Archive
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Leading stars grab the Loot
Top acting stars Michael Elphick and Letitia Dean are to star at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend in Joe Orton's outrageous comedy Loot. Following a Chichester season and a West End run, both of which received rave reviews, Loot - one of the funniest plays
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Frenzied attack on disabled Billericay man
A disabled Billericay man subjected to a frenzied and unprovoked attack by a 'maniac' in a classic car is lucky to be alive, according to police. Alan Smart, who suffers from epilepsy and paralysis in his right arm and hand, was attacked at around 8pm
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Mid Essex: Piccolo family back care inquiry
The family of murderer John Piccolo have welcomed news there is to be an independent inquiry into the psychiatric care he received. North Essex Health Authority chiefs have commissioned an independent inquiry into the care Piccolo received before he went
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Lewinsky's coming to Lakeside
American President Bill Clinton's former mistress Monica Lewinsky is to visit Lakeside shopping centre to promote her explosive new book. The 25-year-old - world famous for her much-publicised affair with the US leader - will sign copies of Monica's Story
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Chelmsford: Row over clubs on Good Friday
A religious row is raging after a borough council committee agreed to music and dancing at two Chelmsford night spots on Good Friday. Church leader the Rev Dr Paul Beasley Murray objected at last week's licensing committee meeting on behalf of the town's
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£1m award to cut Essex class sizes
More than £1 million has been awarded to Essex schools to reduce infant class sizes. The biggest award was given to John Ray County Infant School, in Braintree, which scooped £130, 532 to build two new classrooms. The school is one of the fastest-growing
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Jobs bonanza at Stansted
Increased routes at Stansted are creating extra jobs at the airport. Managing director John Stent said 100 more staff will be taken on by BAA this year and Irish airline Ryanair will be adding another 200 to its payroll as more services are introduced
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Neighbours save Rayne family
Brave neighbours staged a daring rescue in order to save the lives of a mum and her two young sons from their blazing Rayne home. A fire broke out in the Rayne home of Suzanne Kardhordo at around 2am this morning (Friday) due to an electrical fault on
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Soccer: Ipswich's ton-up boy
Matt Holland will become a ton-up boy when he makes his 100th consecutive start for Ipswich Town against Tranmere at Portman Road. Battered Holland is suffering with ribs, back, knee and groin injuries but has felt better this week and may even train
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Soccer: Ipswich star aims for quick recovery
Kieron Dyer is to use an oxygen chamber in a bid to help his broken leg get better quicker. But the 20-year-old Ipswich and England under-21 midfielder will not rush his comeback after breaking a leg against Watford on Tuesday. Dyer who was called into
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Rugby: Colchester warm up for relegation scrap
Five Nations International weekend sees a lull in the local action as clubs prepare for big matches the following weekend. However, there are several interesting fixtures, none more so than the game which sees London North East Two outfit Colchester entertain
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Soccer: Postmen blow away LTS Rovers
A last-minute wind assisted goal direct from a Wallace corner gave Basildon Post Office a 1-0 victory over LTS Rail and saw his side through to the Southend Wednesday League Lamkin Cup semi-finals. The other quarter-final went to extra-time before Southend
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Soccer: Late goal denies Iron
Despite some disappointing recent results in which they have picked only two points from four games, Braintree remain very much in the Division One promotion race. And if Iron can continue turning in some gritty and determined displays like they showed
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Soccer: Chelmsford seek a sound ground solution
Chelmsford City chairman Peter Stroud has admitted that unless the club finds a new ground back within the borough 'sooner than later' they will be forced out of top non-league professional football for good. "It's quite simple that unless we get the
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Soccer: Chelmsford lose their way in the mud
Two individual defensive errors and two late glaring misses at the other end were the reasons why City returned pointless from a wet and muddy Homelands on Tuesday evening. They deserved at least a point for all their endeavour, particularly for a much
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Cricket: Essex captain's soccer consolation
New Essex cricket captain Nasser Hussain shrugged off the frustration of being left out of England's World Cup squad by working off his disappointment with Premiership soccer club West Ham United. Hussain took the entire Essex squad to the Hammers Chadwell
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Soccer: Police presence tripled for Colchester match
Police are tripling their manpower and some pubs may close when Colchester United host their biggest match for years. Although officers do not expect trouble at the sell-out ticket-only game against Manchester City they are taking no chances. Around 40
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Motorcycling: Martin's ready to get back on track
Martin Dickens aims to bounce back from an injury nightmare and fulfill his life-long ambition of becoming a national roadrace champion. The Southend-based 32-year-old was odds on to lift the New Era championship title halfway through last season, but
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Villagers campaign to save Good Easter pub
Villagers in Good Easter are campaigning to save their only pub from being changed into private accommodation. The Star pub was closed to the public last June, and the current licensee has since applied for planning permission to convert it into a private
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Tributes for Braintree Dad killed in road smash
Tributes have been paid to a young Braintree father who was tragically killed in a car accident on Tuesday evening. Graham Stone, 34, of Goldingham Drive, was on his way to visit his parents when the accident happened in Willows Green at 8.30pm. Police
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Maldon's Victorian evenings under threat
More support from Maldon traders is needed to safeguard the future of the town's popular Victorian Evenings. For the past 14 years the late night shopping events have been a hit with visitors, but response from traders themselves has been less enthusiastic
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Trampolining: Trophies galore for Brentwood club
Cloud Nine Trampoline Club members were competing in the north and south in February and saw success at all levels. The club's month started on February 7, where they hit winning ways again as 24 of its members competed in the Essex Open at Harlow, and
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Swimming: Hero Callum goes for gold
Golden boy Callum Hanslip has notched up seven gold and two silver medals - and smashed six British records at the BT national junior swimming championships. Fifteen-year-old Callum, a pupil at Dycorts School in Harold Hill, now has his sights set on
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Hockey: Chelmsford win to move up to fifth place
Chelmsford put their Division One campaign back on track with a hard earned win over a durable Eastcote side at Chelmer Park on Saturday. With both sides needing the points to ease their concerns over achieving a top-eight finish this season, it was expected
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Tennis: Southend trio defeated in cup semi-finals
A trio of Southend tennis players were pipped at the post in the Hertz #1 Cup. Cary Willson, from Westcliff, took on Scotland's Neil Rayner in the semi-final of the mens' 35 and over singles match, but lost 7-6 6-4. Neil was defeated in the final by Nick
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Ladies soccer: Hat-trick steers Chelmsford to victory
Chelmsford City, sponsored by Olympic Introductions, kicked with a gale force wind at their backs during the first half of Sunday's match, and made the perfect start. Within a minute, Sarah Gammon, in her first game back from injury, fired home a shot
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Ladies Hockey: Chelmsford make a point
Chelmsford Highway battled it out for a well earned point at promotion rivals Canterbury on Saturday. With Chelmsford holding top spot, a point ahead of their hosts, it was naturally an important match for both teams. England International Mel Clewlow
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Ice hockey: Chelmsford's play-off place secured
Chelmsford Chieftains inflicted their third successive win over Invicta Dynamos as they cruised to the Premier League play-offs. A fine team display was capped by ace points scorers Andy Hannah, Jon Cotton and Dave Heavey who collected 13 points between
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Ice Hockey: Chelmsford beaten by the Blaze
Chelmsford Chieftains were unable to repeat their fine home victory over Solihull Blaze earlier this month as they went down 11-5 in the midlands on Sunday. Still without captain Jake French and with Karl Rogers out through injury, Jon Cotton captained
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Bowls: Young Burgess is best
The best short-mat bowler in Essex is aged just 16. Craig Burgess has won the Essex Championships singles title after a gruelling five-month tournament. The Brentwood teenager, who plays for East Hanningfield bowls club, beat Alan Jones from Canvey's
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Tendring councillor stands by 'corruption' allegation
A Tendring councillor has refused to back down over allegations of "corruption" he made against his own authority. Steve Henderson made the claims during a meeting of the full council and was challenged to prove it or withdraw it by council leader Tom
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Lawford: Roy Castle's widow honours youngsters
The widow of entertainer Roy Castle has visited Lawford to pay tribute to three young heroes. Rachel Gentry, 9, Carla Dawson and Daniel James, both 14, have been presented with awards from the Rotary Club of Manningtree Stour Valley for coping with serious
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Dog cruelty case: Ex-police sergeant loses appeal
A former Essex Police sergeant today lost his appeal over a conviction for dog cruelty. Andrew White, 38, former head of training at the force dog unit in Sandon, near Chelmsford, was sentenced to four months in prison in November after being found guilty
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Banned Jaywick driver gave false name to police
A woman gave police a false name on three occasions to try to cover up the fact she was a banned driver. Karen Firkins-Reed, 39, had been banned under the totting-up scheme in August 1997, but a court heard she was stopped by police three times between
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Miracle rescue of horse and foal
Miracle the horse earned her name by being brought to safety - after a six-hour ordeal. Firefighters and animal rescuers worked through the night to drag Miracle from a muddy ditch and a quarter-of-a-mile over marshes. The pregnant mare is now recovering
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Castle Point: Families urge blitz on yobs
Vandalism is an escalating problem in Castle Point which needs to be tackled urgently, according to concerned residents. Only yesterday (Thursday), a security guard on the seafront spotted a man allegedly stealing paving slabs and loading them into the
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Canvey man 'wanted to play with boy', court told
A man accused of trying to snatch a child from a shop has told a court - "I just wanted to play with him". Yue Ting Chan, 45, of Kenmore Close, Canvey, denies attempting to abduct a three-year-old from under his mother's nose in Woolworth's on the island
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Nightclubs: Picks of the week
COCO CUBA Where: Palace Hotel Ballroom When: Tomorrow What's on: There's more blue than a Tory party rally down the Palace this week as Coco-Cuba goes all Blue Movie on us. As far as themes go, it's fine, but don't ask what you should wear. Best stick
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Canvey: Teams rally round racist attack victim
A promising young footballer has vowed not to let racist thugs stop him playing his favourite sport. Concord Rangers striker Manny Williams was kicked in the face and had his watch stolen at Benfleet station by two robbers who bombarded him with racist
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Rochford: Licensing scheme for doormen
Nightclub doormen in Rochford are to be licensed under a county-wide scheme to regulate them, councillors have agreed. Under the scheme, doormen will be trained and checked for previous criminal convictions before being allowed to police the doors of
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Basildon's 'problem pupil' school plan
Basildon's Fairview special school has been earmarked to be transformed into a centre for some of the district's most unruly pupils. The school, which closed to pupils last summer, and will be used as a special teaching centre for youngsters with severe
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Man in court over Pitsea letter bomb
A man was appearing in court today in connection with the letter bomb sent to a Pitsea teenager earlier this week. Martin James Diggines, 37, has been charged with attempted murder and attempted to pervert the course of justice. Diggines, unemployed,
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Shoebury: Train splits on the move
A safety probe is under way after two carriages on an empty passenger train came apart as they were moved in a shunting yard in Shoebury. Experts were today (Friday) examining the coupling equipment on the slam-door train, built more than 30 years ago
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Eastwood: Former resident paedophile jailed
A paedophile who repeatedly abused two young girls over a period of several years is starting a seven-year jail sentence. Ivor Jensen, 53, a former lorry driver, was convicted by a jury of a series of offences including attempted rape, indecent assault
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Judo: Wickford club success down to DIY Pete
When something needs doing, do it yourself. That was martial arts expert Peter Hutchins' thinking when he searched in vain for a judo club for his son. Now, 17 years later, his son Adam is a black belt - and 63-year-old Peter, a judo fourth dan, is still
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Hockey: Issues still to be settled
It's end-of-season crunch time for several of the area's sides with plenty of promotion and relegation issues still to be settled. One of the closest to call is Division Two South of the Premier Holidays East League where leaders Braintree need victory
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Rugby: Chelmsford's championship hopes still alive
CANVEY ISLAND..........................................10 CHELMSFORD...............................................21 Chelmsford kept their title hopes alive on Saturday with a sound victory over close rivals Canvey Island and the win takes Chelmsford
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Soccer: Dyer consequences for Ipswich despite win
Gutsy Kieron Dyer played for 18 minutes and scored with a broken leg for Ipswich on Tuesday night. The 20-year-old midfielder who was recently called into the full England squad was carried off with a clean break to his left fibula (the outer bone) and
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Rugby: Brentwood avoid relegation
After the mauling that Brentwood had suffered at the hands of Barking in the Eastern Counties Cup the previous week Brentwood displayed a lot of character when they not only lifted their game but in so doing ensured that they are safe from relegation.
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Basildon: Council reassures residents over mental health unit
Anonymous letters are circulating a Basildon estate warning parents to lock up their children if a home for the mentally ill is built there. The strongly-worded letters posted to residents warns of paedophiles and dangerous criminals coming into the community
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'Grant' boost for Southend's Palace
Tough-talking EastEnders' star Ross Kemp has waded into the battle over the Palace Theatre, Westcliff, with an impassioned plea for its future. Ross, who plays Grant Mitchell, returned to his roots to try and safeguard the London Road theatre, where he
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Writtle: Baby Sophie weighed just 1lb
Tiny baby Sophie Richardson, whose weight dropped to just one pound, has proved that she is a real fighter. Sophie was born 13 weeks early, weighing only one and a half pounds. Now her parents, Lee and Jacqueline, both 27, of Writtle, are looking forward
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Woodham couple fight homes plan
A retired South Woodham couple have launched a protest campaign over plans to erect three large houses outside their back garden. Gordon and Alice Blower said they were very upset about the proposal which they said would put a "huge great obelisk" a few
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Essex speeding blitz 'a success'
A crackdown described as the toughest ever by traffic police in Essex -- in which "whining excuses" were not accepted -- will result in 11,619 drivers being prosecuted for exceeding the 30 and 40mph limits in the county. An Essex Police spokesman said
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Swimming: Fast-rising Canvey romp to new title
The Canvey Swimming Club success story continued this week when the Islanders splashed to victory in the Second Division of the Essex Winter League. After putting on a solid performance in the opening three rounds Canvey qualified for the overall league
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Rugby: Westcliff bid to upset Rochford
The Five Nations series has helped decimate the south Essex rugby scene this weekend - with two interesting exceptions. Essex Cup finalists Rochford visit long-standing rivals Westcliff in a friendly tomorrow, while newly-crowed Eastern Counties Two champions
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Soccer: Wadworth shock at FA decision
Colchester United manager Mick Wadsworth has been stunned by the news that Gillingham striker Carl Asaba has been let off a four match ban. The former United loan player was sent off along with U's defender David Greene after the pair clashed during the
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Cricket: County wait on Aussie squad
Essex are waiting with bated breath to see if their overseas star Stuart Law will be selected in Australia's final World Cup squad. The dashing Queensland run machine and useful medium pace bowler was named in the Aussie's original party of 19 earlier
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Soccer: Southend's Roach ready to reward Martin
New Southend United striker Neville Roach is aiming to get his Roots Hall career off to a quickfire start by shooting down Swansea City. Roach made his Shrimpers debut during last weekend's 3-0 defeat at promotion-chasing Cambridge United after joining
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Tennis: Essex boys win promotion
Essex boys won Group 3B of the LTA Junior Inter County Cup at Sunderland last week. Their wins over Nottinghamshire 8-1, Avon 7-2 and Northumberland 6-3, gave them the title and with it promotion. Tom Higgins of Gidea Park led the team effort from the
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Boxing: Evatts back on course
Matchroom boxers Darren Bruce and Richard Evatt recorded wins in Coventry on Friday evening. For Evatt, a win was crucial if he was to prove his first professional defeat, on points, at the hands of Smith Odoom in Poland a couple of weeks ago was merely
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Racing: Mudlarks at Marks Tey
It was a day for mudlarks when the Essex Farmers and Union hosted the first of this year's point-to-points at Marks Tey on Saturday. The going, officially soft with heavy patches, took its toll on many of the 90 runners, and invited a description from
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Soccer: Bramble set to sign for Spurs
Chelmsford City's prolific young goal scorer Tesfaye Bramble is expected to sign for Premier Division Tottenham Hotspur today (Friday), and could play his last game for City in tomorrow's home league match against Folkestone Invicta at Billericay. The
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Soccer: Born-again Nartey may hurt Billericay
Billericay Town know that helping striking star Joe Nartey regain his form may cost them dear at Aldershot on Saturday. Nartey, attracting interest from Football League clubs early in the season, came to New Lodge on loan at a low ebb at the start of
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Record entry expected at Woodham fun run
Organisers of the popular South Woodham Fun Run are expecting more entrants than ever before, in preparation for the Millennium Run. Kevin Starkey, from the South Woodham Round Table, which organises the fund-raising event, said the number of runners
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Maldon council tax set
Council tax payers in the Maldon district now know what they will be paying for the coming year. Maldon District councillors last night ratified the figures. A homeowner in a band D property will face a district council tax of £125, but when Essex County
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Hit squad saves pensioners' cash
Hundreds of old and disabled people are losing out on hundreds of thousands of pounds in benefits which they are entitled to by law. A welfare rights hit squad uncovered the missing money after a crackdown by Braintree Council. One disabled woman in Braintree
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Great Bentley move to stop heavy lorries
Moves are underway to stop heavy lorries thundering through Great Bentley. At a meeting of Great Bentley Parish Council on Thursday night, council leader Robert Taylor presented a report outlining the problems villagers faced. The council want restrictions
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Frating woman in tears at jail sentence
A woman sobbed and shook as she was jailed for three months for illegally claiming £8,000 in benefits. Sally Brivent-Barnes, 38, of Church Road, Frating, admitted four counts of false accounting, with 73 further offences taken into account at Colchester
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Colchester home's funding shortage
The third phase in a £1.9 million renovation project for the Balkerne Gardens complex in Colchester is under way. However, the Balkerne Gardens Trust, the charity which provides accommodation for the elderly, said this week it did not know where it would
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Bulldozing vandals wreck Colchester woodland
Bluebells and trees in Colchester woodland have been decimated by mystery vandals. Machinery has been brought in to bulldoze a wooded area off Layer Road in the town - but no-one knows who is responsible. Worried neighbours raised the alarm after they
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Stars to turn out for Southend pier charity gala
Stars of stage and screen are being lined up for a charity gala in aid of Southend's Pier Museum. Top comic Lee Evans -who is carving a niche as a Hollywood actor -- is just one of the names who could take part in the fundraising variety show. The idea
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Spotlight on Southend film students
Lights, camera, action! Southend media students have won a unique chance to showcase their work on the big screen in front of talent scouts from the British Film Industry. The undergraduates -- from South East Essex College - will watch screenings of
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South Essex fishermen welcome lifeline
Inependent fishermen in south Essex today welcomed a Government move to swell their catches as a great boost for the industry. They will now be allowed to catch an extra 50 tons of Dover sole off the east coast of Britain after years of being plagued
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How Cool Hand Luke, 7, had those silos beet
Seven-year-old Luke Taylor set off the blast that brought down Felsted's twin sugar silos at high noon on Sunday. The Felsted County Primary school pupil was chosen by Berisford Developments after winning a painting contest which secured a £1,000 first
