The Clarion, 11 August 2026

We’ve always wanted to lead the newsletter with a photo of the Headington Shark, and this is its week. Plus political whippets, wild swimming, conspicuous bike theft, local gin, a canalside cafe, and – wait for it – East West Rail. All in your midweek roundup…

This week’s long-ish read

Everything you need to know about watching tomorrow’s solar eclipse. We spoke to Chris Lintott, presenter of The Sky at Night and Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, to find out where, when, and how to watch a (near) total eclipse. And yes, we’re humming that song now too.

How to see the eclipse in Oxford

The last total solar eclipse visible from Oxford was in 1715… and it was cloudy. That makes the solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 August a big deal. While we aren’t in for a full solar eclipse, it’s close at 86%, and the weather is predicted to be sunny. The

Oxford ClarionClarion guest contributor

This week’s top stories

Oxford University’s weather station has published its summary for July 2026, which was the hottest, sunniest, and third driest July on record at the Radcliffe Observatory. The average daily maximum exceeded previous decades (1991-2020) by a full 5°C.

A fire at the landfill site at Appleford Sidings, between Didcot and Abingdon, saw Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue pressed into action with eight crews from around the county tackling the blaze. With the smoke plume visible for miles around, the fire service advised residents to go indoors, close windows and doors, and to consider turning off air-conditioning.

The cause has not yet been determined but is not believed to be suspicious. The site has a history of fires, sometimes with waste continuing burning deep beneath the surface even when the visible blaze has been extinguished. Councillor Ian Snowdon (Con, Didcot West) said “Whatever the eventual cause, residents are entitled to ask whether all the lessons have been learned from previous incidents — and whether the promised restoration of this huge site will finally happen.”

Local Green councillors Robin Jones (Berinsfield) and James Barlow (Wallingford) thanked the Fire & Rescue Service for their work. They wrote:

“We fear for the times when you are going to need to make horrible priority calls. Perhaps between sending multiple teams to a 100-acre field fire, such as the recent one in Aston Tirrold; or to one at a primary school site, such as the playing field at the Abbey Woods Academy in Berinsfield, also in July; or a smaller but equally devastating domestic fire in another part of the county. It feels clear to us that you and your teams are at the forefront of the reality of the number one strategic risk Oxfordshire County Council has identified: climate impact.”

Oxford Friends of the Earth say that the fire is a “wake up call for our new government on the climate crisis and the great majority of the UK public want to see some real action. Our new prime minister has been quiet on climate issues: it’s time he showed some real leadership.” Chris Church from Oxford FoE added:

“There are 19 wildfires active across the UK. Oxfordshire has been fortunate up until now to avoid major problems. Our firefighters appear to be doing an excellent job, but this makes it clear that we cannot sideline action to tackle our changing climate".

Plans for a new relief road in Witney look set to be dropped after council officers concluded it could actually lead to more congestion in the town centre.

The West End Link Road had been proposed as a new crossing of the River Windrush, linking Hailey Road to Woodford Way and bypassing the busy Bridge Street. With 1,250 houses planned in the North Witney development on Hailey Road, the road was suggested as a direct link to Witney town centre and the west of the town.

But a new assessment says that the price-tag would be an eye-watering £90m for just 500 metres of road, yet would “risk inducing significant additional traffic through central Witney”. Using computer simulations of traffic with and without the road, Oxfordshire County Council engineers found that “overall network performance [with the road] is similar to the ‘without WEL’ scenario”, and worse, that there would be “significant congestion and queues” on the approaches to the new road.

Their report also rules out building a new bridge over the Windrush for cyclists and walkers only, saying it would still be expensive (£25m) and complex to deliver. Instead, they have recommended upgrading the parallel path past Woodford Mill, with a new boardwalk to prevent it flooding in the winter. They also suggest limited enhancements to Bridge Street, such as wider footways and new pedestrian crossings. The total cost would be under £6m.

A new road would still be provided around the north-east corner of Witney, linking the development to Hanborough and the A40. A segregated cycleway along Hailey Road would provide a safe route to the town centre, linking to the Woodford Mill path – but without upgrading the path, they warn, “the uptake of cycling from the development would be limited”.

A planning application for the North Witney development is currently with West Oxfordshire District Council, as part of which Oxfordshire County Council has requested that the developers contribute £3m towards a river crossing for walking and cycling; £1.3m to improve the A4095 cycle path towards Hanborough station; £5.4m for major road improvements; and, as part of the development, the new north-east link road.

Around the city

• Sunday was the 40th birthday of ‘Untitled 1986’, better known as the Headington Shark. The giant fibreglass sculpture was installed in the roof of 2 New High Street on the morning of Saturday 9 August 1986, itself 41 years since an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The late Bill Heine, proprietor of the Penultimate Picture Palace, commissioned sculptor John Buckley to create the shark for the roof of his terraced house – apparently in protest at American aircraft using RAF Upper Heyford to bomb Libya. Having initially refused planning permission, Oxford City Council added the Headington Shark to its Heritage Asset Register in 2022. (You can read the original report on the successful planning appeal by searching for reference 90/00084/NF.)
• The congregation of St Mary’s in Barton have moved back into their church, built in 1958 to serve the then new council housing estate, after a £1m transformation intended “to prepare the church for the next phase of its life whilst maintaining the iconic 1950s design”. The original buildings have needed extensive repairs, while the loss of the church hall in 2017 had left them without a kitchen, office, or community space. While the works were underway, the congregation decamped to Barton Neighbourhood Centre. Erik Heemskerk has been appointed as the new vicar, to start in September. Services take place every Sunday at 10am.
• Thames Valley Police ticketed 16 Oxford drivers for using a mobile phone, 23 for seatbelt offences, and five for “not being in proper control of a vehicle” in a single-day operation on Thursday. They also seized two untaxed vehicles and one uninsured, plus an illegal e-scooter. In total, TVP issued 55 tickets during the operation. One motorist was caught twice, two hours apart, using a mobile phone while driving. The patrol sardonically thanked “all those who notified [Google-owned app] Waze of our location… we still got them!”
• Four people have been sentenced following the death of a 50-year old man, Peter Crowley, in Barton in 2022. He had been attacked by the then 16-year old Tia Pomeroy, who has been convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and perverting the course of justice. Kevin Smith, from Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, said: “My thoughts remain with Peter’s family and friends. He was subjected to an assault prior to passing away, and though it was not a causative factor to his death, the evidence demonstrated the involvement of those responsible. Rather than allowing the criminal justice process to take its course, steps were taken to move and harbour suspects and frustrate the police investigation. Such actions undermined our investigations and caused further distress to Peter’s family and friends.”
• A distinctive ‘tall bike’ has been stolen in Oxford. The bike, nicknamed Smiley, was taken from the Royal Mail sorting office. It has a multicoloured frame with a saddle 2 metres off the ground. If you spot it, please contact Pete, the postman with a dyed beard.
• Wild swimming deserves a quiet night: With Oxford temperatures hitting 30° today (and higher later in the week), a free e-book suggests ten city spots for wild swimming, each with hand-drawn route maps and personal notes. Zlata Poni's Swimming By also includes a map of “every input into the river”: tributaries, overflows and sewage. The book is full of observations like “At dusk, if you swim down the middle, the trees lean out over you beautifully and start to look like giant prehistoric animals.”
       Water safety advice from Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue includes letting friends and family know your route and return time; carrying a whistle; and if you encounter difficulty, remembering to “float to live” until you can control your breathing.
• Students at Cheney School are to become tree guardians in collaboration with the Iris Project, a charity which promotes learning about the ancient world and supports the school's Rumble Museum. The students will monitor the health of the tree and observe its biodiversity weekly.
       George Milne-Day, Tree Planting Officer from Oxfordshire County Council’s Tree Service, visited the students in July to provide training on how to monitor tree health. Students looked at the sorts of things that can affect tree health, from fungus to the effects of climate.
       The Iris Project already has a Tree Trail created by Cheney School students, with carved wooden signs and wording written by students. Many of the trees have "voices", recorded by celebrities such as Monica Ali and Stephen Fry. Lorna Robinson is director of the Iris Project and author of novel Hamadryad, which imagines a future with huge new national forests. She explains: “The idea behind this scheme is to encourage young people to feel connected to nature and create a lasting affection and sense of responsibility towards it.”

Around the county

• The skies of Oxfordshire are unusually quiet as RAF Brize Norton’s runway is closed for resurfacing. Last week a 100mm layer of cement-bound granular material was laid, ready for pavement-quality concrete to be put down. Essential operations have been relocated to MOD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire. The RAF says that the temporary relocation, Operation Mace, “is providing a valuable opportunity to further develop and validate dispersed operating concepts… previous activities have demonstrated the value of operating beyond a single main operating base”. Other operations have been relocated to RAF Fairford, Glasgow Prestwick, East Midlands Airport, and elsewhere. The project continues until mid-November.
• Gin news: Oxfordshire distiller Sky Wave won big at this year's Great Taste awards. Its Signature London Dry Gin and the Triple Distilled Vodka scooped 2 stars, meaning ‘outstanding’, while the Liberation London Dry Gin scooped 1 star, ‘simply delicious’. Sky Wave is based at Bicester Motion.
       Meanwhile, an efficient, sustainable distillery presented as a “shining beacon of sustainability in distilling” is being created by The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) on the former distillery site in South Park. The owners say it's due to open next year and that “this time, it's here to stay”: head to TOAD's Facebook page for tantalising glimpses of progress.
• An Oxfordshire EV company is expanding Stateside. Electrogenic, based in Kidlington, has acquired California company Tremec Electric. The company specialises in classic car conversions via drop-in kits, and says they will be “developing new conversion solutions for American cars”.
• Oxfordshire’s rural districts have expressed concern at new Government planning rules that will see fewer applications come in front of councillors on planning committees. West Oxfordshire leader Andy Graham said “We believe taking more decisions away from elected members is a step backwards”, while Emily Smith at Vale of White Horse said she “particularly opposed the removal of the right of councillors to call in an application to committee”. Decisions affecting only a small area will now be handled by council officers, while councillors will be required to undergo planning training. Last year, councillors on WODC’s planning committee refused a solar farm that could have powered “all the houses in Witney”, against the advice of officers, on grounds including a comparison to the Aberfan disaster in 1966.
• Roads across Witney have been re-signposted following the opening of the Shores Green sliproads. The A4095 road no longer runs through town, but has been diverted via Thorney Leys, the bypass, and Jubilee Way. B roads have been adjusted accordingly.
• Bye bye Barclays: After Barclays closed their Carterton branch in 2019, the company’s fortnightly bank-in-a-van service is now also being withdrawn. Barclays says the decision is a result of “a gradual decline in customer usage”, but promises “we’re still here for you – just in a different way”. (Barclays recently reported a pre-tax profit of £6.1bn for the first six months of the year, up from £5.2bn the year before.)
• Cropredy’s new canalside cafe-bar opened at the weekend, a week before thousands of folk fans descend on the village for Fairport Convention’s annual festival. The Old Coal Wharf is an easy five-mile walk (or bumpy bike ride) up the canal towpath from Banbury.

Oxfordshire politics

Politics is taking a break for the recess… but this is glorious. Anneliese Dodds has borrowed a whippet to explain the government's crackdown on vet bills. Watch it for the content, or watch it for the whippet fixed on the treats. Either way, it will bring a smile. We bet the outtakes on this one were spectacular.

University and research

• Oxford Brookes University says it is ready to support students through Clearing, whilst guaranteeing a place in university accommodation to anyone who applies. A Clearing Open Day will take place this Saturday. Helen Hall, director of recruitment, said: “Clearing is a great way for people to find opportunities that are right for them. It's really quick and efficient if you know what you would like to study. We're ready to guide you and answer any questions you may have.” Brookes student Pasta Dunford found that Clearing simplified a complex situation: “I felt completely lost at first, but when I found my course at Brookes, they explained my options and helped me through until I had an offer the same day. Now, it actually feels like the right place for me.”
• Ironic Ukrainian resilience: Richard Ovenden, head of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries and author of Burning the Books, reports that Russian missiles hit the warehouse of his Ukrainian publisher Ranok for a second time last Sunday. The Ukrainian edition of his book will now be distributed electronically instead.
• The team looking after the University Parks has quashed speculation that “fluorescent algae” in the River Cherwell could be toxic. They say it is actually harmless duckweed, not toxic to humans or pets, which has condensed into a dense mat due to the low river flow. They do, however, recommend staying out of the water for now due to reduced visibility.
• Parkinson's progress: Researchers at the University of Oxford have uncovered how the Parkinson’s disease protein damages brain cells, helping to explain how the disease begins and highlighting a potential new target for treatment. George Tofaris, senior author of the study, said: “Perhaps the most encouraging finding was that we could reverse defects in human neurons by boosting the cell's own protein clearance machinery. This provides a rationale for exploring this strategy as an early treatment for Parkinson's disease.”
• Kale controversy: Diets in the UK are unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable, but Dr Jessica Renzella at the University of Oxford says local government advertising and procurement provide an exciting opportunity to address this, connecting food systems and the climate crisis. She argues that climate-friendly measures relating to food sit within councils' gift, including restrictions on the advertising of unhealthy and unsustainable foods on their premises and on billboards and bus shelters, as well as procurement for meetings and workplace canteens.
       Although 278 of the 317 English local authorities have declared a climate emergency, climate-friendly food procurement policies have not always been successfully voted in. In 2022 Oxfordshire County Council voted to only provide plant-based food at council meetings and civic events. This remains a frequent subject of controversy within the chamber, with the Conservatives eschewing provided vegan meals in favour of the local pub. In June, “field sports” organisation the Countryside Alliance wrote to OCC, asking it to reverse its meat and dairy ban in favour of local produce and “freedom of choice”.

Trains and buses

• Train drivers’ union ASLEF says East West Rail is “a masterclass in how not to deliver a railway project”. In a broadside aimed at the Department for Transport, district organiser Steve Austin writes “it takes real effort to fail this badly on a project of such importance”.
       Oxford to Milton Keynes trains have still not started running, more than two years after drivers were recruited, and 20 months since the line itself was opened. Although the principal dispute is between guards’ union RMT and the operator Chiltern Railways, who have been instructed by the Government to run the trains without guards, ASLEF reports: “In June 2024, we informed the company we would not enter into discussions until agreement [on door operation] had first been reached with our sister trade union. More than two years later, neither union has received a formal proposal… the project is still far from ready to operate.”
       Steve Austin claims that the dispute has been exacerbated by poor management. “One of the individuals involved appears to believe that engaging with unions is beneath their dignity. Decisions made in meetings are regularly challenged afterwards by parties who did not wish to attend those meetings. This is a bold approach to project governance: miss the meeting, challenge the decision, then blame somebody else for the delay!”
       (For national and local papers once again looking to rephrase follow up the Clarion’s reporting on this, here’s the ASLEF newsletter. It’s on page 9. You’re welcome.)
• Bicester’s local bus, the Bicester Bee, has been reprieved. After community bus operator Ability CIC had announced it would stop trading, Oxfordshire County Council has appointed Aylesbury-based operator Z&S Transport to run the service. The service connects Bicester with nearby villages. For OCC, Cllr Gareth Epps said he hoped that contributions from new housing developments had potential to “make the service even better”. Separately, Red Rose Travel – another Aylesbury bus company – has confirmed that it will no longer run two Bicester bus services, the 24 and 25, or the 121 in Thame from 30 August. The routes will transfer to other operators.
• Oxford United will have seven matchday bus routes for the 2026/27 season. Oxford Bus Company and sister company Thames Travel have published timetables for routes from Wantage, Didcot, Carterton, Burford, Bicester, Kidlington and Thame to the Kassam Stadium, running on all home match days. Fares are capped at £3 each way.

Notes from Clarion HQ

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