Downton opens for charity
Fans of Downton Abbey will be able to get a look behind the scenes at Highclere Castle in Berkshire where the ITV drama is made.
Vodafone on a mobile Freebee?
The group has previously been criticised for its dealings with the taxman after its £1.2 billion settlement of a decade-long tax dispute
Weather warnings to motorists
Firefighters are warning Hampshire motorists about the dangers of driving through flood water following the death of a man this morning.
Live updates
Four year old girl seriously hurt by runaway car
Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses to a serious injury collision in Newbury earlier today.
Officers were called to Redfield Court shortly after 12.30pm, to reports that a car was in collision with a young child.
It is believed the car was unattended and rolled down a hill.
The victim, a four-year-old girl, has been airlifted to Southampton General Hospital. Her condition is believed to be serious but not life-threatening.
Officers have closed the road and are currently conducting enquiries at the scene.
A royal weekend for Newbury racecourse
The Queen spent her birthday weekend at Newbury racecourse and enjoyed the start of the flat racing season. The focus was on novice and first-time racegoers.
Newbury is one of the most prestigious horse racing venues in the country. The racecourse has been awarded a grant to support its Inside Track programme which describes the sport in detail to visitors.
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Crash course for apprentices
On the face of it, watching cars being crushed might not seem the best way of teaching youngsters about engineering. As part of National Apprenticeships Week school leavers have been to the Automotive Academy for a crash course. Transport Correspondent Mike Pearse reports.
Newbury students in training
Newbury students at Thatcham Motor Research Centre are taking part in National Apprentice Week.
The aim is to encourage more youngsters to take up engineering.
The centre is a leading facility in crash testing and repair technology.
Dog scares away attacker
Thames Valley Police is appealing for information after a sexual assault in Newbury.
At about 6pm on 27th February, a 40-year-old woman was walking her dog on a footpath from Hutton Close into the parkland which runs parallel to the A339 near to the Vodafone site.
She noticed she was being followed by a man, who she had seen at the underpass at the end of Hutton Close. Shortly after, he grabbed her around her middle and tried to drag her off the path into the bushes.
Her dog barking scared the man off and the dog may have even bitten the offender.
Once free the woman ran to safety, where she called police. The man police would like to speak to is Asian, in his late twenties to early thirties, slim, and around 5ft 10ins.
He was wearing a black woollen beanie-style hat, a black coat, gloves and a black rucksack.
E-fit released after sexual assault
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A339 bridge work starts tomorrow
From 8am on Monday 4th March, Station Road at its junction with the A339 will be closed until the end of the project in September. Alternative access to Newbury Station will be in place via St John’s Road, and will be clearly signed.
Woman dies in Berkshire crash
Thames Valley Police are at the scene of a fatal collision in Chieveley, near Newbury. Officers were called to a three-car collision near the Newbury Showground in Priors Court Road at 3.55ppm.
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One man was airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with serious injuries and is currently in a critical condition. The road is blocked, and the crash is also affecting the A34.
WIlliam Morris collection expected to raise £500,000
A collection of interior designs from the famous Arts and Crafts Movement of the 19th Century is set to sell for more than £500,000. Many of the items, to be auctioned in Berkshire tomorrow, relate to the celebrated British designer William Morris. This report from Divya Kohli.
Eight months of chaos ahead for Thames Valley drivers
by Mike PearseThousands of drivers in the Thames Valley are facing eight months of chaos as major work to replace a railway bridge gets underway next month.
The work is needed to improve safety and allow for a major railway improvement project. The brickwork on the A339 Newbury bridge will be completely replaced.
The bridge is the main route through Newbury and drivers have been told by the Highways Agency (HA) to expect closures and narrow lanes.
Main construction will begin on Monday 4 March, when narrow lanes will be introduced. At times lanes and even the entire road will be closed.
The HA say upgraded parapets will offer better protection for drivers and rail users, and will also help to clear the way for the future electrification of the railway line beneath the bridge.
This is going to be a complex project, on a busy road with a mainline railway underneath, but we are planning the work very carefully and will make sure that any disruption is kept to an absolute minimum.
“We have been working closely with West Berkshire County Council, who operate the A339 and have helped us to understand how people rely on the A339, what it is used for and its importance to people living, working and shopping in Newbury. We expect that we will be able to keep two lanes of traffic open in both directions on the A339 at all peak times.
– Highways Agency structures manager Steve CobbConcrete on the bridge will be repaired, the bridge parapet will be replaced with a higher barrier, improving safety for drivers and rail users, and the brickwork on the walls of the bridge supports will be replaced. The new brickwork will be safer and easier to maintain, and will retain the bridge’s current appearance and character."
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