Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

A runaway rodent, a happy osprey couple and a police force complaining about not being reimbursed over Donald Trump's state visit were all among our most read stories in the south of England this week.

We have picked five stories from the past seven days across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to keep you up to date.

A police force has been told it will not be reimbursed more than £900,000 spent policing US president Donald Trump's state visit to Windsor.

Thames Valley's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matthew Barber said the Home Office had confirmed it would not reimburse the cost of officer time.

Barber said he was "disappointed" at the government's stance. The dispute comes as the government agreed to repay costs incurred by the local council for the same visit.

The Home Office said the force would receive "reimbursement for their additional costs".

Some residents in Oxfordshire are expressing their concerns after trees and hedges were cut down as part of a new road scheme.

The clearance was carried out by contractors working on the Housing Infrastructure Fund 1 project, otherwise known as HIF1, which is expected to cost between £320m and £400m. It involves the construction of a new bypass, Thames crossing and railway bridge in the Didcot area.

Work on the delayed project started in February, with the clearance of vegetation during the bird nesting season which runs from 1 March to 31 August.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council's environment chief, said the works being carried out on the A4130 were allowed.

A capybara that has been on the run for almost two weeks after escaping from a zoo was seen resting in the sunshine at the side of a river.

Nine-month-old Samba slipped through a small gap in a temporary enclosure at Marwell Zoo, near Winchester, a day after arriving from Suffolk.

People living nearby have been checking gardens, ponds, pools and outbuildings after reported sightings of the animal.

On 22 March, Claudie Paddick spotted the capybara by the side of the River Itchen, near Winchester, before it was spooked by her dog, jumped in the water and swam off.

A pair of ospreys appear to have avoided last year's love triangle drama after both returned to their nest.

Female CJ7 was captured on a webcam landing first in the walled garden near Wareham, Dorset, on Wednesday at about 18:30 GMT - male 022 arrived on Thursday at 06:40.

It was a different story 12 months ago when CJ7 returned to find 022 had spent a few days in the nest with a new female.

CJ7 and 022 - the first ospreys to breed on England's south coast in 180 years - have nested at Careys Secret Garden since 2022. They hatched four chicks in 2024 and another four in 2025.

A Reading suburb, a Berkshire village and a Hampshire market town have been recognised among the best places to live in the south-east of England in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.

Caversham and Cookham, along with Petersfield and the Test Valley, all featured in the annual list of 72 locations across the UK.

Lindfield in West Sussex was rated the best place to live in the South East in the guide.

Areas are assessed on several factors, including schools, transport, amenities, broadband, green space and community spirit.