Upton Village

South Oxfordshire

Dog Fouling

There has been a spate of dumping of large quantities of dog faeces in the field beside Chappel Furlong, directly behind Fieldside.

The council are requesting any information in relation to this. Any information should be passed directly to David Coates at the Vale of White Horse District Council.

Mr Coates has also requested that residents of Upton are reminded of the 1996 Dogs Fouling of Land Act which carries a £1,000 maximum fine if caught. In regard to this could those of us with dogs who are not currently acting as responsible dog owners please start to carry bags and remove their dog mess from paths and verges. There is a “dog bin” in the car park outside the village hall and a request for two more along the old Railway Line is currently being considered by the Council.

Dog faeces contains toxocariasis which causes visual impairment and in some cases blindness. For the young children of the village this is becoming a very real threat.

Please, please act responsibly and “pick up” after your dog. Any information on anyone not doing so can be reported directly to David Coates at the Vale of White Horse District Council, Environmental Department.

We live in a beautiful village with many scenic and wonderful walks and footpaths – let’s try and keep it that way!

Didcot Southern Perimeter Road – Update

Following a decision by the SODC cabinet before Christmas, a report has been accepted that includes a suggestion for a new road around the south of Didcot.

This road would run from the A417, between Didcot and East and West Hagbourne, across the B4016 New Road across the Didcot to Paddington railway line to the east of Didcot, and linking eventually with the A4130 at Hadden Hill.

You can find more information on the East Hagbourne village web site – including discussion letters, an article in the Oxford Mail, a letter from SODC, and a map showing the suggested route.

Julian May, from SODC, writes: “The three councils have not yet decided to prepare any Transport Plan or Local Development Document (local plan) containing the transport proposals put forward by Halcrow. It would take several years for these planning processes to be completed and public consultations on details would take place at key stages of this work.”

Potential Flooding in Village

Help is needed to clear the stream in the village.

The stream that runs through the village is already flowing strongly coming down from Chilton and is likely to be flowing through the village before the end of the month.

Unfortunately there is a 30 metre section of the stream bed alongside Stream Road that is badly silted up and needs to be cleared urgently to prevent flooding of the road and the gardens on the east side of the road.

The stream head has moved forward over 100 metres overnight and is now only 300 metres from the A417 and could well be into the village during the next week. If you can help out please turn up in Stream Road at 9-30 this Saturday 13th January complete with spade. It is likely to take 8 of us about an hour.

Incident in Chilton

This is a Ringmaster message about a suspicious incident.

On Thursday 4th January, at approx. 17:40hrs a property in Elderfield Crescent, Chilton, was the target of a possible attempted distraction burglary.

The offender knocked at the door of an elderly resident and told her he was a police officer. He was not wearing a uniform, but flashed an ID card, stating her neighbour had been burgled and he was looking for an offender who had tried to get into her house via a rear window. He gained entry and went round, checking all windows. The aggrieved stayed with him all the time, nothing was taken and the offender left.

The offender is described as a while male, stocky build, 5′ something in height, aged 40-50yrs with a Scottish accent and wearing bicycle clips on his trousers.

Please remind all watch members to be extra vigilant and NOT to let anyone unexpected into their homes. Check ID cards thoroughly and if in any doubt, call the police straight away. If you have any information relating to this message, please call the police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 974 of 04/01/07.