28/07/2014 BBC Oxford News

of a radical plan to shake up the student loan system,

Good evening. but now on BBC

Drivers have been stuck in traffic jams for up to three hours near

Oxford because of roadworks that are not due to finish until Novdmber.

The work, to redesign a roundabout, should ultimately improve journeys

The council says it is confhdent the congestion will improve but today

there were bumper to bumper queues and lots of frustrated motorists.

In soaring temperatures, frozen traffic at Heyford Hhll.

This was day one of the long awaited improvelents to

It left many behind the wheel fuming.

They could have done it a lot better, a schoolchild could

Well, you can see the queues, anyway.

I think it could have been better planned.

For sure, better communicated as well.

What do you make of what you see here today?

It'll be good when it's all done and it's better, but it's a right mess.

Why they can't do it in the evening, I don't know.

In the council's traffic control centre, contingency plans are being

discussed, the situation closely monitored

I'm sure people will, when they get home tonight,

they will think, can I do that better?

Can I look on the county council website which

And find a way around it so we don't get this pain tomorrow.

The ?6 million scheme will give drivers faster access to thd A3 .

The new slip road will open tomorrow.

Until November though, expect slip road closures and restrictions

at Kennington Roundabout, Old Abingdon Road and Kennington Road.

The county council insists this is short`term pain for long`term gain.

But the true test of how bad these roadworks will get

may come at the beginning of September when the schools are

People have asked, why haven't the works taken place

But noise concerns have scuppered those plans.

Officials promise it will all be over by Christmas.

Until then, the advice is seek alternative routes.

Some of the alternative routes are now available

You can log on and get help planning your journey at

And don't forget, you can gdt the most up`to`the`minute traffic

and travel news by listening to BBC Radio Oxford on 95.2 FM.

The demolition of the cooling towers in Didcot was

so successful that similar controlled explosions may bd used to

The towers were part of the disused Didcot A Power station.

They were demolished in the early hours of yesterday

Now the dust has settled, attention is turning to what will

It took 180 kilograms of explosives and just 12 sdconds.

By 5am yesterday morning Didcot A's 36,000 tonnes of concrete wdre

As the clearing up continues today thoughts switch to

the three northern cooling towers and chimney stack

So here they are, the three remaining towers. We do think that

they were going to be taken down brick by brick, but today I have

spoken to npower who say thdy could have a lowdown as they call it,

another demolition. `` eight lowdown. They are reviewing their

process and they are going to talk to the National Grid, there is a

substation there and a gas pipeline. Depending on what the National Grid

say, we could see another blow down by 2016.

`` are all due to be demolished `` a blow down.

The site is the size of 65 football pitches, so what s

There will be some industri`l, I would expect some commercial, and

also some residential but that will be limited to parts of the site

because it has got a railwax line going through it. There are issues

of decontamination and the dxisting power station which is still there.

There is a lot of constraints on the site but we will see later this year

what is being proposed by the owners of the site.

With the loss of the towers Didcot B, the gas fired powdr

That's expected to remain in Didcot for some years.

We should find out exactly how and when the final three towers will be

A driver has been killed in an accident at

It happened yesterday during a race for pre`1966 Grand Prix cars.

Dennis Welch died shortly after being taken to

The police and Motor Sports Association ard

At least 40 former workers at the Oxfordshire`based Caterham

Formula One team are now thought to be taking legal action over losing

The new owners of the company have been attempting to cut costs

at the Leafield Technical Cdntre, following their recent take`over.

Lawyers for the sacked staff have confirmed they will press claims

for significant compensation, because workers were laid off

They are also requesting an investigation

A fire that has burnt a family business to the ground

in South Oxfordshire is being treated as arson.

Marston Tyre Supplies had a workshop in Faringdon.

The emergency services were called out just after midnight on Saturday

morning, after reports the building was on fire.

The owner spent the weekend assessing the d`mage.

I think it started hitting le, and I realised it was

Some of the machinery that we've got in there is over 30 years old.

It was a gut feeling, it was us close to tears,

Investigations are continuing into the collapse of the Wiltshire

The company went into administration last wedk

It has thrown many holiday lakers' plans into doubt but, Will Glennon

explains, there was some good news for one group of travellers.

We used to take the children when they were young

Sue Dixon is a full`time care for her autistic son.

Yesterday, she had a day trip to Swanage, a rare chance

And to be able to switch off, it is just such a relief.

Sue's trip was run by Hatts Travel, which went out of business

The company honoured one last booking even

though it had looked like the carers would lose their holiday.

The outing was organised by Carer Support Wilkshire.

They initially told everyond it was off, but then the turnaround

Some people were absolutely in tears, they were very upset.

And you know, really, reallx disappointed that something they had

been looking forward to had been pulled, but equally, when wd were

able to get back to them and confirm that, yes, it was going ahe`d, they

were thrilled, people were absolutely delighted.

Hatts Travel stopped trading on Friday.

The coaches came back to the depot near Chippenham

Around 1,000 holidaymakers lost trips.

Legally, their money should have been safe in a travel bond or

It would appear to us that the company does not have any of those

things and it did have a trtst account for monies, but there is no

money in the trust account, so obviously that is something that as

part of our duties, legal responsibilities, statutory duties,

Administrators at the company are still trxing to

Customers are being told to contact their credit

and debit card companies for a refund in the first instance.

Hundreds of people lined thd roads of Bicester to witness the last ever

It is being disbanded in September as part of defence cuts aimdd

at reducing the size of the regular army.

The regiment has been based in the town for 70 years.

Two other units will move onto the base in the future.

Alexis is coming up with the regional weather forecs`t.

We are back in BBC Breakfast tomorrow morning.

A fairly cloudy night overnhght tonight but it will stay mahnly dry.

There is a slight chance of a shower but most places will escape that.

As I said, a lot of cloud, a few clear spells,

And things should cool down tomorrow night onwards.

We are expecting a lot of dry weather tomorrow.

A fairly cloudy start, but an improving picture with sunny

spells breaking through for much of the region and a high tolorrow

It will be the warmest day of the week tomorrow, with temperatures

taking a slide slightly as we head through Thursday and Friday.

The chance of a shower Thursday and also Friday this week.

A decent day tomorrow but coming up next is

Good evening. Spare a thought for the forecasters who were trying to

pin down those storms which brought so many problems