Reading News
The latest Reading news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
John Madejski Way: Councillors Vote on A33 Rename 7 Oct
Reading councillors decide on 7 October whether part of the A33 becomes John Madejski Way. No ward councillor backed it, and new signs would cost £4,000.
More stories
What's On
Reading Winter Wonderland 2026: Opens 7 Nov at Hills Meadow
Reading Winter Wonderland runs 7 November to 3 January at Hills Meadow, with a bigger 560 sq m ice rink. Planning officers back it ahead of a 7 October vote.
Town Centre
Reading Civic Centre Garden Vandalised: CCTV Sent to Police
Two men tried to burn plants and pulled up a tree at the garden by Reading Civic Centre on 28 September, a day after volunteers built it. CCTV is with police.
Licensing
KFC Shinfield Road Wants 3am Every Night: Hearing 6 October
KFC at 207 Shinfield Road wants to serve until 3am seven nights a week. Council and police want door staff and a dispersal plan; councillors decide 6 October.
Police
Vastern Road Crash: Two Arrested, Police Seek Taxi Driver
Police have made two arrests after the Vastern Road motorbike crash and want to trace a taxi driver seen on CCTV. One man has life-threatening injuries.
Licensing
Kings Food & Wine: Council and Police Seek Licence Revocation
Councillors decide on Thursday whether Kings Food & Wine loses its alcohol licence. Council and police want it revoked; knives were found at its till three times.
Community
Norman the Elephant Turns 175 at Reading's Cole Museum
The piano-playing circus elephant whose skeleton anchors the University of Reading's Cole Museum was 175 on Tuesday. Free entry, weekdays 9am to 4.30pm.
Health
Free MenB Jab in Reading: First Doses End 31 December
Reading's 18-year-olds and new students can get a free NHS MenB jab until 31 December. Who qualifies, how to book, and why two doses matter this year.
Health
Reading Older Persons' Day: Free Winter Jabs, 1 October
Free NHS flu, Covid and RSV vaccines at Broad Street Mall on Thursday 1 October, the first day of the winter campaign, with 30 stalls and pension credit advice.
Community
Reading Underpass Mural: Paint It on Sunday 4 October
Residents can paint the Granville underpass mural under the A4 on Sunday 4 October, and name it. The council put £26,000 of developer levy into the underpass.
Travel
Reading to Didcot Trains Off All Day After Gas Leak
No trains between Reading and Didcot Parkway all day Wednesday after a gas main was damaged at Ladygrove. Reading to Paddington runs; tickets valid Thursday.
Planning
Royal Elm Park: Reading Drops Landfill Gas Target
Reading's planning committee voted on 9 September to take the low-risk ground gas target out of the Royal Elm Park agreement. The site is a capped landfill.
House prices
Reading House Prices Fall £9,885 in a Month to £349,550
Reading's average home lost £9,885 in July and is now worth less than in January 2023. Flats fell 3.8% over the year, the weakest type in the borough.
What's on
University of Reading Learning Garden Opens Free Saturday
The University of Reading's £1m Learning Garden opens free on Saturday 19 September, 11am to 3pm, no booking. After that, visits are by arrangement only.
Crime
Reading Shoplifting Up 57%: July Highest in Two Years
Police recorded 179 shoplifting offences near central Reading in July, the most in two years. Over 12 months the total rose 57% to 1,526, as pickpocketing fell.
Community
Adopt Hens in Barkham: 133 Need Homes by Friday 3pm
The British Hen Welfare Trust has 133 ex-commercial hens needing homes at Barkham on Saturday 19 September. Bookings close 3pm Friday. How to register.
What's on
Apollo Moon Rocks at University of Reading on 24 October
Real Apollo Moon samples go on show at the University of Reading on Saturday 24 October, free, with telescopes and 350 talk seats. Registration is open now.
Council
Reading Food Waste Up 16%: Free Caddy Liners in November
Reading households put 721 more tonnes of food in their caddies, saving the council over £70,000. Every home gets free liners in November. What goes in the bin.
Council tax
Reading Council Tax Support: No Forms, and 472 Lose Out
Reading's council tax support would switch to weekly income bands in April 2027: 3,225 claims unchanged, 477 gain, 472 lose. Consultation opens 17 September.
M4
M4 Fatal Collision: Police Want Dashcam From J8/9 to J10
A woman in her thirties died on the westbound M4 between junctions 8/9 and 10 on Wednesday night. Thames Valley Police want dashcam footage from that stretch.
Football
Reading FC Women Back at Select Car Leasing Stadium Today
First home league game in Reading for two years: 2pm today against Fleet Town at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. Adults £8, under-16s go in free.
Libraries
Reading Loves Reading Ended 12 September at All 7 Libraries
Reading's own summer reading challenge closed on Saturday 12 September. Finishers are in a branch prize draw, but the council has published no draw date.
Licensing
Reading Festival Licence: 3am Bar and Thursday Main Stage
Reading Festival can sell alcohol until 3am every night and open the main stage on Thursday. The Wednesday early-entry cap doubles to 40,000.
Reading Festival
Reading Festival: Incidents Down 44%, Arrests Double
Thames Valley Police logged 127 incidents at Reading Festival, down from 227, but arrests doubled to 34. Facial recognition scanned 321,021 faces.
Business
Reading Pub Named Over £10,960 Minimum Wage Arrears
The Retreat's operator underpaid two workers £10,960.48, the government's new naming list shows. A 55-year-old Reading cleaning firm was named too.
Food hygiene
Reading Food Hygiene: Five Rated Zero, 854 Rated Five
Five Reading food businesses hold a zero hygiene rating today, four of them shops. The same register shows 854 at five stars, 64% of everything rated.
Transport
Reading 20mph Zones Off Oxford Road: £375k, Vote Thursday
Councillors vote on Thursday on consulting for 20mph zones either side of Oxford Road, funded by £375,000 of developer money. Five more schemes go with them.
Transport
Reading's Road Request Queue: 97 Asks, £1.25m to Spend
A Caversham crossing petitioned for in 2017 tops Reading's 97 outstanding road requests. Councillors set the running order on Thursday, with £550,000 to spend.
Water
Reading Hosepipe Ban Still in Force After 43 Days
Thames Water's hosepipe ban still covers every Reading home, 43 days in. Unlike last year's ban, which stopped at Caversham, this one takes in the whole town.
Weather
Reading's Hottest Summer Since Records Began in 1908
Summer 2026 averaged 20.0C in Reading, 1.3C above last year's record. July was both the driest and the sunniest month in the university's whole 118-year record.
Council
Meadway and South Reading Gyms Get £250,000 Refit
Reading Borough Council has spent £250,000 on new Technogym kit at both gyms. Drop-in gym is £10 at South Reading, £9.75 at Meadway, or £7.90 for residents.
Flooding
Reading Flood Warnings: 5 Areas, Plus 3 on Alert
Five flood warning areas cover Reading, from Southcote and Coley to Lower Caversham, plus three wider alert areas. The council wants residents to buy sandbags.
Travel
M4 Shuts at Reading 18-21 September, Match Day Included
The M4 closes between junctions 10 and 11 from 9pm on Friday 18 September to 6am on Monday 21 September. Reading host Notts County in the middle of it.
Business
HMRC Asks Court to Wind Up Whitley Street Shop Company
A winding-up petition against the company behind Freddie's Afro Caribbean on Whitley Street is listed for hearing on Wednesday 2 September. HMRC brought it.
Council
Reading Bins Run a Day Late All Week After Lorry Faults
Electrical faults grounded much of Reading's 13 electric bin lorries last week. Now the bank holiday moves every collection a day later, Friday to Saturday.
Health
Rutherford Cancer Centre at Shinfield Set to Reopen
Icon Group plans to reopen the Shinfield cancer centre, shut since a winding-up order in June 2022. Up to 100 staff and 1.6m people in catchment, but no opening date.
Community
Christchurch Green: 120 Years of Shops, Free in a Window
A free exhibition of 120 years of Christchurch Road shops is now in the window at number 56, viewable day or night. A litter pick follows on 2 September.
Licensing
KFC Shinfield Road Bids to Sell Hot Food Until 3am
KFC on Shinfield Road has applied to sell hot food until 3am, seven days a week. Comments close 10 September; four other bids close between 9 and 15 September.
Reading Buses
Reading Bus Changes 1 Sept: Two School Routes Cut
School routes 80 and 83 both go on Tuesday 1 September, and nine other Reading Buses services get new departure times. What to check before term starts.
Council
Reading Post-16 Transport: £330 a Term Charge Proposed
Reading's draft policy would charge £330 a term for post-16 SEND travel, or £175 for low-income households, where it is free now. Comments close on 5 October.
House prices
Reading House Prices Rise to £361,243, Ending 4 Months Down
Reading's average home reached £361,243 in June, up 0.9% on the year and the first annual rise since January. Wokingham fell 3.1%. May was revised up £8,296.
Reading Festival
Reading Festival Road Closures: Drop-Off Is Hills Meadow
There is no drop-off on Richfield Avenue. Hills Meadow car park, RG4 8DH, is the only one for cars. Cow Lane may shut 7am to 3pm on the Monday.
Jobs
Reading claimant count: Battle 6.1%, Caversham Heights 1.5%
Reading's July claimant count is 5,390, or 4.3% of working-age residents. Battle sits at 6.1% and Caversham Heights at 1.5%. All 16 wards ranked.
Homelessness
Tap for Reading extended to 2029 after £7,400 donated
Reading's contactless donation scheme runs to 2029, with £7,400 raised for four homelessness charities. Rough sleeping in the town fell to 43 last autumn.
Weather
Reading Hits 36.9C: Hottest August Day in 118 Years
The University of Reading's observatory recorded 36.9C on 13 August, the town's hottest August day since records began in 1908 and second only to July 2022.
Licensing
Kings Food and Wine licence review: have your say by 3 Sept
Reading's licensing team has applied to review the licence of Kings Food and Wine on Kings Road, citing repeated breaches. Residents can comment until 3 September; two late-night takeaway bids close on 9 September.
Whitley
Reading Solar Mural: free painting sessions until 29 August
Anyone can help paint Reading's new solar-panel mural at New Directions College in Whitley: drop in Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, or Saturdays at Reading Bike Hub on King Street, until 29 August. No booking, no experience needed.
Planning
Station Hill Reading: 600 flats approved, 4 parking spaces
Reading approved 600 build-to-rent flats at Station Hill on 12 August: 75 affordable, four car parking spaces between them, and a December deadline attached.
University of Reading
Reading 100: the first all-British chocolate bar since 1932
A Reading master's student has made Britain's first all-home-grown chocolate bar since 1932, using cocoa raised in the University's Berkshire glasshouses.
Roadworks
Reading road closures: 17 roads resurfaced from 17 August
Reading resurfaces 17 main roads from 17 August to 28 September, starting in Caversham. The dates, the overnight closures and the £4m behind the work.