RESIDENTS need to be on their guard against conmen claiming to be water workers after five homes in the Swindon area were targeted in two hours. Two men in dark clothing tried to talk their way into people's homes in Swindon, Wanborough and Bishopstone
SWINDON residents have the chance to make a big impact on the new rules for house building. Swindon Council has created a document showing potential guidelines for development, and it is looking for people to make their opinions felt. Coun Dale Heenan
SWINDON residents have the chance to make a big impact on the new rules for house building. Swindon Council has created a document showing potential guidelines for development, and it is looking for people to make their opinions felt. Coun Dale Heenan
JUMP 10 years into the future and a walk in Swindon will take you through a landscape radically different to the town we know today. By 2017, visitors are confronted with a canal passing through Fleet Street and Faringdon Road. And in the town's schools
TEENAGE pregnancy in Swindon has dropped to an all-time low, according to the latest figures. Statistics out yesterday reveal the annual under-18 conception rates have fallen by 12.6 per cent. The town no longer has the highest teenage pregnancy rate
SWINDON'S Great Western Hospital is one of the best in the country for tackling the MRSA superbug. The hard work carried out by everyone involved has paid off, says Ruth McCarthy, its director of infection prevention and control. Figures released by
Today I heard Tony Blair being interviewed on the Radio 4 morning news programme. There’s been a lot of public outcry about bullying in the media recently but I bet this mornings bullying of Tony goes unchecked. The Radio 4 heavy, John Humphries hammered
A SWINDON church has been transformed into a jungle to teach youngsters about religion. The Evangelical Church in Devizes Road has opened its doors to visitors during half term. Children have been given the opportunity to hear Bible stories, take part
SWINDON sweetheart Billie Piper sought a shoulder to cry on from her ex-husband - but should be in better spirits tonight when she appears on the Charlotte Church show. This week the distraught Doctor Who actress was seen confiding in Chris Evans over
POP heartthrobs McFly are hoping that Swindon won't let them down when they play at the Oasis in April. Drummer Harry Judd said they want to see people on their feet, fans going crazy and singing along when they set pulses racing as part of their Up
THE author of a book honouring First World War soldiers has been told he needs £5m worth of insurance to sell them on council premises. The cover Mark Sutton needs is to protect against people dropping books on their feet or getting a paper cut and then
SWINDON College Old Boys have found life tough in the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Premier League this season and face a "damage limitation" exercise this weekend against former Southern Counties side Phoenix, writes DAVE EATON. They have struggled throughout
WOOTTON Bassett continue their playoff push with a match against Oldfield at Stoneover Road. Bassett won 14-5 in the earlier encounter at Bath and with their current form will be in confident mood heading into this game. Following last week's win over
JOHN Brown has challenged his Swindon troops to "step up to the mantle" in their desperate bid to retain their South West Two East status, writes STEVE BUTT. And their task won't get any harder than this weekend, they face league leaders Redingensians
ALAN Dyton has warned Highworth the gap is closing fast and believes, for the first time, Shrivenham go into tomorrow's derby as equals. With rival boss John Fisher talking his side up as Hellenic League top dogs' in terms of stature, despite a campaign
ALAN Dyton has warned Highworth the gap is closing fast and believes, for the first time, Shrivenham go into tomorrow's derby as equals. With rival boss John Fisher talking his side up as Hellenic League top dogs' in terms of stature, despite a campaign
A HUMBLE John Fisher has held his hands up to the "fantastic work" Alan Dyton is doing at Shrivenham but insists he would still not stand "a cat in hells chance" of ever landing the biggest job' in the Hellenic League. The Highworth boss admits his side
A NEW £800,000 netball facility in Dorcan is beginning to take shape. The dome-shaped building is part of the Dorcan Recreation Complex and is due to open in April. Netball is traditionally a winter sport so the 400-plus players who regularly play at
LIFE in the UK might have been portrayed as all doom and gloom, but youngsters in Swindon say that is not the case here. And the Swindon Youth Service is working hard with young people across the town so that they can help support their peers. The service
TAKEAWAYS, restaurants and other eateries across Swindon are to be given score cards that can be posted in their front doors for all to see. Swindon Council is joining other local authorities across Wiltshire in issuing the "scores on the door" certificates
RETIRING Member of the European Parliament Caroline Jackson has called on the Conservative Party to replace her with another woman. Dr Jackson, who plans to step down ahead of the 2009 election after more than 25 years as an MEP, said that her party's
GORSE Hill got an early spring clean as part of a neighbourhood clean-up. Street wardens, council workers, police and local volunteers braved the bad weather to rid the streets of graffiti and litter Thirty-five bags of litter and four tonnes of flytipped
Myself and Jamie Vincent have decided to give up bread for lent. We're having a bit of a competition over it so if anyone sees him eating any please call the Advertiser's hotline and report him. We were discussing what we could give up over a meal
POLICE say they will continue to get vandals to clean up their own mess after a recent initiative was applauded by the public. As reported in Tuesday's Adver, officers set three teenagers to work with buckets of soapy water after they sprayed graffiti
IT has been a busy first week for Sarah and Paul Haynes as they settle in at the Barge Inn, Seend Cleeve. The couple reopened the pub on Valentine's Day after refurbishment. Mrs Haynes, 25, and her husband, 29, moved to the Seend pub after running
As a vegetarian, I often find that my eating out choices are limited. But add pregnancy to that, and it's ten times worse. I have become the fussiest eater known to woman. I could try the patience of a saint, let alone a waitress. "Has that got
DID you know there's a killer in your living room? And what's more, you invited him in. That sinister black hole in the corner of the room - otherwise known as your telly - is eating away at your child at an alarming rate, apparently. If you're
SO, Swindon Borough Council has been saved from its disastrous decision to encourage the University of Bath and housing developers to surround Coate Water with a concrete straitjacket. The council now has a golden, but short-lived opportunity to achieve
WHEN I moved to Swindon in 1957 I thought it was a lovely town, so pretty and surrounded by beautiful countryside and a great assortment of shops. Over the years and successive councils I have watched with horror, the massacre of this once pretty town
I RECEIVED this from our local Eascott Veterinary Clinic and Hospital. For some reason this was not addressed to our dog but to me! As a 56 year old, hair-thinning man with slightly fewer teeth than when I was whelped, I was quite excited by some of
IS it not time we seriously considered abandoning a make-believe Parliamentary system of a constitutional monarchy in favour of a republic? It beggars belief that Harry has insisted he goes to help Tony Blair in Iraq, knowing he will have to take his
I READ with some interest the article about the new angling officer employed by Swindon Council and had to put pen to paper to set the record straight. The officer in question is employed by the council but his wages are being paid by the Environment
A FEW years ago we had the Hungerford massacre followed by the Dunblane massacre. Innocent gun enthusiasts had to give up their hobby and we were told "it must never happen again" - yet again! Two weeks into this month alone we have had three teenagers
TWO British rowers completed a 3,000-mile fundraising voyage which has seen them saved from starvation in a mid-Atlantic rescue and battered by 40ft waves. Stuart Turnbull and Edward Baylis, both 26, arrived in Antigua last night after rowing unsupported
Sports editor STEVE BUTT chats to JOE EGAN - the former sparring partner of Mike Tyson - about the benefits of whitecollar boxing club Swindon Raw. THE toughest white man on the planet' - according to former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson -
HIGHWORTH rally stars Shelly Taunt and Julie Murphy head south of the country this week for the Rallye Sunseeker in Bournemouth. The event starts tomorrow at 7pm with competitors running in reverse order competing on two night stages through the Bournemouth
JAMIE Vincent admits Town need to copy Hartlepool's winning mentality' as they continue to splutter in their promotion chase. With just three wins from their last 10 games, the Town defender knows things need to improve and admits to looking enviously
WHILE Paul Sturrock looks to inject fresh blood into Town's faltering promotion push, the club's Head of Youth has warned him the time is not right to turn to the County Ground's crop of talented youngsters. Sturrock was fuming after the 1-0 loss at
SWINDON Council has kept its two star status from the Audit Commission. The commission's Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) says the council is performing well in the four key areas of environment and leisure, resources, culture and benefits.
A WOMAN who bought her husband a new phone for a present was disgusted when they found it was full of porn. Neil Garfoot was checking out the features on the Nokia 6288 mobile when he stumbled across the hardcore footage. The pair are angry at the
Click here to nominate your Community Champions THE search is on for Swindon's own community champions. The Adver has again teamed up with Swindon Council to highlight the good work that can often go unsung in the town. We are going to find six
PAUL Sturrock hopes to recruit two new faces by the weekend, with Southampton's Leon Best one of those on the wish list. The Swindon manager addressed supporters at last night's highly-charged County Ground fans forum and assured those gathered that
AARON Brown will be given a second chance at the County Ground following his angry confrontation with Town fans at Barnet. The winger reacted to abuse from sections of the away following during the 1-0 defeat at Underhill on Tuesday night. Some supporters
