Archive
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Review of 1998 (South Essex)
JANUARY Southend United made the worst possible start to 1998 by slumping to the bottom of Division Two, just eight months after their relegation from the First Division. Blues boss Alvin Martin signed Spurs midfielder Kevin Maher and Leeds defender Richard
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Stars head for the seaside
Some of the biggest names from the stage and world of entertainment are on their way to the seaside. Legendary blues guitarist BB King, top opera singer Lesley Garrett, former EastEnders actress Letitia Dean and ageless charmer Paul Nicholas are all to
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What does the euro mean for us?
Economic fudging, shadowy bureaucrats in Brussels and some bloke called Oskar Lafontaine who wants to dictate our tax rates. To the average person living in south Essex it is difficult to know what to make of the new single currency, born at the start
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Christmas gift pony killed
Little Kirstie Benfield has been recovering from shock after her Christmas present pony was killed in an accident with a car. The black Welsh foal, called Shanty, was given to Kirstie, seven, by her mother in November. It was a joint birthday and Christmas
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Bank worker charged
A woman bank worker accused of cheating a hospital's charity trust out of £200,000 has been sent for trial by Basildon magistrates. Christine Pudney, 46, was alleged to have siphoned off the money from Thameside Community Healthcare Trust, based in Grays
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Chiefs meet minister over council tax cash
Top level talks aimed at getting a fairer deal for council taxpayers in Castle Point were due to take place today. A council delegation was set to meet Government minister Nick Raynsford to make representations on the borough's provisional finance settlement
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Corrosive chemicals stolen from school
Police have issued a warning to the public after burglars broke into a Basildon school and stole potentially-dangerous chemicals. An Essex Police spokesman said 25 litres of sodium hypochlorite had been stolen from Elmbrook School's swimming pool plant
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Review of 1998 (North Essex)
JANUARY Colchester United begin the year buried in mid-table and showing few signs of a promotion challenge. Their first match of the year ends in a 2-1 home defeat to Hartlepool. Manager Steve Wignall had already said he'd be "on his bike" if Pool finished
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Darts: A few games of arrows...
STEVE LEWIS went down to Purfleet's Circus Tavern to sample the delights of the PDC Skol World Darts Championship. He discovered a night of drinking, singing, chanting, oh, and a few games of arrows Darts may not exactly be sport at its finest but one
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Rugby: The kids are all right for Canvey
Few sports have changed more than rugby in the past 20 years and Canvey RFC is reaping a rich reward for evolving its youth set-up. The juniors and minis, formed by club founder member Roger Hulse in the late 1970s, have survived, then thrived, despite
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Soccer: Colchester home in on Scarborough striker
Scarborough striker Neil Campbell was set to sign for Colchester United on New Year's Eve. And the U's teenage midfielder David Rainford is moving in the opposite direction - until the end of the season. Powerfully built 22-year-old former York City goal-getter
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Soccer: Five star thriller sees Canvey cling on
Canvey and their Surrey hosts provided the sort of game which might delight fans, but is destined to give managers and coaches heart attacks. What was particularly surprising about this Ryman League Division One affair was that the two sides had managed
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Darts: Taylor wins 'greatest ever' tag after retaining crown
Phil Taylor, the 38-year-old Stoke maestro, won his seventh world title when he carried off the Skol PDC Championship for the fifth year in a row at Purfleet - to be universally acclaimed as the greatest player ever. Taylor beat Peter Manley, who missed
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Woman seriously hurt in A12 smash
A woman has been seriously hurt after her car left the A12 and was in collision with a tree. An Essex Police spokesman said the accident happened at about 8.55am today and involved a red Rover Metro travelling towards Chelmsford on the two-lane section
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Neighbours row as bedroom burns
Neighbours argued furiously in the street as a house fire swept through one floor of a Noak Bridge home during the last hours of 1998. The police riot van had to be called in to help quell the disturbance, which took place as flames and thick smoke spilled
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Review: Dick rocks on his way
Dick Whittington and his Kool Kool Kat is a brash, beaty rock 'n' roll panto for the nineties being premiered at the Queen's this Christmas. Dick's cat Tommy talks with her master via her saxophone and is very jealous of his romance with spunky Alice
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Elderly waiting for home improvements
The number of disabled and elderly people in Basildon waiting for much-needed work on their homes is amongst the highest in the county. One hundred people have been told they are eligible for help but are waiting for Basildon Council to start work. Tendring
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Panto guide
Cinderella Cliffs Pavilion, Southend Stars: Bobby Davro, Bella Emberg, Bob Carolgees Date: To Jan 16 Box Office: 01702 351135 Snow White . . .The True Story Theatre Upstairs, New Empire Theatre, Southend Strictly for adults only. Live music by The Hooky
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Pedestrian's death sparks police appeal
Police have named an 18-year-old pedestrian who died following a road accident in Colchester in the early hours of New Year's Day. James Piggot, of Drumfield, Stratford St Mary, died in Colchester General Hospital on Saturday. He had been involved in
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Secret donation aids Southend's blooms contest entry
Southend looks set to be represented in the prestigious Nations in Blooms finals in the Gulf this year after a secret £1,000 donation from a local company. The town is one of just a handful of entries from across the world that have been shortlisted in
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Police in cuffs SOS
Firefighters were called to Basildon police station - to free a youth from handcuffs. More used to freeing people from burning buildings than police cells, the Basildon crew was called out by sheepish officers after the cuffs jammed on an 18-year-old
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Council ready to paint the town
A much-vaunted community mural project spearheaded in Shoebury could be extended to other areas of the borough, it has been revealed. Councillors were poised to back new measures aimed at rejuvenating dingy subways across the town. Officials believe "
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Reward offered to find missing cats
A pet lover hoping to trace her two missing cats even contacted Cory's street cleaning service to see if the worst had happened. "They were sympathetic, but none of their crews had reported finding them," said desperate Melanie Croucher, of Southend.
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Police and lifeboats rescue sailors in high winds
A rescue operation involving lifeboats and the Essex Police helicopter had to be launched when high winds threw a yacht race into chaos. The dramatic rescue began at around 12.45pm yesterday off the coast of Southend, according to an Essex Police spokesman
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Arson probe after supermarket evacuated
A joint police and fire brigade investigation was today launched following a suspected arson attack on a Basildon supermarket. Customers at Asda, on the Pipps Hill industrial estate, were evacuated on Saturday after rubbish was set alight in a first floor
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Coastguard hits out after rescuing yachtsmen from gale
Organisers of a disastrous yacht race off Southend were fully aware of the weather forecast before they set sail, the coastguard claimed today. A major rescue operation was launched when the annual Brass Monkey race held by Leigh Sailing Club was lashed
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Hero PC crashes to avoid cyclists
A police driver was hailed a hero today after he smashed his patrol car to avoid mowing down three teenagers on bikes. One witness said it was "an act of God" that PC Dave Frost managed to swerve and miss the boys in the middle of the road. The 36-year-old
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Rugby: Southend scrape home...results round up
SOUTHEND 18 MALDON 15 A large number of Southend first-teamers were unavailable - and the seasiders' highly-mixed side were somewhat fortunate to clinch victory against their worthy visitors. A very strong wind, which Southend had to their advantage in
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Soccer: Shrimpers must find killer instinct
Why are Southend United not walking their way to promotion from the Third Division? Chester City's fans can give you the answer to that question straight away - the Shrimpers just cannot finish teams off. Blues battered a mediocre Chester side for the
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Soccer: Draws are not enough says Southend goal hero
Last-gasp goal hero Rob Newman was anything but a happy man on Saturday even though his dramatic injury time strike earned Southend United a 1-1 draw at Chester City. The central defender continued his extraordinary goal-scoring exploits for the Shrimpers
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Youth soccer: Cupids through in Junior Trophy
The Southend Borough Combination programme was again decimated by the weather on Saturday with 19 games off, but two Essex Junior Trophy matches were played. Cupids Country Club 2nd went to their Thorpe Athletic counterparts in an all Combination affair
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Revellers see funny side of the new year
Revellers saw in the new year in relatively quiet fashion throughout south Essex and across Britain. Around 90,000 people flocked to the traditional London celebration point Trafalgar Square where police said it was a "fairly quiet night". Eleven people
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Stansted expansion plans set for big take off
Key plans for a £200m expansion of Stansted airport which will create 5,000 new jobs should be given the green light in the next few weeks. Chiefs at Stansted are expecting to be given local authority planning permission for the expansion in February.
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Police winning war on the train yobs
Yobs who terrorise train passengers appear to have got the message that their behaviour simply won't be tolerated, police have claimed. Undercover operations by British Transport Police this time last year yielded firearms, drugs and dozens of arrests
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Angling: "Fish watch" scheme to thwart smugglers
A crime-busting "fish watch" scheme is expanding by trying to thwart smugglers introducing fish to Essex rivers. Since Essex Angling Watch was launched a year ago it has helped clamp down on theft and a number of arrests have been made. And now it is
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It's an honour for sport stars
A host of sports stars have been rewarded in the New Near Honours. England pace bowler Angus Fraser, the hero of last summer when he took 54 test wickets, gets an MBE. Fraser is regarded as the best England fast bowler of his generation. Former England
