Archive
-
Date
Southend: Splash out on a wedding with a difference!
Poolside weddings may soon be held in Southend. Civil marriages could take place at all the town's leisure centres if a bid by the council to have them registered is successful. The authority wants to offer brides and grooms a choice of at least 15 locations
-
Date
Colchester set for multiplex cinema
Colchester is set to have an eight-screen Warner Bros multiplex cinema in the former Post Office building in time for the start of the new millennium. The last but one cinema application on the table pulled out of the race last night, leaving only Warner
-
Date
Help rescue snagged geese call
Animal lovers have made a desperate plea for help in rescuing geese made lame by fishing line. They were furious and claimed the RSPCA and Basildon Council had not taken responsibility and done more to help the birds on water at Lake Meadows in Billericay
-
Date
Capleton aims to be Blues' No 1
Mel Capleton is determined to prove himself as Southend United's number one goalkeeper by keeping his close pal Martyn Margetson out of Blues' first team. The 25-year-old grabbed his chance to shine with both hands following an impressive Roots Hall league
-
Date
Soccer: Witham win with last-gasp penalty
Witham had two half-chances in the first five minutes but Adam Morrish failed to connect properly with his shot. A low shot from Wayne Vaughan was easily saved by Mark Teasdale, the home keeper. These proved to be the only chances Witham had during the
-
Date
Soccer: Swifts leave it late
Enfield were the visitors to Heybridge on Saturday, bringing with them a recent record of six wins on the trot which has taken them up to fifth in the league. Heybridge were without the suspended Nicky Simpson, but welcomed back Alex Fiddes to the starting
-
Date
Soccer: Rampant Billericay in goal glut
Billericay Town laid a couple of ghosts to rest as they boosted their bid for a high finish in the Ryman League Premier Division. After managing just two goals in their past seven games, they went to a Dulwich side in danger of being sucked into the relegation
-
Date
Uproar over beach hut rent rise
Dozens of beach hut tenants will be lobbying councillors tomorrow not to up their rents by a planned 76 per cent. They are furious about the massive increase which the council claims is to bring it in line with the fees charged by other east coast resorts
-
Date
Travel operators wait for Turkey all-clear
Travel agents in south Essex were today waiting for advice from the Foreign Office on whether to continue to take bookings for Turkey. It was business as usual today but they were closely monitoring the situation in the light of an escalating terrorist
-
Date
Independently minded . . .
TOM KING meets architect Brian Lee who, while loving holidays abroad, can see no good reason to be a member of the EU Few people who read 1984, George Orwell's vision of a totalitarian state ruling all humanity with the ruthlessness of a Stalin and Hitler
-
Date
Councillors back Stansted Airport growth proposals
Councillors in Braintree have backed proposals to increase the amount of aircraft using Stansted Airport, despite concerns about inadequate public transport. As part of a consultation by the Government, Braintree District Council has raised no objections
-
Date
Chelmsford plans spectacular millennium show
A huge firework and laser show will see in the millennium in Chelmsford, it has been revealed. The county town is expected to be buzzing with thousands of people at midnight on December 31 as the cathedral becomes the focal point for celebrations. Video
-
Date
Airport star in 'stroke scare'
Airport star Jeremy Spake has been ordered to rest after a suspected stroke. The larger-than-life Aeroflot supervisor - who shot to fame in the BBC1 docu-soap - became seriously ill as he travelled from his Great Bentley home to work at Heathrow. He said
-
Date
Rise and fall of county jobless
Jobless figures went into an erratic spin across south Essex today with some areas seeing an increase and other areas seeing a strong fall in unemployment. In Southend, the number of people claiming benefits last month went down by 163 to 4,759 compared
-
Date
Horseriders blamed for damage to woods
Moves to control the riding of horses in Billericay's two nature reserves have been approved by councillors. New bylaws designed to control the use of Norsey Woods and Mill Meadows will, when finalised, allow horseriding only in designated areas in the
-
Date
Joy for drivers as A13 works finish
Weary users of the A13 can treat themselves to a lie-in, thanks to a hard-working road maintenance team. Roadworks costing £750,000, between Pitsea's Tesco and the Five Bells roundabout, have been completed two weeks early, meaning drivers no longer have
-
Date
Father vows to ignore Braintree cemetery ban
A grieving father says he is prepared to go to jail so he can keep putting flowers on his son's grave. Great Cornard Parish Council is threatening to ban Tony Tatam, of Bradford Street, Braintree, from visiting his son's grave. It says the floral grave
-
Date
Cycling: Massive entry for the Grand Prix of Essex
The Chiron Diagnostics Grand Prix of Essex cycle race will take place on Sunday. The race will cover its usual gruelling course of 102 miles in and around Halstead, and this year it will be the biggest ever seen in East Anglia. This time there will be
-
Date
Rugby: Burnham triumph after non-stop action
Burnham took control from the outset. The first try came for Burnham after backs Neil Murray, Lawrence and Bennett linked well - the end result of Bennett running an early try in. This was then repeated after the restart with Finn finding space to run
-
Date
No fisherman's tale thanks to Eddie's wife
Eddie Barrett certainly put his name in the frame when he fished a session at the Warren, Stanford-le-Hope. Eddie, from Kingswood, Basildon, was fishing in only two-and-a-half feet of water when he landed a huge 33lb pike on his 12lb line. However, although
-
Date
Mother's plea to catch gang
A mother has appealed for help to catch a gang who attacked her 12-year-old son in an alleyway. Peter Crowden, who is only able to attend Colbayns High School in Clacton part-time because of a rare disease, was left with a black eye and other injuries
-
Date
Disbelief as pupils are taught to use shotguns
A secondary school has been giving pupils lessons on how to shoot live game. Helena Romanes School, Dunmow, has been teaching sixth formers how to handle 12-bore shotguns, shoot clay pigeons and pheasants as part of a country pursuits project. Headteacher
-
Date
Illegal immigrants found in lorry
Police were called after eight suspected illegal immigrants leapt out of a lorry delivering to the New Holland tractor plant on Tuesday. The European lorry, believed to have made its way from Germany and Italy, pulled up to the security gates at the plant
-
Date
Help for fire tragedy girl
A nine-year-old girl who escaped a house blaze in which her mother died is picking up the pieces of her ruined life. Relatives have expressed thanks for the support given to little Elisa Wheatley by complete strangers as she tries to come to terms with
-
Date
Radio One snubs Southend
Radio One's crowd-pulling roadshow is not coming to Southend this year, it was revealed today. Thousands of fans look set to be disappointed after the station announced it was pulling the plug on the seaside venue. It is likely Essex is going to be left
-
Date
Webber raps Times after Basildon is slated
Town leaders have responded after The Times slated Basildon as a place bursting with criminals. Journalist Robin Young's article panning the town was accompanied by a cartoon which showed the Queen - who visited Basildon on Friday - staring at a pile
-
Date
Colin makes it a day to remember
Rather than say it with flowers, Colin Gray chose a more dramatic way to express his feelings on Mother's Day. Colin painted the words "I love my mum" on the side of his 8ft by 6ft trailer and drove round to his mother's house. Mum Emily was waiting on
-
Date
Brett brace sparks Canvey double joy
Canvey Island's soccer kings had double reason to celebrate last night. Firstly they won their way through to their first ever Essex Senior Cup final when they triumphed 3-0 in a seaside special at Clacton. Then they heard news that two of their main
-
Date
Swimming: Lee excels at Canvey Island
Braintree & Bocking Swimming Club members attended the Canvey Island spring meet on Sunday with the best results being achieved by Lee Sibley in the 14 year age group. Lee raced to first place in the 50m free, breast and the 100m individual medley
-
Date
Cash bid for tragic triplets
A childhood friend of tragic triplets mum Jane England, who died just six days after giving birth, is planning to run a fund-raising marathon. Jane, 30, from Kents Hill Road, Benfleet, died from heart failure at Southend Hospital on December 7 leaving
-
Date
Fire drama in Colchester garage
Bosses at a Colchester garage were today counting the cost of a fire in one of its workshops. Two cars were left burnt out and extensive smoke damage caused to the inside of a building used for body work repairs at the Dovercourt Motor Company in Barrack
-
Date
Boxing: Boxer's tragic death
The world of boxing has suffered a tragic loss following the death of Richie Edwards at the age of 29. An accomplished amateur, southpaw Edwards challenged Basildon favourite Georgie Smith for the Southern Area light welterweight title at York Hall, Bethnal
-
Date
Soccer: Southend boss sees red
Alvin Martin slammed referee Mark Warren for costing Southend United three points after Rob Newman and Mark Beard were red-carded during Saturday's goalless Roots Hall draw with Exeter City. The defensive duo both picked up a double serving of yellow
-
Date
Soccer: Nine-man Blues hold out for draw
Nine-man Southend United battled bravely for a point against Exeter City on Saturday as they kept their fourth consecutive clean sheet on home turf. Carlisle's Steve Finney was the last opposition player to find the net at Roots Hall on January 23, and
-
Date
Soccer: Main faces angry Southend fans
Southend United chairman John Main faced angry Blues fans at a specially arranged meeting at Boots and Laces after Saturday's 0-0 draw against Exeter City. Supporters demanded answers about the Third Division club's future following the imminent sale
-
Date
Soccer: Colchester boss slams Macclesfield pitch
Colchester United boss Mick Wadsworth has slammed Macclesfield Town's Moss Rose pitch as "The worst I have ever seen for a Football League match." Angered and frustrated by his team's powder-puff performance when surrendering their eight-match unbeaten
-
Date
Cricket: Flanagan to the fore
Essex batsman Ian Flanagan figured prominently in his first draw of the season on Friday. But the Colchester and East opener did not need bat, gloves and helmet for this particular contest. Flanagan, recently returned from a tour of New Zealand with the
-
Date
Basketball: Wildcats are tamed by Scorpions
This was a very tough and physical encounter for both teams. The game started evenly with both teams working hard on defence and matching each other point for point for the first 10 minutes. Then an excellent run of scores for Scorpions, inspired by Lyn
-
Date
Soccer: Pressure is showing on Braintree
Looking a mere shadow of the side that was going so strongly only a month ago, Braintree saw their diminishing promotion chances take a knockout blow when they were well beaten by fellow contenders at Oxford. This was a game Iron just had to win if they
-
Date
Monica proves a hit - but only for an hour!
She is quite probably the most famous woman in the world - and for at least an hour or so Essex agreed. Hundreds queued outside County Bookshop at Lakeside in the hope of catching at least a glimpse of Monica Lewinsky. Journalists and photographers jostled
-
Date
Yachting: Maldon sailors at world championships
Maldon Yacht Club will have two representatives at this summer's world championships in Southern Spain. The husband and wife team of Tim and Kay Tavinor and brothers Iain and Richard Marshall confirmed last week that they will both be at Mar Menor in
-
Date
Burglar punches victim in struggle
A 50-year-old man was today recovering after he tried to stop a burglar breaking into his house. The victim went out yesterday evening and when he returned to his home in Fairview Gardens, Leigh, at around 9.30pm, he saw somebody helping himself to his
-
Date
Look mum - I'm walking!
A seven-year-old girl suffering from cerebral palsy is just a few steps away from making the walk of her life. Vickie Bristow's parents were told their daughter would be confined to a wheelchair for life when she was born. Now the brave Basildon youngster
