Dredging downstream of Abingdon Lock

3 Replies


If you passed Abingdon Lock today, you may have seen an excavator on a floating barge, pulling mud from the river with its grab.

Silt collects below the weir and has to be cleared to keep the channel deep enough for boats. The spoil is swung either out of the navigation channel or onto the bank that has built up near the lock. That bank seems to grow larger each year and is now a favourite spot for geese. It may also help to keep the silt from drifting back into the channel.

A local passer-by said they remembered the same work being done last summer. The Environment Agency has plenty to do, with flooding sometimes and silt at others. Although this summer has been dry, the river level does not look unusually low on the gauge downstream of Abingdon Lock. However, a notice at the lock warns boaters about shallows along the left bank before Abingdon Bridge.

Tesco Path repairs and Temporary Flood Barrier enabling work

Leave a reply


Following recent floods, part of the riverside path from the Ladygrove Estate to Tesco was badly damaged, between the Tesco perimeter and the first bridge. Repair work began in July 2025, and the path is now fully restored and open again.

Further downstream along the River Ock, near the Ladygrove Estate, a notice has been posted close to Jenyns Court, near Chaunterell Way. The Environment Agency will be carrying out enabling works for a temporary flood barrier, designed to help protect some properties from flooding. As part of the scheme, some boundary fences will also be adjusted.

Baby Cardigans in Abingdon Market Place Highlight Civilian Deaths in Gaza

16 Replies


A day-long sit-in took place on Abingdon Market Place yesterday under the banner ‘This Genocide Must End.’

Protesters beat pans and hung small knitted baby cardigans. A note beside them claimed that holding a funeral every day for each child reportedly killed in Gaza during the current war would take more than 52 years. Organisers said the display was intended to keep attention on the civilian toll, especially children. A police officer spoke with demonstrators earlier in the day.

Children’s agency UNICEF has repeatedly urged all parties to stop the violence and protect civilians, warning that Gaza’s one million children face catastrophic conditions, including severe food insecurity and malnutrition.

Party on the Pitch at Abingdon Rugby Club

Leave a reply


The Abingdon Rugby Club hosted Party on the Pitch today, organised by the Royal British Legion with support from the Town Council. Instead of the traditional bun throw from the County Hall, this year there was a team bun-throwing competition. Each throw earned 1–4 points depending on distance, with scores added together.

Stalls were run mainly by veterans’ organisations, alongside games such as welly wanging, a catapult challenge, and Bunga Bog Roll – a street-party favourite from Exbourne Road, where players throw toilet rolls into a toilet kindly donated by Abingdon Kitchens and Bathrooms.

Other attractions included a rifle range and a jeep for children to explore.

The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers also made an appearance on their way to Wootton and Dry Sandford for The WADS Fest. They are joined here by a Town Crier making his first appearance in green robes.

Music was provided by Abbey Brass.

The Mayor of Abingdon, Councillor Rawda Jehanli, presented prizes to the bun-throwing winners, joined by her cadets and Penny Clover, who had led much of the organisation and is also a Town Crier. The winning team of three – all former Larkmead students, two soon heading to university after strong A-level results – received golden tickets to throw buns at the next official bun throw. A separate prize went to the female competitor with the furthest throw.

The event was well run and publicised, though attendance was lower than expected.