Crime & Safety
United States tourist battles fire at Oxfordshire Tesco
Darren Fleming, a 61-year-old software engineer from Illinois, was two-weeks into his trip when the car alongside him at the Abingdon Tesco petrol station, off Marcham Road, burst into flames.
He, his uncle and another pedestrian then fought the blaze, wearing out a number of fire extinguishers as they did so.
READ MORE: Police race to reports of man peering into Oxfordshire village school
At around 8.30am this morning (Saturday, May 30), Alan Mutton – a 74-year-old retired publisher from Kennington, Oxfordshire – and his nephew Mr Fleming were looking at a 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am muscle car.
“We were admiring it because it is an American car,” said Mr Fleming, “and when the young man driving started it, it just burst into flames”.
He added: “Then the kid driving it jumped out on fire and ran in front of our car.”
Ambulances were seen at the petrol station and the driver – whose identity is unknown – had some burns on his legs according to Mr Fleming.
He was taken to the Tesco superstore for immediate first aid.
After the initial shock, Mr Mutton drove his car – which was next to the Pontiac – away from the fire and then the duo, and a motorcyclist also at the petrol station, ran to get some extinguishers to battle the flames on the car.
“Initially it looked kind of small, isolated around the engine, but it got large quite fast,” said Mr Fleming, who added that once he realised the danger he “quit being a tourist” and helped out.
He said: “We emptied about eight fire extinguishers onto it.”
Mr Mutton added: “It reignited a couple of times but luckily we got it out and the Tesco staff were really good organising people and blocking traffic coming into the fuel station.
“As you can see, myself, Darren and the other guy had to get pretty close to put the fire out.”
The Oxfordshire local had been given some small fire training, acting as a fire warden when he was a publisher, but said that he and the other two just focused on the job at hand.
“We were just intent doing the job and putting the fire out,” he said, “it was just something I did on instinct from the past”.
He added: “I knew I had to get the extinguisher down to the seat of the flame and keep hitting the flame until it was out.”
Multiple fire crews and police would later turn up at the scene, although neither Mr Mutton nor Mr Fleming were sure when that happened.
READ MORE: Safety calls as Oxford teenagers open-water swimming days after boy’s death
The petrol station was closed, and Tesco have not yet clarified when it might be reopened.
The uncle and nephew had stopped off at the petrol station that morning as Mr Mutton is taking Mr Fleming and his wife to the Chiltern Hills and Henley for a visit.
Mr Fleming said: “We started out this morning quite exciting; it got a couple of old guys’ blood flowing.”
‘Sundays in the Park’ took place in Garth Park on May 31, thanks to a collaboration between Bicester Town Council and Bicester Live.
Visitors enjoyed performances from Ukesnaile, Bicester Concert Band, and Malish, offering a variety of covers from pop to garage.
Food was provided by Garth Park Kitchen, with options like British bockwurst, halloumi buns, and wood-fired cheeseburgers, while others brought their own picnics to enjoy in the sunshine.
The council’s events team said: “We can’t wait to welcome you all for an afternoon of live music, great food, and community fun in the beautiful surroundings of Garth Park.”
The next ‘Sundays in the Park’ event will be held on June 14, featuring Hook Norton Brass Band and local soloists, starting at 12.30pm.
In a Facebook post on ‘Raise the Colours: Oxfordshire’, the principal leader of the group asked campaigners to join the demonstration for ‘justice for Henry Nowak’.
The protest follows days of demonstration outside the police station following the murder of University of Southampton student Henry Nowak.
Protesters hurled bins, chairs and bricks at police as hundreds gathered outside the station.
READ MORE: Nationalist group to protest after murder of student
Activist Tommy Robinson and former actor Laurence Fox were among those who spoke to the crowd.
Speaking to the crowd Robinson said: “I heard someone say this wasn’t about race, this is about race.
“A white boy who done nothing was handcuffed, a murderer in possession of a knife who stabbed someone five times isn’t.”
Demonstrators were heard chanting “Henry, Henry” as large group moved across town and threw object at police in riot gear.
The controversy surrounding the murder of Mr Nowak centres on the initial police response after the 18-year-old student was stabbed in Southampton in December 2025.
A trial heard that officers arriving at the scene were allegedly misled by the killer, Vickrum Digwa, 23, who claimed he had been the victim of a racist assault.
Police initially placed Mr Nowak in handcuffs.
In camera footage Nowak can be heard telling officers that he had been stabbed, with an officer on the scene replying “don’t think you have mate”.
Hampshire police’s Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said that within three minutes of interacting with Nowak they were starting to perform CPR.
He added that: “This is a complete tragedy and I am sorry that they couldn’t save Henry that night and I’m sorry that Henry was handcuffed and arrested as he lost consciousness.”
In a statement to the press outside Southampton Crown Court after Digwa was sentenced, Mark Nowak, Henry’s father, said: “We are calling on the Government to treat knife crime as the national emergency that it is.
“Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. He lost consciousness before anyone believed him.”
A group of Oxford ‘patriots’ are due to protest in Oxford this week as well.
Aiden Noble, organiser of the protests, is calling on the public to stand in ‘justice for Henry Nowak’ on Friday, June 5.
The group will gather at 6pm outside Carfax Tower to ‘demand answers, accountability, and justice for Henry Nowak’.
The protests join other demonstrations in Southampton, Birmingham, Nottingham, Blackpool, Liverpool, London, and Gloucester.
Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years served on Monday for the murder of 18-year-old Mr Nowak in Southampton.
It is part of its new ‘Frozen Pledge,’ aimed at helping shoppers reduce their grocery bills.
The decision follows reports that the supermarket’s prices rose by 5.8 per cent in April.
It was the second-highest increase among supermarkets and well above the industry average of 3.8 per cent, according to The Telegraph.
WHEN YOUR FAVOURITE CHEESE MEETS SPAGHETTI CARBONARA… 🧀🍝
Brand #NEW Cathedral City Cheesy Spaghetti Carabonara is landing in-stores & online from tomorrow! 🤩
Grab yours for just £4.50 each or 2 for £8 🚚 pic.twitter.com/PWtEkLhvTw
— Iceland Foods ❄️ (@IcelandFoods) June 1, 2026
However, executive chairman Richard Walker disputed this data, calling it “flawed” and arguing the figures were skewed by “very specific lamb deals in place last year.”
He also said the figures did not reflect new products or deals introduced this year.
According to The Grocer, Mr Walker said: “Doing the right thing for customers has never been more important and this Frozen Pledge is a huge commitment to both our new and existing shoppers.
“It’s one of our biggest-ever refreshes on deals and now includes hundreds of our frozen products across our stores.
“We know people from all walks of life are continuing to feel the pressure of rising costs, so we want to help people save money just when they need it most.”
As part of the refresh, Iceland is extending its multibuy offers and adding new items to its promotional calendar over the coming months.
What products will be reduced?
The £2 ice cream deal now includes reduced prices on several branded packs.
Snickers ice cream four-packs, previously £2.89, are now £2.
Other reductions include Solero Strawberry Twists, reduced by 75p for three, and five-packs of Calippo Strawberry Minis, reduced from £2.75.
Starting July 28, three-packs of Magnum Almond, Mint, and Salted Caramel will also be reduced from £3.50 to £2.
The supermarket said it has halved the price of other branded staples.
The Chicago Town Tiger Crust Pepperoni Pizza has dropped from £4 to £2.
Young’s Chip Shop XL Battered Fish Fillets are down from £4.50 to £2.25, and McCain Smiles now cost £1.25 instead of £2.50.
Iceland has also added nine more own-label pizzas to its £1 Pizza Cabinet and extended its 10-for-£10 multibuy deal through to at least July 6.
Which is your favourite supermarket? Let us know in the comments
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