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There are fears for "seriously disruptive" roadworks and "organised crime" as plans to lay an 8.4km cable under Oxfordshire roads move forward. A "major" proposal for the installation of an underground high voltage cable to support a solar farm is set to come before the Oxford City Council planning committee next week, with a recommendation for approval. On Tuesday, May 26, the city council may green-light the development to connect the Burcot Farm solar farm, between Abingdon and Berinsfield, with Cowley Local substation. Cowley Local substation (Image: Google Maps) The proposal is also being assessed by South Oxfordshire District Council, which previously rejected the solar farm plan only for it to win approval through a government appeal. The cable would run under Watlington Road B480 and the B4015. Sections would also be below fields and Baldon Brook. It will require the excavation of a trench approximately 8.39km long, 0.97m wide and between 1.08-1.38m deep. The route crosses two South Oxfordshire National Character Landscape Areas, the green belt, and flood zones two and three. A number of concerns have been raised during the application process. A consultee from Notcutts Garden Centre stated: "We are concerned that the impact of this application and the need for extensive and lengthy road works in the immediate vicinity of our Notcutts Garden Centre at Nuneham Courtney will be seriously disruptive to our trade. Notcutts Garden Centre (Image: Google Maps) "We would therefore ask that route solutions which avoid this be examined as the economic effect on businesses in the locality will be severe in a location where the road network is already under strain." They objected to the plans. Thames Valley Police also registered fears about "the risk of crime", saying it had not been "adequately addressed" in plans. The force stated: "High Voltage cable is a very high value target for organised crime, and solar farms across the country are experiencing a significant increase in the theft of cable and other materials during the construction phase of the development. "As such, it is imperative that site security is considered equally as important as site safety." Historic England suggested that the proposed cable route runs close to a Roman pottery kiln site, where there may be more below-ground remains and suggested this may require further investigation. An Oxford planning officer stated: "The underground cable is necessary to enable export from a consented solar farm. "Subject to the recommended conditions securing best‑practice construction management and ecological safeguards, the proposal accords with the development plan and material considerations. "It is recommended that the Committee resolve to grant planning permission for the development proposed subject to the suggested planning conditions and informatives." The city council has also recently approved plans which would see an underground cable laid under the Botley Road amid an appeal for the Botley West Solar Farm.

NEW YORK (TNND) -- A judge overseeing the case of suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione ruled on Monday whether key evidence against him can be used when his state murder trial begins in September. New York Judge Gregory Carro said the seizure of Mangione's backpack during his arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald's five days after the shooting was unconstitutional, but the subsequent search of the bag at the police station was lawful. During the search at the station, police found the handgun allegedly used in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan in December 2024. Carro also determined that most of Mangione's statement to police would be admissible, except for some about his alleged fake ID, after police read him his Miranda rights. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, who is overseeing the federal stalking case, ruled in January that the same evidence could be used during Mangione's federal trial, which is scheduled to begin in January 2027. Defense lawyers have argued that the warrantless search of the backpack violated Mangione's constitutional rights. "At the hearing, Altoona law enforcement officers repeatedly attempted to justify their warrantless search of Mr. Mangione's backpack ... instead, all these officers demonstrated was an utter disregard for a defendant's constitutional rights and a shocking ignorance of basic search and seizure caselaw," Mangione's attorneys wrote in a state court filing. Federal prosecutors have argued police were justified in searching the backpack to ensure it contained nothing dangerous and said Mangione's statements to officers were voluntary and made before he was under arrest. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges, which carry the possibility of life in prison. He is being held in a federal jail in Brooklyn while awaiting trial.