Just to add if you aren't already aware, Simon (although I think you know the area, unless I've got you confused with someone else), The Shambles is the indoor market which leads out onto the main market square. The only day it is closed is Wednesday, with Sunday and Mondays (for example) being let out as an indoor car boot; just to put that figure into context. On Thursdays, which is market day, the usual card, fruit and veg, pet supply stalls etc are operating. There's always a decent footfall, as it's the main walk way from the car park to the market square.

I might come into Newbury Market this Thursday actually, so I don't have to fight my way around Devizes Market for pre-Christmas goodies

Andy, I've got a spare giffgaff SIM if you want it? I had two spares for family, but only needed one in the end. PM me if you want me to post it to you?

Personally, I have absolutely no issue with giffgaff. From the moment I ordered my SIM to now, everything has run very smoothly. Even when there was network hiccup, the website was updated to provide info to customers.

It's like reading reviews on Amazon though, and amusing ones self with the 1* ratings: "the packaging was damaged when it arrived...disgusting". You'll always get some melodramatic folk

Ha, I forgot about Superdrug! Probably because it's a pain in the bum to get the push chair in and out of

Several of those establishments have changed since 2009, including the loss of the wine shop, JAG and I think the photographer has now gone as well. The main dry cleaner is now the other end of The Brittox.

Parking is 55p for an hour (not sure after that without looking, as I usually walk into town). The market place is free to park, but only for half an hour, not an hour. There is talk of doing away with that, though. Funny you mention parking, as there is a lot of local debate about the higher than average fume situation in Devizes, and parking issues on the whole. Research has indicated that a huge part of the problem with traffic congestion on Devizes (which is awful at times, to the point I'd rather try and get from one side of Newbury to the other), is due to people driving around in circles trying to find a free space!

Not quite. WH Smith, a kitchen shop and the rest is coffee shops, pubs, banks and estate agents before you get to the side road (Little Brittox) which leads you to the main shopping area (The Brittox). I wouldn't say it was that much different, shop wise, to Newbury market square.

There are no out of town retail parks, and most of Devizes' residents whinge about having to travel out of town to do some decent shopping. Sound familiar?

Will answer more later, but the child has just woken up!

Indeed! Never fails to draw custom.

Not the best shot, in all honesty.....

http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af315/...zpse23a8fea.jpg

Better shot.

http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af315/...zps9e0089d2.jpg

I didn't bother attempting to take any in the aisles between the stalls, as I value my ankles

This was just gone 11:15 ish, I think. I like to go to the market a little later in the morning to haggle some bargains from the butcher!

My definition of packed is queuing to be served, and negotiating your way through the crowds to get from one end to another. Given I knew I would respond to this, I took some pics whilst I was there this morning which I didn't post earlier, given I was supervising a small person

Anyway, let me work out how to post the pictures, and I'll demonstrate my definition.

Exhausted: I'm not entirely sure what exactly makes it work, which is why I said I wasn't sure of the demographic difference between the two 'market towns' these days, and rents etc. I shall endeavour to find out though, if I get the time (unless anyone else would care to do so?). One obvious factor is Newbury now has a younger shopping culture. That said, given the UK is an aging population, I would have thought there were enough people who would normally use one to support the market?

Simon: The market is in the market square, and a very short walk from the main shops. Again, I think I need to look at the details as mentioned above.

I was at my local market today (as I am every Thursday), and it was packed as always. I would love to know the difference in demographic/rents etc (which I could research, I suppose), but having grown up in Newbury and visited the market each week as a child when it was busy, it's a shame to see it go down the drain.

I, a recently former Vodafone employee of some thirteen years, have switched to Giffgaff. LOVE THEM!! Great bundles, and if something goes wrong, you're looked after as a customer. Can't fault them!

Please don't think Vodafone staff are THAT well looked after; unless you like being a statistic. Great benefit packages, yes, but you're not really an individual anymore; just a headcount figure.

I drove through Newbury and nearly lost control of the car as I passed the Shell garage in Speen! I filled up at my local garage before setting off at 140.9p per litre unleaded and rather wished I hadn't!! I could have saved myself some money

Vodafone facilities (security) patrol some of the residential areas, and can cross check your car registration with the staff list (I can't remember for love nor money if you state your car reg if you opt out of applying for on site parking; your reg is certainly on record if you hold a parking permit). I think in my case, my car had been 'spotted' on more than one occasion parked in my friends road. I did get an email as well.

Anyway, Vodafone staff or no, people will park in residential areas and walk to their place of work! Berkeley Road was just the same before the parking permit scheme. I have a photo of my brother walking down the road in the mid 80s, and you don't recognise it. Why? Because the commuter cars aren't double parked!

I can only suggest if they are Vodafone related staff, they are temporary workers or contractors who think they can slip through the net.

Vodafone employees are not permitted to use the Trinity school car park during term time. I THINK (from memory, because it didn't apply to me), staff can use it during the school holidays but I'm not 100% on that. Staff are permitted 'kiss and drop' as it's called at Trinity though.

As a former Vodafone employee, and someone who qualified for a parking space on site, I can confirm the above is correct. I only qualified for a space because I live (and did at the time of my employement) 35 miles away from work as I couldn't afford local rent, and there is no reasonable public transport from where I live. To catch the train would mean a drive to the nearest train station, pay for parking there and then pay £4000 for an annual season ticket after the 'credit' received as part of the green incentive scheme.

The funny thing is I visited friends in the Vodafone vicinity several times on my days off, and got ticketed every time because I was 'seen' to be a Vodafone employee parking in residential roads and leaving my car there. It is taken seriously, and if I had have been in receipt of the green incentive and misused it, I would have received disciplinary action, although not on the days I was visiting friends

The 'zone' is part of the agreement with WBC, although I'm sure that's already known.

Winnie was his second wife. Just to be irritatingly pedantic

I've got three different bins and two boxes. There's no room left for my garden!

It depends on the local authority/recycling centre. You are supposed to put bottle caps in the black bin in West Berks and indeed squash the bottles, but I'm over the Wiltshire border and can leave the caps on the bottles and include them in the blue bin.

It's not exactly uniform advice across the country, eh?

Pahahahahahahahahahaha, quality writing from newburytoday.co.uk

Newbury Taxi driver, David Taylor, said a CABCO taxi hit, he said ‘A monster pothole’ (pictured), at 6.30pm on Februry 10, in London Road, outside the Aldi store under construction and scheduled to open in March.

Here's a blinding effort for you taken from a selling page, which had myself and a few others in fits of laughter: "chester draws".

I kid you not!

Oh, that's a handy link! Confirms my thoughts though about petrol prices where I am in Wilts. Average price 134.9ppl at the moment which has come down a bit.

Depends which part of Wilts you are talking about, Sherlock. Being a Wilts resident these days, I travelled back to Newbury last week to visit a friend and was amazed at the petrol prices in town. I took advantage of the considerably lower petrol price, and filled up!

In all seriousness though, I really don't understand the need for single line spacing. Have the reporters never heard of paragraphs?

Of course, I am now waiting for the person for whom the penny doesn't drop to reply

The one thing which annoys me whilst trying to read some of the online reports is the lack of understanding what a paragraph is!

It rather distracts from the lack of ability to spell somewhat.

One hope there is some training on offer to brush up there English skills.