serve as executive member for planning and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Geoff Saul takes on the housing and community safety portfolio, with Andrew Prosser responsible for climate action and nature recovery.

Environmental issues fall under the remit of Alistair Wray, while Sandra Coleman oversees stronger, healthy communities.

The executive member for arts, culture and sports is Tim Sumner.

The leader outlined key projects already underway.

Mr Graham said: “Our high-quality services will continue to get better and better.

“We have a £3.5m leisure facilities upgrade programme being rolled out, continuing improvements to Marriotts Walk and a new crowdfunding platform to fund local initiatives.

“We will continue our work to deliver affordable homes that local people are crying out for.

“This will include our exciting plans for building our own social rented homes and the highly ambitious Salt Cross development.

“Our amazing West Oxfordshire environment will be a focus as we work to help our nature thrive, including protecting our waterways.”

He also said that the council will continue to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and help our communities adapt to climate change.

Mr Graham added: “And our residents, communities and businesses will remain at the heart of all we do.

“We will prioritise improving people’s health and wellbeing, support our young people and grow our local economy.”





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Banbury triathlon 2026 raises more than £10,000 for charity

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Banbury Triathlon, which took place on Sunday, May 17, attracted 250 athletes from across the country for a morning of swimming, cycling, and running at the Woodgreen Leisure Centre.

The event also served as the first official engagement for Banbury Town Mayor, Councillor Mark Cherry, who welcomed participants to the town.

Race director Greg Heath praised the spirit of teamwork behind the event.

He said: “To Team Cherwell Triathlon Club and everyone who made Banbury Triathlon such a fun, friendly and successful event, I thank you.

“Everyone, without exception, contributed to make our event so very special.”

More than 40 people joined Nicole Croft in support of Freddie’s Future Bone Cancer Research, helping to raise what is expected to exceed £10,000.

Nicole Croft, who led the fundraising team, said: “I feel like I am still pinching myself that all those people really did this for our charity.

“I am absolutely blown away, and I honestly can’t thank all my teams and Sibford School enough for making it such a huge event and so much fun.”

Thames21, an environmental charity focused on protecting rivers and waterways, was also supported through the triathlon.

Claire Robertson of Thames21 said: “We had a fantastic day swimming, running and cycling in support of the River Cherwell and other local rivers and streams.

“The amount we’ve raised is enough to pay for six months of water testing kits for community groups to test pollution in rivers.”





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Oxfordshire care homes celebrate Sobell House’s 50th year

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The Oxfordshire care homes have been taking part in the hospice’s ’50 for 50′ campaign, which encourages the community to support Sobell House with fundraising and events marking its half-century of care.

At Marston Court, a choir of 50 people performed songs of friendship and care, followed by an afternoon tea.

Sharon Fenn, home manager at Marston Court, said: “We were absolutely blown away by the incredible turnout for the 50 for 50 celebrations, marking 50 fantastic years of Sobell House.

“We decided to bring together a 50-strong choir to sing some much-loved classics, including You’ve Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman and Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles.

“What better way to combine our passion for singing with supporting such a wonderful cause.

“Thank you to everyone who attended, and a very special thank you to the Oxford City Singers for helping make the day so memorable.”

At Westgate House, residents created a ’50’-shaped mural decorated with handmade oven-clay flowers.

Daniela Midwinter, home manager at Westgate House, said: “Our residents wanted to create something truly special to celebrate 50 years of Sobell House.

“So they made a ‘50’ mural decorated with hand-crafted flowers made from oven clay.

“Flowers represent care, compassion, and remembrance, which felt a fitting way to mark such an important milestone.”

Beth Marsh, director of fundraising at Sobell House, visited both care homes to see the efforts involving residents, families, and teams.





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