Charlbury is a small Cotswold market town in the Evenlode valley, about six miles north of Witney, with a population of around 2,800.

Set on the edge of historic Wychwood Forest and linked to Oxford and London by its own railway station, it has become an increasingly popular base for visitors, with a walkable centre, festivals and plenty of countryside on the doorstep.

Hospitality spots such as The Bull, a Michelin‑rated pub‑restaurant on Sheep Street, and The Bell, a seventeenth‑century coaching inn, have helped drive year‑on‑year interest in the town.

READ MORE: Crowds of 18,500 people celebrate May Morning 2026 in Oxford

The sign on the former toilets in Charlbury. (Image: Newsquest)

Charlbury also sits within easy striking distance of Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm near Chipping Norton and his pub The Farmer’s Dog near Burford, adding to its appeal for holidaymakers.

When visiting the popular spot, most tourists use the Spendlove Car Park behind the Co-op shop, given its free three-hour and 10-hour spaces.

There are also public toilets next to the area, but these have been shut, leaving none nearby for visitors to the town.

READ MORE: Police statement after two stabbed in terrorist attack

The former toilets in Charlbury. (Image: Newsquest)

Closed at the end of March, a notice from West Oxfordshire District Council can now be found where the door used to be.

The sign’s message reads: “These toilet facilities will permanently close on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

“This toilet is closing so that funding can be focused on improving and maintaining the busiest public toilets across West Oxfordshire.

“The Council is investigating over £500,000 to upgrade and modernise these key facilities, helping to ensure they are reliable, accessible and fit for long-term use.”

Thames Valley Police roads policing shared an image of a peculiar vehicle stop in West Hanney, near Wantage, earlier on Friday, May 1.

Officers stop checked a blue Vauxhall Movano van and discovered the driver was disqualified from the roads.

The van was full to the brim of loaves of sliced white (Image: Thames Valley Police)

READ MORE: Oxford rapist who fled to Iraq is jailed for 13 years

Police arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of driving offences (Image: Thames Valley Police)

A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving offences and remains in police custody.

A spokesperson for the roads policing unit said: “Even with all this bread this driver proves to be one sandwich short of a picnic as he continues to drive whilst disqualified.

“Stopped in West Hanney by our XRB crews the 37 year old male can now enjoy his all day breakfast in our custody suite. Sadly we don’t have a toaster.”

Jorden Teunissen completed the London Marathon in six hours and 27 minutes and achieved the record for running the fastest time in clogs, all in support of Oxfam.

He said: “When I was volunteering with Oxfam at the London Marathon cheering points, I watched runners attempting world records pass by carrying things like washing machines or wearing full firefighter gear.

“Fellow volunteers had given me the nickname ‘Cloggie’ because of my Dutch background, and suddenly the idea of running in clogs did not seem so strange after all.

“With encouragement from the Oxfam community, I gave it a try and ended up setting the record.”

The marathon saw 53 runners take part for team Oxfam, raising £112,000 so far.

Another runner, professional illustrator Dan Woodger, is combining his talent for drawing with a unique fundraising campaign.

Mr Woodger is creating an illustration of the marathon route through London and offering to add personalised characters for anyone who donates to his fundraising page.

He said: “I want to give back by helping Oxfam because what I do for work is playful and with so many conflicts around the world I had the urge to do something meaningful to contribute.”