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POLICE are appealing for witnesses following an assault in Chinnor on Saturday (10/12).

Shortly after midnight, a 20-year-old man was assaulted outside the Black Boy Pub in Thame Road.

Det Con Michael Hooker, of Thame CID, said: ?The man received serious facial injuries which required surgery. The assault happened at a time when a lot of people would have been coming out of the pub. I appeal to anyone who witnessed the incident to contact police.?

Anyone with information that could assist police inquiries is urged to contact Det Con Hooker, via 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police and don?t want to leave your name contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

? A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of Actual Bodily Harm. He has been bailed until 5 January pending further inquiries.

THAME Town Councillors have been asking questions about the future of the town’s notious public toilets.
David Buckle, Chief Executive of South Oxfordshire District Council, which is responsible for the toilets, told town councillors that Cabinet is expected to make a decision soon to open discussions with town and parish councils about them taking over the maintenance of those facilities.
Mr Buckle explained that the district council is not under any obligation to provide public toilet facilities but that it would be willing to give that money it currently spends (around

PLANS for a care home for the elderly to replace Meadowcroft in Thame, have been submitted to the district council.
The proposed home will be purpose-built and designed to replace the current, 1970s built home which does not comply with new legislation for such residential homes.
It is intented by the applicants, Oxford Care Partnership, to knock down the current building and build the new home on the same site. The purchase of a corner of the existing school playing field adjacent to the site,is currently under negotiation, to provide sufficient space for the new development.

For full details of the application see Link

PLANNING permission for the last section of the Phoenix Trail in Thame, has now been granted despite concerns from some near-by residents about drainage and safety.
The decision by the district council to allow SUSTRANS to develop the existing footpath known locally as Hackets Lane, means that there is now a traffic-free route for cyclists, walkers and wheelchair users, from Princes Risborough all the way to Thame Leisure Centre.

The application was taken before the Planning Committee of SODC at the request of District and Town Cllr David Dodds, who stated that, whilst he had no particular objection to the proposal, was concerned about SUSTRANS’ plans for the future to link the Phoenix Trail, via what he considered to be a dangerous route along the Oxford Road to the Shabbington turn, where it would link up with the Oxfordshire Cycleway.
See full planning history and report here tomorrow

AN Art Exhibition on Saturday, which coincided with International Human Rights Day, December 10, raised

CASH machines across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire are now dispensing cash and anti-robbery advice.

In a bid to spread messages about steps people can take to reduce the risk of becoming a robbery victim, Thames Valley Police are running a major advertising campaign on ATMs as part of the Safer Streets campaign.

Safer Streets is a six month crackdown on violent crime aimed at 15-35 year olds. It is about making it safer to live in Thames Valley and enjoy the nightlife. The adverts will run on cash machines at 44 locations in Thames Valley including, shopping centres, petrol stations, supermarkets, post offices and a hospital.

The ATM:ad campaign guarantees 350,000 people will read the safety messages over four weeks.

Nationwide cash machines have the technology to add animated adverts into cash machine transactions. As you approach the ATM, there is a 10 second animation sequence featuring the message, ?Getting cash out in public? Bring a mate to the ATM, and don?t flash your cash.

The second sequence, shown while processing your request reveals the message, ?Before you go out, plan your way home, talking on your mobile will not keep you safe. If out alone use public transport or get a taxi.?

The final ?thank you? screen flashes the message ?He?s on his own and on his phone, he?s a robbers target?.

The adverts were designed by Thames Valley Police?s New Media team and animated by ATM:ad.

Inspector Neil Coolman, from the Safer Streets project, said: ?This is a really innovative way to get a message about staying safe to young people who go out on the town in Thames Valley. We are genuinely concerned with the welfare of young people, they are a hard to reach group and with this type of advertising, hopefully we can get them to help us, by helping themselves stay safe.?

The Operation Robbery strand of the Safer Streets campaign is a renewal of the campaign that targeted street robbers in 2002. Although personal and business robbery are continuing to drop across the Force (At the end of November there was a 10 per cent decrease since April 2005), Thames Valley Police is determined to keep the pressure on persistent offenders. Information from crime reports and intelligence will be used to direct officer activity on a daily basis.

Find out more about the Safer Streets campaign, by logging on to www.thamesvalley.police.uk/saferstreets

THAME police are warning drivers not to leave valuables on show when they leave their cars, following two vehicle break-ins at Thame Leisure Centre.
The two incidents, which involved windows being broken to gain entry into the boot of one vehicle and the passenger seat of the other, happened between 6.30pm and 8.45pm on Wednesday, December 7.
Anyone with any information about these incidents is asked to contact the Police Enquiry Line 0845 8505505 or Crime Stoppers anonymously 0800 555111