CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

No 16,244

ACROSS

1 Officer gets medal dealing with nasty spot (4,4) 5 Service provided for mountainous area (6) 9 Mail county jail (4,4) 10 Prepare most important field (6) 12 Ornamental stone circle beside New York Times (4) 13 Vain type beginning to send free leeks everywhere (4-6) 15 Dweller here worried about each dodgy salesman (7-6) 19 Blowing 10p in disorderly sport (6,7) 23 Fresh running water surrounds hot conservatory (10) 25 Assistant’s first to finish plan (4) 28 University fellows sent in half-a-dozen letters finally (6) 29 Back issue, mint, that’s set to go off (4,4) 30 With which to steer plough perhaps (6) 31 March is marshalled by a magnetic character (8)

DOWN

1 Politicos mostly absorb everything around them (6) 2 Spare a weekend in two US cities (5) 3 They’re soapy potatoes Papa’s thrown out (4) 4 Fresh timber’s harsh treatment (3,4) 6 Left in perfect solo (5) 7 Trace commercial that’s needed to launch vehicle? (5,4) 8 A Parisian in a ferry nervous about committal (8) 11 Starts to approach from access road some way off (4) 14 Husband abandons Asian city food outlet (4) 15 Amazing, as are Alice’s adventures? (9) 16 For example, love what’s loved by 13 (3) 17 Leave former information technology (4) 18 Old coach arranged flats etc (5,3) 20 Pick up excessively black footwear (4) 21 Fancy catching snake that’s badtempered (7) 22 Character used by Plato signifying a ram? (6) 24 Simple unit occupies part of church (5) 26 Doctor’s acquired very large bunk (5) 27 Close tight (4)

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