Crime & Safety
Reports of major police incident at Oxfordshire lock
The incident occurred at Culham Lock yesterday (Monday, April 6) with initial reports suggesting police were on the scene from about 7.30am.
Manned police cordons were set up around all entry and exit points to Culham Lock car park, and eyewitnesses say at least four police cars or vans remained there for most of the day.
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Blue tents were also set up by police in the car park, in the bottom left corner.
One person who lives in Culham said they saw the incident was ongoing in the car park at about 3.30pm.
They said: “The incident seemed to be located in the back half of the car park on the left side.
“There seemed to be a lot of locals stood around staring and the lock keeper was stood with his hands on his head.”
They also reported seeing a recovery van retrieving a black four-by-four from the scene. It is not yet known if this is related to the incident.
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The eyewitness said all emergency vehicles had cleared from the scene by about 4.30pm on Monday.
Thames Valley Police has not yet provided a comment on this incident, despite multiple attempts by this newspaper.
Culham Lock is an historic waterway cut to the north of the River Thames, with a free car park which provides a popular walking route along the river and through villages like Culham and Sutton Courtenay.
The woman, understood to be from Didcot, was one of 13 arrested on Tuesday morning, April 7 at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
Lakenheath Alliance For Peace protesters were at the site that morning continuing to demonstarte against the base being used by the US military for its war with Iran.
Suffolk Police’s spokesman said: “Officers arrived at the base soon after 6am following reports of protesters locking themselves to their own vehicles outside the main gate and gathering at two other entrances.”
He said the protest caused disruption to motorists with some of the surrounding roads closed to help officers assist with traffic management.
He added: “Suffolk Police has a duty to enforce the law without fear or favour and as it currently stands, not as it might be in the future. As such, where offences are believed to have occurred appropriate action will be taken.
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“Although, the High Court found the proscription of Palestine Action to be unlawful, it also confirmed that the impact of that judgement will not take effect until the government’s appeal has been considered.”
According to the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace, the Didcot woman said “we are here to interrupt business as usual, and to say in the name of humanity ‘STOP’” as she was arrested.
The alliance said she was one of 13 “peace protestors who used heavy-duty locks to attach themselves to a car, a large multi-coloured peace symbol and each other, completely blocking” the main gates of RAF Lakenheath.
Lakenheath Alliance for Peace organiser Peter Lux said that RAF bases needed to be held “accountable” when letting US planes take off.
He said that between 116 and 118 US fighter bombers have been seen departing the base in recent weeks by protesters.
“It’s definitely an RAF base, it’s sovereign territory, and so Britain is actually legally liable for what actually happens at that base,” said Mr Lux.
The blockade on Saturday is part of a six-day peace camp involving an around-the-clock vigil outside the gates of the base, ending on April 6.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson has said: “The US is our principal defence and security partner.
“We have given permission to the US to use British bases for specific and limited defensive operations – in collective self-defence of our regional allies and to protect British lives.
“Any proposed US operation from a base in the UK or UK territory is considered on a case-by-case basis.”
The incident occurred in the middle of the night at the junction of Queen Street and St Ebbes Street in Oxford, Sunday, March 22 at about 12.30am.
The victim, a man in his late teens, was ‘punched multiple times’ the offender, who then ran away down St Michaels Street.
READ MORE: Reports of major police incident at Oxfordshire lock
Police said the victim did not require hospital treatment.
Thames Valley Police are now appealing for a man they would like to speak to in connection with the assault and has released CCTV footage of the individual.
The image shows a young man with dark hair and facial hair wearing a black hoodie, grey jeans and sunglasses on his head.
Investigating officer PC Sophy Hewitt said: “We’re looking to identify the individual in this CCTV image, as we believe they may have information that could help our investigation.
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“If this person is you, or you recognise who this is, please get in touch with Thames Valley Police, either by making a report online or by calling us on 101, quoting reference 43260139864.
“Witnesses can also contact us via 101 or by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
The corner of Queen Street and St Ebbe’s Street is next to Bonn Square, and the entrance to Oxford shopping centre the Westgate.
Grundon Sand & Gravel Ltd has been extracting gravel from the New Barn Farm Quarry, south of the Wallingford bypass between Wallingford and Cholsey, since 2019.
A planning application has been submitted by the company for a collection of barns and buildings on farmlands nearby, Christie’s Farm, which are also owned by Grundon.
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It proposes the change of use and restoration of the buildings to create a farm shop, a cafe and restaurant, and artisan workspace and a space for the display and sale of artisan products.
The buildings include a grade II listed Threshing Barn dating to the 18th century, as well as a stables, an Atcost partially open-sided barn built in the 1960s, and the “derelict remains” of a former Cow Shed.
As the oldest and largest of the buildings, the scheme proposes conserving the Threshing Barn and transforming it into a farm shop, restaurant and cafe/coffee shop.
The timber frame of the building would be repaired and reclad, it would be divided internally with glass partitions, and the entrances would have new glass doors and entrance screens set behind timber doors replacing and matching the originals, kept permanently open.
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Lean-to structures at either end of the listed barn would be rebuilt with new insulation and glass screens and doors to the courtyards, with one end used as a cafe with outdoor seating and the other as a kitchen pass area, connected to the main barn with a glass corridor.
The Atcost Barn would become an artisan workshop with a new mezzanine space, and the stables converted into the site’s service building with an office, public toilets and storage.
Replacement buildings housing kitchens, a staff room and toilets would be built instead of the sheds between the stables and Threshing Barn which are “on the point of collapse”, and the Cow Shed would likewise be replaced.
The applicant said: “The proposed restoration and adaptive reuse of the agricultural buildings at Christie’s Farm represent a rare convergence of public, heritage, and economic value.
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“By breathing new life into the Grade II listed Threshing Barn, conserving the Stables, and sensitively integrating new structures, the scheme addresses longstanding concerns over disuse and poor repair while offering accessible, sustainable, and culturally enriching facilities for the wider community.”
The company added that the conservation-led proposal constitutes a ‘minor amendment’ to the restoration plan for New Barn Farm Quarry, which is set to be returned to agricultural land at the end of the quarry extraction scheme.
The application is open for consultation on the South Oxfordshire District Council website until May 7.
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