People most affected by the July floods in west Oxfordshire and west Berkshire are to benefit from a grant of £1m.

People most affected by the July floods in west Oxfordshire and west Berkshire are to benefit from a grant of £1m.

Work begins on Monday to enlarge Bisham Brook culvert in Hurley High Street to help reduce the threat of flooding in the village.The project, which follows consultation between the Royal Borough and the Environment Agency, is expected to be completed by Friday March 14.Contractors Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services will excavate across the High Street next to the Rising Sun public house and replace the existing 700mm pipe culvert with a larger concrete box culvert measuring 750mm by 1250mm. For most of the five-week project traffic in the High Street will be restricted to cars, small vans with a maximum weight of 3.5tons and the local bus service ? the number 249 run by Courtney Coaches ? with single lane traffic flow controlled by traffic lights. Diversions will be clearly signposted along Shepherd?s Lane, which will have some traffic measures during working hours.The High Street will need to be completely closed at the following times:?    From 9.30am to 4.30pm on Wednesday February 20 ?    From 7.30am on Saturday February 23 to 6pm on Tuesday February 26Cllr Colin Rayner, cabinet member for highways, transport and the environment, said: ?We have worked with the Environment Agency to address the problem of occasional flooding in Hurley High Street, and have realised that the existing pipe culvert is sometimes just too small to cope with a large volume of rainwater.  ?We appreciate that this work will cause disruption to Hurley residents and people visiting the village during the period of the work, and would like to apologise in advance for the inconvenience.  ?However this is essential work which will provide long-term benefits in helping to alleviate the threat of flooding in the High Street.  We hope local people will understand and bear with us during this time as we need to constantly improve our flood precautionary work.?

The Royal Borough is looking to find a new provider to take forward a varied arts programme in Windsor.Since Windsor Community Arts Centre Limited went into administration just before Christmas the council has been contacted by people and organisations keen to get involved in maintaining arts provision in the town.The process to find the successful provider is now underway.Cllr Jesse Grey, (Con, Datchet) cabinet member for leisure and culture, said in the upcoming 2008/9 budget, councillors were keen to retain the £80,000 grant previously given to the arts centre.A final decision will be made on February 26.Anyone interested in putting forward proposals for the provision of arts in Windsor should contact Mark Taylor on 01628 786989.

Press Release - 30/01/2008 Direct public transport access to one of the borough?s major sports and leisure facilities ? Pools on the Park - has moved a significant step closer after Richmond Council approved plans for bus access last week.

Concerned residents have called for a reduction in the speed limit on a quiet rural road near Cookham Rise. Residents are worried about Dean Lane and Councillor Richard Kellaway (Con, Bisham and Cookham) has presented a petition to the Royal Borough asking for traffic calming measures to be taken. A recent survey suggested that motorists are cautious on the winding narrow road which links Cookham Dean with Cookham Rise, and rarely break the 40mph speed limit, however petitioners still want to reduce the limit to 30mph. Since the petition was handed over in December last year, the borough has produced a report recommending that traffic calming measures and a speed reduction be ruled out for now.Instead, councillors are being urged to agree that the speed and safety on the road should be monitored over the coming year and action be taken if further risks are identified during that period.The report is due to be considered by the borough's planning and overview and scrutiny committee tonight and comments will be reported to the cabinet meeting on February 21.

The Windsor Spring Festival programme will include a performance by young musicians from Chetham?s School of Music, a visit by Dame Jacqueline Wilson, a literary lunch with presentations and book signings from well known figures, guided walks and children?s theatrical events.

Neighbourhood policing for the
Riverside and Belmont areas of Maidenhead will be launched at
a meeting on Monday.
The new style of community policing
will be introduced to the public at the Holiday Inn, Manor Lane, off
Shoppenhangers
Road, starting at
6.30pm.
Insp John McDonald, neighbourhood
inspector for Maidenhead, will be introducing members of the neighbourhood
policing team.

He said: "The meeting
will start with an explanation of what neighbourhood policing is all about and
we will then ask the audience to tell us the most important things they would
like the partners to do to improve the quality of life in Riverside and Belmont.

"Finally, we will be asking people
to be part of the local Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG). It will be this group that steers
neighbourhood policing and progresses the top priorities based on feedback
provided by residents at the open meetings."
The neighbourhood policing team for
Maidenhead Riverside and Belmont comprises: <ul><li>Insp John
McDonald</li></ul>

<ul><li>Sgt Adrian
Blades</li></ul>
<ul><li>PC Michelle Roberts - Neighbourhood
Specialist Officer</li></ul>
<ul><li>Police Community Support Officer
Sophie Perfect</li></ul>

Double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes has officially opened the new Ebbsfleet International Station.

An oil painting showing a scene overlooking the River Thames is stolen from a driveway in Bath.

Police appeal for witnesses after the body of a woman is found in the water at a lock in Oxford.

The full roll-out of a new rail service between north-east England and London is delayed.

More than 180 new bus shelters are to be installed across Oxford over a five-year period.

An artist uses memories and stories of east London allotment holders in an exhibition about life on the site.

A CHARITY which supports  Tower Hamlets families affected by parents with mental illness has welcomed a £16 million Government funding programme for such services. Building Bridges, run by the Family Welfare Association (FWA) in Hackney, is one of the sche