Galya Dimitrova

Tap Social Movement has opened Day Release, a £14m café, bar and social venue at Milton Park near Didcot in Oxfordshire. The venue brings together the enterprise's bakery, pizza kitchen, café, bar, brewing school and events operations, and is expected to employ about 16 people. Tap Social says it has provided more than 115,000 hours of paid employment for people in prison and prison leavers since its founding in 2016. Co-founder Tess Taylor described the venue as the culmination of the organisation's work, while Milton Park asset manager Clare Fleet praised its community focus and support for people with convictions.

Thames Valley Police marked the seventh anniversary of PC Andrew Harper's death by thanking the public for an exceptional outpouring of support. Harper was killed in 2019 after being dragged by a car during a quad bike theft pursuit. Public concern has intensified because convicted killers Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers may qualify for early release in January under sentencing changes, prompting a petition with more than one million signatures and a request from Prime Minister Andy Burnham to keep them imprisoned. Chief Constable Jason Hogg said the case has raised broader issues about justice, public confidence, emergency-worker sacrifices, offender release and the rights of bereaved families.

A Thames Water survey of 2,004 South East adults found that 89% considered the proposed £6.6bn White Horse Reservoir near Abingdon important for safeguarding future water supplies. The company says the project could serve 15 million people, address a projected one-billion-litre daily shortfall by 2050 and provide water from 2040 if approved. The Group Against Reservoir Development disputes the survey's representativeness, citing an 8,000-signature petition and objections from local councils. Opponents also argue that fixing leaks, transferring water from wetter parts of the country and reducing consumption should take priority.

Thames Valley Police seized an uninsured BMW after receiving a report that a child was travelling on the driver’s lap on the M4 near London. Officers found two children in the vehicle without child seats, issued multiple tickets, and reported the driver, a man in his 30s from Somerset, to court. A passenger was also fined for not wearing a seatbelt, and the children were referred to safeguarding services. No arrests were made.

Slough Borough Council has installed six additional movable CCTV cameras in and around the town to deter and identify fly-tippers, adding to three existing cameras and earlier CCTV and ANPR deployments. The council says surveillance footage has helped identify both residents and organised waste operators, including two men filmed dumping rubbish near bins. The initiative comes as the UK Government raises the maximum fine for waste crime to £5,000 and the top street-littering fine to £750. Council representative Zafar Satti urged residents to use household waste recycling centres or licensed waste carriers instead of leaving rubbish beside bins.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has responded to more than 250 fires in open areas this year, including several meeting the National Fire Chiefs Council’s wildfire criteria. Officials say hot, dry conditions and a more extreme UK climate are increasing the risk, with large outdoor fires requiring multiple crews for extended periods. Residents are being urged to avoid bonfires and disposable barbecues in very dry conditions, extinguish smoking materials safely and take extra care, as Berkshire’s fire risk remains very high.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has attended more than 250 fires in 2026, including several incidents meeting the National Fire Chiefs Council’s wildfire criteria. The service says hot, dry conditions have increased the risk, with more large outdoor fires involving multiple engines this summer than in the previous five years. Residents are being urged to avoid bonfires and disposable barbecues in very dry conditions, extinguish smoking materials safely and take extra care to prevent fires from spreading to fields, gardens and homes.

A heathland fire at Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight burned about nine hectares over five days before being extinguished. The blaze left extensive blackened and scorched vegetation, damaged nationally important habitat, and likely destroyed nests and breeding sites for many heathland birds. Firefighters used mainland crews and a helicopter dropping sea water to contain the fire, while land managers work to restore the area. The cause remains unknown, although firefighters found remains of a campfire at the scene.

A heathland fire at Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight burned for five days and damaged about nine hectares of nationally important habitat. Firefighters used mainland engines and a helicopter dropping seawater to contain the blaze, while Warren Farm and conservation staff began assessing recovery. The fire’s cause remains unknown, although crews found campfire remains, and the National Trust said many heathland bird pairs and their nests were likely lost.

Fire crews rescued a bull named Fred after he became trapped in a 1.3-metre-deep pond in Milton on Stour, Dorset. Crews from Weymouth and Gillingham created a safe pathway and used rescue strops and the farmer’s telehandler to pull him to dry land. Fred was unharmed and reunited with his herd.

Dorset Police is expanding Project Vigilant in Bournemouth and Weymouth after a trial, using specially trained uniformed and plain-clothes officers to identify and intervene in predatory behaviour, harassment and sexual misconduct targeting women and girls at night. The initiative, first developed by Thames Valley Police, found that nearly half of approximately 40 identified predatory men were already known to police for sexual offences. The project was praised by the Angiolini Inquiry into the failures surrounding Wayne Couzens, while local campaigners and politicians have continued pressing for safer streets.

Residents and officials express frustration and concern after Network Rail announced another delay to the reopening of Botley Road in Oxford due to previously unidentified gas leaks on the SGN network. The setback disrupts local travel and raises questions about project oversight, prompting MP Layla Moran to demand an explanation from the government. Oxfordshire County Council expects the delay to contribute to a broader investigation into the project, while Network Rail continues assessing ways to accelerate work and mitigate disruption.

Go Thames Valley has become the new name for the Oxford Bus Group as it prepares for a local government restructure that will consolidate services under three unitary authorities in Oxfordshire and part of Berkshire. The rebranded network includes several bus and coach operators and spans multiple counties, supported by a fleet of 540 vehicles, including 132 electric models. Parent company Go-Ahead Group has recently expanded the network through acquisitions of Pulhams and Pearces Coaches.

A tent fire sparked by a camping stove destroyed a large area of heathland at the Rustic Stomp festival near Wareham. Fire crews responded quickly, and festival-goers moved tents and vehicles to safety. One person was treated for minor smoke inhalation. The festival thanked emergency services and local farmers for helping contain the blaze and confirmed the event would continue as planned.

An Oxfam water expert describes the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo as brutal and fast‑moving, with over 2,000 cases and hundreds of deaths. The Bundibugyo strain driving the outbreak has no approved vaccines or treatments, though Oxford scientists are developing a candidate vaccine. Efforts focus on prevention through water and sanitation in conflict‑affected regions with vulnerable, displaced populations. Despite the crisis, local communities are depicted as resilient and committed to maintaining daily life and building a hopeful future.

Firefighters contained a shed fire in Copse Mead, Woodley, after it spread to two houses. Multiple crews from Royal Berkshire and Oxfordshire fire services responded, and one person received emergency care before being transferred to South Central Ambulance Service.

A man in his twenties died after two lorries collided on the Spitfire Link Road in Winchester shortly after 02:30 BST. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed he was a passenger and died at the scene. The road from junction 9 of the M3 to the Spitfire Link Road roundabouts was closed for investigations, with police requesting information or dashcam footage from the public.

A fire that began in the kitchen of The Crooked Billet pub in Stoke Row caused significant damage after spreading to the first floor and roof. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service deployed seven engines and used ladders and high‑pressure hoses to extinguish the blaze, which lasted until early afternoon. The pub’s owner declined to comment.

Plans to accommodate about 1,250 asylum seekers at a former military base in Bicester have been designated nationally important and urgent, prompting concern from local MP Calum Miller, who questioned why the measure was being fast-tracked after months of prior knowledge within government. The Home Office is seeking planning permission for three new large-scale accommodation sites as it moves away from hotel use, with the Ministry of Defence confirming it was informed of the Bicester proposal last November. Protests in Bicester reflected differing views on safety and processing efficiency, while the government signalled an expansion of basic accommodation facilities that could host up to 3,750 asylum seekers if approved.

A swan trapped in fishing wire in Langstone Harbour was rescued with help from pub landlord Adam Szczypior, who used his kayak to assist Sussex Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service. The bird was treated by South Downs Emergency Vets and Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital before being released back to its family. The volunteer rescue service reported high monthly call-out volumes, half involving animal rescues.

Documents chronicling the friendship between JRR Tolkien and his deaf fan Eileen Elgar are being auctioned at Sotheby’s, including letters and notes revealing personal exchanges and early Middle‑earth lore. Among the highlights are a signed Lord of the Rings set containing detailed mythology notes and a letter mentioning the death of C.S. Lewis. The items, kept by Elgar’s family since their creation, are expected to fetch £39,000 to £55,000. Her granddaughter expressed mixed feelings about selling the memorabilia but hopes new owners will make them more widely accessible.

Coastguard Rescue Officers protested outside the UK Parliament after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency decided to remove emergency callout payments and move them fully to volunteer status. Officers say the change will hurt recruitment, retention and their ability to commit time to lifesaving operations. MPs from multiple parties criticised the decision and urged the government and HMRC to help resolve the issue. The MCA said the change was required due to a Court of Appeal ruling but emphasised it valued the volunteers and would support them during the transition.