More than £100,000 is to be spent on more pedestrian friendly measures in Newbury. A zebra crossing is to be installed outside Waitrose in Oxford Road, while a pelican crossing will be built over the A4 near the College Mews flats.

The supermarket handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds to West Berkshire Council in return for planning consent, and the two crossings will cost £113,000. However, Waitrose refused to hand over another £30,000 for cyclepaths to be installed on the A4, after a request from Lib Dem councillor Tony Vickers.

Clothes shop goes

Discount menswear specialists The Officers Club is to shut its Northbrook Street store at the end of next month. The retailer has 180 stores nationally, and is understood to have been in talks about a new lease. A fierce battle between high street names to get the prime spot is expected, but in the meantime, a major sale is on until the closure date of May 23.

Victoria Park mugging

A 32-year-old man was set upon by two youths and had his month’s wages stolen in a vicious attack in Victoria Park last night.

After being asked for a light by a youth wearing a hooded top and baseball cap. As he obliged, a second man approached, and hit him around the head with a weapon. A third youth was also present, and the gang ran off with £600 and some cigarettes.

After crawling home, he called his sister, and an ambulance soon arrived to take him to Basingstoke Hospital to treat the head injury.

The attack happened after 11pm, and police are examining CCTV footage for leads.

DS Neil Williams of Newbury CID said: “This was a really nasty robbery where a man not only lost all his wages, but also was beaten and left in a very bad way. We are hoping someone might be able to identify the offenders, who may be bragging about their exploits last night. There was a third person who stood by and watched the robbery and perhaps this person might have a conscience and decided he or she cannot stand by once more and let these offenders get away with it.

Anyone with information should contact Newbury CID on 0845 8 505 505 or leave a message with the free and confidential Crimestoppers service on 0800 555 111 of they don’t want to speak to police.

News, events and local discussions for Newbury Berkshire UK