BBC Local Live: Oxfordshire on Tuesday 1 March 2016

Summary

Updates on Tuesday 1 March 2016
News, sport, travel and weather updates resume at 08:00 on Wednesday

Live Reporting

Joe Nimmo

Pictures from visit to the Society of St Mary the Virgin in Indiapublished at 13:15 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Howard Bentham
Radio Oxford presenter
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Weather: Cloudy with occasional outbreaks of rain this afternoonpublished at 12:56 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Holly Green
BBC Weather
Until about mid-afternoon it will be cloudy with occasionally heavy outbreaks of rain.
Some sheltered areas may see a glimpse of the sun, and strong southerly winds at first will veer westerly before declining in strength.
A band of heavier showers is expected later this evening, then becoming clearer and colder with sleet showers later.
BBC South political editor Peter Henley talks to Bernie Sanders' brother Larrypublished at 12:51 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
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Latest headlines: Four-minute silence for Didcot power station casualtiespublished at 12:37 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Joe Nimmo
BBC News Online
The top stories this lunchtime:
- A four-minute silence is to be held a week after a collapse at Didcot power station that killed one worker and left three missing
- Members of the Democratic Party living in Oxford will get the opportunity to vote for their presidential candidate during today's “Super Tuesday” primary contest
- More than 92% of Oxfordshire primary school families have been given their first preference of secondary school, the county council, external says
Former Banbury MP made deputy lieutenant of Oxfordshirepublished at 12:25 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Former Banbury MP Sir Tony Baldry is one of three new deputy lieutenants for Oxfordshire.
Deputy lieutenants assist the lord lieutenant - the Queen's representative in each county - with their duties, such as arranging royal visits to Oxfordshire.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Sir Tony Baldry retired as MP for Banbury last year and received a knighthood from the Prince of Wales in 2012
Retired Colonel Neil Sutherland OBE and Oxfordshire businessman Richard Venables have also been appointed as deputy lieutenants.
Quote Message
I know that they will each bring skill, commitment and enthusiasm to their new role. Oxfordshire will benefit greatly.
Lord Lieutenant Tim Stevenson
Boat Race: Oxford and Cambridge announce men's and women's crewspublished at 12:10 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
The crews for the 162nd men's boat race between Oxford and Cambridge have been announced, external.
The race will take place on the Thames between Putney and Mortlake in London on 27 March.
Oxford University has won the race for the last three years.
Image source, Getty Images
The teams for the 71st women's race have also been announced.
Oxford University's women's team has won the race 29 times, lagging behind Cambridge's 41 victories.
Didcot power station: London Fire Brigade hold minute silencepublished at 11:57 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Members of the London Fire Brigade held a minute's silence during a training exercise this morning to remember the victims of the Didcot power station collapse.
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Oxford University researchers identify main areas of car pollutionpublished at 11:36 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
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Investigation starts into whether farm fires are linkedpublished at 11:21 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Paul Jenner
BBC Radio Oxford
Investigators are trying to find out if a series of farm fires in the Oxfordshire area are linked.
The latest blaze started in Ickford Road, Shabbington, near Thame yesterday afternoon and was visible for miles.
Image source, Julia Castle
Image caption,
Plume of smoke from the farm fire in Shabbington was seen for miles around
Twenty firefighters from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire were involved in stopping the blaze spreading from the building. Another fire was also reported near Farmoor yesterday.
Richard Priest from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue says people should keep windows and doors shut in the immediate area.
Didcot power station: Four-minute silence to be held for dead and missingpublished at 11:07 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
A four-minute silence will be held by demolition firm Coleman and Company "as a sign of respect" for three colleagues who went missing and one who died during the Didcot power station collapse last Tuesday.
Image source, Getty Images
The silence will be held at 4pm today.
In a Facebook post, external, a spokesperson wrote: "We would ask that the demolition industry, the wider construction industry, the local community share our sentiment and this post."
The search for three missing demolition staff at the site continues.
Latest headlines: Five injured men home after Didcot power station collapsepublished at 10:53 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Alex Regan
South Online
This morning's top stories in Oxfordshire:
- Demolition firm Coleman and Company has confirmed five men injured in the Didcot power station collapse last week have returned home
- More than 92% of Oxfordshire children due to start secondary school in September have been given a place at their first-preference school
- Investigators are looking into whether a series of farm blazes in the Oxfordshire area are linked after a fire near Thame yesterday afternoon
Secondary school places: More than 92% get first choice in Oxfordshirepublished at 10:33 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Alex Regan
South Online
More than 92% of Oxfordshire primary school families have been given their first preference of secondary school, the county council, external says.
The local authority added more families have been given their first choice compared to last year, even though there were 183 more children transferring to secondary education.
More than 98% of families have been allocated a place at one of their preferred schools.
Councillor Melinda Tilley said: “We are working with all our secondary schools to plan ahead for additional school places and identify where there is the greatest need for more capacity.”
Cameras fitted to Oxfordshire roadwork signs for workers’ safety from road ragepublished at 10:18 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Oxfordshire Guardian
CCTV has been fitted in some roadwork signs across Oxfordshire to stop drivers ignoring them, external, after a series of road rage incidents and injuries in the last 18 months on county roads.
Super Tuesday: Democratic Party members in Oxford to vote in US presidential primarypublished at 10:07 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Alex Regan
South Online
US citizens and members of the Democratic Party living in Oxford will get the opportunity to vote for their presidential candidate during today's “Super Tuesday” primary contest.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Democratic Party presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton
Oxford University’s Rothermere American Institute, external will host a polling station for the Democrat Global Presidential Primary between 12:00 and 19:00.
Residents who will be casting their votes at the polling station include former Green Party parliamentary candidate Larry Sanders.
His brother Bernie Sanders is one of the main Democrat nominees, alongside Hillary Clinton.
Council to spend £20,000 on Oxford cycle lanes upgradepublished at 09:53 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Alex Regan
South Online
Work to upgrade five miles of Oxford’s cycle network will begin this month.
Image source, Getty Images
Oxford City Council is spending £20,000 on refreshing cycle routes in areas such as Magdalen Bridge, Abingdon Road and Botley Road.
Quote Message
It’s really important to make sure that everyone… [is] clear about where cycle tracks are. The relining work will help do that.
Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Oxford City Council
Nervous families find out secondary school decisionspublished at 09:35 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Joe Nimmo
BBC News Online
There'll be thousands of nervous parents and children in Oxfordshire this morning as they find out if they've got into their first choice secondary school.
Image source, Getty Images
It comes as, for the first time in over a decade, the number of pupils in the secondary school system is on the rise nationally.
It means that councils will need to provide an extra half a million places by 2024.
Lilley is in Didcot for the Bentham Big Tour this morningpublished at 09:13 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
BBC Radio Oxford
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Didcot power station: Five injured people return homepublished at 09:03 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Paul Jenner
BBC Radio Oxford
Five people who were taken to hospital after the Didcot power station collapse have returned home, a demolition company says.
Coleman and Company, external confirmed members of staff that were taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital have been sent home.
A spokesperson added: “We are grateful to all the medical teams for the wonderful care our colleagues received.”
The search for three missing people continues, but rescuers have said those unaccounted for are “unlikely to be alive”.
Travel update: Very slow on the A34 southbound from M40published at 08:50 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Al Ryan
BBC Oxford travel presenter
On the A34 southbound it's looking very slow from the M40 at Junction 9 to Weston-on-the-Green and further southbound between Kidlington and Hinksey Hill.
There are also 15- to 20-minute delays on the the A44 Woodstock Road from Yarnton to the Peartree and Wolvercote roundabouts, especially on Marsh Lane.
You can get the latest on the BBC Travel site.
Dead baby discovered: Police continue to hunt mother this morningpublished at 08:40 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016
Alex Regan
South Online
Police continue to search for the mother of a dead baby that was found on a footpath in Marston yesterday.
Image caption,
Policeman at the scene where the baby's body was discovered
Officers were called to the scene at Edgeway Road at 09:20 on Monday after a passer-by discovered the child’s body.
Det Insp Jim Holmes said: “If you are the mother of the baby, please come forward so we can ensure any help needed can be provided.”
He added that the death is being treated as unexplained.