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THE inquest into the death of an 11-year-old boy who was pulled from the shallow end of Thame Leisure Centre’s swimming, has been further delayed.
Nathan Matthews, of Stockenchurch, died after being dragged from the water by a swimming teacher when he failed to surface during a school swimming lesson in July, 2004.
The Oxford Coroner, Nicholas Gardiner is reported to have sent back all the information about the tragedy, to the Crown Prosecution Service and the Health and Safety Executive to look again at the circumstances that lead to Nathan’s death.
Nathan’s mother is reported to have consulted a drowning expert from America and since then, the CPS has called in its own expert.
According to the Coroner’s office, an inquest is not expected to be held for some time.

UNCERTAINTY about the future of The Market House, in Upper High Street, Thame, continues following information that the Citizens Advice Bureau have been issued with a notice to vacate the building by next September.
The TIC (Thame Information Centre),which also operates from the Market House, is already set to close at the end of March, and some of its functions taken over by the One Stop Shop in the town hall.

It is known that South Oxfordshire District Council, which owns the Market House, has ear-marked it for disposal following a review of its properties and that Thame Town Council is looking into the feasibility of acquiring it.

No one from SODC, the Town Council or Thame CAB was available for comment at time of going to press.

THAME police station is to extend its opening hours as from April 10.
The front office at the Police Station, in Greyhound Lane, will be open from 8.30am to 8.00pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (so long as two members of staff are available,) otherwise its core hours will be 10am to 6pm.
On Fridays and Saturdays, it will be open from 10am to 6pm and closed on Sundays.
Outside these hours, the public can use the yellow phone outside the station, or dial 0845 8 505 505.

Thame Police would like to emphasise that, even when the front office is closed, police officers work out of Thame police station 24 hours a day, seven days a week and that these changes are being implemented to improve the front office facility for the public.

TWO local organisations have been awarded funds by the district council Cabinet’s system of community revenue grants.
Out of a total of

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a vehicle was attacked in Thame?s ‘Little Chef’ car park.
A window was smashed and items stolen between 5.45pm -6.00pm on Monday, February 6.

Thame Police are also appealing for witnesses after a vehicle was attacked in Thame on Saturday, January 28.
A large stone was thrown through the rear window of the vehicle, which was outside an address on Park Street, between 6pm – 10.30pm.

Anyone with any information about either of these offences is asked to contact Thame Police via: 08458 505 505, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on: 0800 555 111.

WARNINGS have been issued that there has been a significant increase in the number of fake notes being tendered, in both the South Oxfordshire, and Vale areas.
These notes are reported to be reasonably good forgeries, and are usually the higher denominations, specifically forged Scottish fifty pound notes and English twenty pound notes.

All notes should be carefully checked and anyone concerned about any notes in their possession should take them along to a bank.
These notes are reportedly usually offered to pay for low value goods in order to gain the maximum change. Particular attention should be made to the watermark and the advise is to refuse any note you are not happy with to refer the person tendering it to their bank. Make a note of the description of any suspect person, their direction of travel and method of travel; and call the police on 08458 505505 immediately.

A QUIZ to raise money for a Thame university student, severely injured in an accident recently, was sold out days before the event and raised almost