23/12/2016 South Today - Oxford

Network Rail is warning of the dangers of misusing level

crossings after being forced to close two in Aylesbury.

It's released new footage of a cyclist narrowly escaping death

after leaving his bike on the tracks.

These few seconds were the difference between life and death.

This near-miss at the Griffin named crossing in Aylesbury was recorded

In the month long period they saw a number of

concerns, these included children going to and from school looking

down at mobile phones and this man carrying a large piece of wood

It was an incident last month with a man and

his bike that led them to make the decision to close the crossing.

I think they should put a little bridge over it or something.

If they think it is a danger then, yes,

It is not that we have a long way to walk around.

But Griffin Lane isn't the only crossing in Aylesbury to be closed.

Two miles away, a fatal collision shut this

If they close it, they did save her life.

I find it quite annoying because you have to take

There are a lot of pensioners that reduced the post office.

Unfortunately, they are having to go elsewhere now.

In an ideal world, we would not put level crossings over

railways because we would leave the railway

lines as far away from the

general public as possible, but we are working on a Victorian

infrastructure and it should be treated in the same way as if you

were crossing a road, you should take all the necessary precautions

REPORTER: But despite today's warning, it seems not everyone

was getting the message, as people continue to, literally,

A street in North Oxford has been identified as the 15th most

Research by Lloyds Bank has shown the average house price

The average house price in the city is around 350,000.

London's Eaton Square topped the list - with a typical property

A Christmas dinner for young people who've left the care system

is happening for the first time in Oxford this weekend.

The project first started in Manchester three years ago.

Adina Campbell has been to meet the team behind it

Megan and Chantelle spent their teenage years in care.

I remember one particular teacher did not

expect me to do very well at school and sort

of made a comment, yeah, so

They said most of their memories of Christmas

Day with their foster families in Oxford were not special.

Through my teenage years I despised Christmas,

I did not want to talk about it and take part in any

activities in school and out of school.

But this year a team of volunteers across the county have decided to

They have spent the last three months planning a

Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

On Sunday, the guests will open the presents, take part in

games and enjoy a Christmas lunch cooked by a chef

We have the best food for the Christmas dinner, the best

chefs for the Christmas dinner, we have presents,

we have films on the day, there is a creche for people

Lemn Sissay went through the care system himself and

It is about creating a Christmas dinner

that is unforgettable, that

is full of love and joy and happiness for a care lever who next

year will be able to have a memory to look back on which is positive.

The Christmas dinner project started in Manchester three years ago and

has since been rolled out to London and Leeds.

But this year there are two new venues, Liverpool and Oxford.

There's over 500 care leavers in Oxfordshire.

We can't have Christmas for every care lever and not everyone

will want to join, but part of the people, they can come,

The team behind the dinner have managed to

put on most of the day for free thanks to donations and volunteers

To see other people having a nice Christmas, that is the most

You know, Christmas is all about spending time with

people and looking back and reflecting and making those

memories, memories are the most important thing you cherish.

There are some foster families that make

the day absolutely special for people, but then there are also

You know, I've been there and even, you

know, I've had good Christmases and bad Christmases,

but this is going to be something to remember and I

Rail passengers in the south are being told to plan ahead over

Christmas and expect significant delays as a number of lines

There will be no trains in or out of London from Christmas Eve

Services will stop at Ealing Broadway.

There will then be a reduced timetable between December the 30th

For the last year Network Rail has been working overnight and at

weekends to do a lot of the work needed for Crossrail

and for the electrification of the line.

Sometimes frankly it needs time to do this

in consecutive days and that is

why the Paddington Station area will be closed this Christmas.

Three British Airways passengers have enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime

flight after finding they were the only ones on board.

They included Lawrie-Lin Walker, seen here in the middle,

who's now on her way to celebrate Christmas with her family in Witney.

She and her friends found themselves the only passengers on a flight

The trio were upgraded to business class, posed for selfies

The weather forecast is next - from Alexis.

South Today is back tomorrow evening at around 6:25.

I won't be back until the New Year, so I'll wish you a happy

After soggy conditions earlier, a much drier

affair in store tonight and with clear skies as well.

Things will still feel a little on the blustery

Temperatures in towns and cities down to three or four but the wind

Into tomorrow morning, a bright and chilly start to the day

We will have cloud building of the day goes on.

Still strong breezes and one two showers

We're looking at eight and nine degrees.

Looking ahead to Christmas Day, mild day,

with quite a lot of cloud and further outbreaks of rain in store

big day? Christmas Day. It will stay mild and temperatures could reach

14, 15. He is down bet that the national picture.

It will be more northern parts of the UK that see the worst of the

weather. Another storm is developing in the Atlantic. This will turn into

Storm Connor. This cloud has wrapped around storm Barbara. It brought

gusty winds in the West. Some localised flooding in Scotland early

on and the strongest winds in the north of Scotland approaching 80

miles an hour. The amber window warning from the Met Office