Archive
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Rise and fall of south Essex jobless
Jobless figures went into an erratic spin across south Essex yesterday 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
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Pitsea: 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
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Fire drama in Colchester garage
Bosses at a Colchester garage have been 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
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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
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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
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Burglar punches victim in struggle
A 50-year-old man is recovering after he tried to stop a burglar breaking into his house. The victim went out on Tuesday evening and when he returned to his home in Fairview Gardens, Leigh, at around 9.30pm, he saw somebody helping himself to his belongings
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Bike hijackers strike in Southend
Police are appealing for the public's help in tracking down two bicycle hijackers who have struck in the Southend area. An Essex Police spokesman said the first incident happened at 4pm yesterday in Westcliff, at the junction of London Road and Fairmead
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Radio One snubs Southend
Radio One's crowd-pulling roadshow is not coming to Southend this year, it was revealed yesterday. 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
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Billericay High Street 'rape' claim
Angry councillors have demanded action to stop the 'rape' of Billericay High Street. With more of the town centre's traditional retailers being forced out to make way for restaurants and take-aways, the Billericay area committee has insisted immediate
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Brentwood: Council leader resigns
The Leader of Brentwood Borough Council's Conservative Group, Cllr Valerie Fletcher, has resigned. The shock news came on Tuesday night with members of her group being informed by letter on Wednesday morning. Speaking exclusively to This Is Essex Cllr
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Rochford pupil in car fire drama
A brave schoolboy was today hailed a hero after he helped to rescue a man from a burning car. Christopher Vernon, a pupil at the King Edmund School in Rochford, has been commended by Rayleigh traffic police. Christopher, 14, of Anne Boleyn Drive, Rochford
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Southend: Grounded - in the airport mud
One trip from Southend Airport was over before it began when this plane became a stick in the mud. As the Boeing 757 taxied up the runway, its wheels went off track and ended up in a ditch. The emergency services were called to the incident on Wednesday
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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
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Soccer: Ipswich's Magilton deal in the balance
Ipswich's signing of Jim Magilton hangs in the balance today as the player asks for more time, while the club insist the next 24 hours are crucial. Blues' chairman David Sheepshanks insisted the club were doing all they could to secure Magilton's signature
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Judo: Richard sets his sights high
British judo champion Richard Blanes sets his sights on the next level this weekend when he competes in an international event in Poland. The 26-year-old schoolteacher is hoping to pick up enough points to earn himself a place in the World Championship
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Southend: Drama group in protest at Cliffs
The last major amateur dramatic society to use the Cliffs Pavilion claims it has been forced to pull out because it costs too much. Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society (SODS) has blamed declining audiences for the decision, but claims it would be able
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Harold Wood: Parents call for crossing
Harold Wood parents, devastated by the death of local schoolgirl Kari East, are demanding a pelican crossing near the site where she died last month. Pediatric nurse Sharon Moull and parents Tracey Andrews and Nicola Mason, presented a 200-signature petition
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Soccer: Murphy court claim due
Judgement was due to be announced today in former Southend United manager Colin Murphy's claim against Blues in the High Court. Murphy is alleging that the Roots Hall club owe him a sum of over £70,000 in respect of his cut from the move which took Stan
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Soccer: Southend keeper may move
Southend United's out-of-favour goalkeeper Martyn Margetson is set to have transfer talks with Second Division Blackpool today. The 27-year-old is believed to have become unhappy at Southend ever since he lost his first-team place to rookie keeper Mel
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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
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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
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Squash: Mixed fortunes for Brentwood
Having been narrowly beaten into second place in the national schools squash finals in 1998, Brentwood School's Under 19 boys' and girls' squads entered this year's finals at Winchester last week with total commitment. The boys hit top form to defeat
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Soccer: Pether saves Brentwood's day
This was an interesting game, with play swinging from end to end throughout the 90 minutes. Basildon thought they had taken the lead when from a free kick Hewes hit a fierce shot onto the underside of the crossbar. Just like in the 1966 World Cup final
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Rugby: Billericay's 'town on terraces' appeal
Billericay's victorious rugby team want the town on the terraces as they seek to rekindle sporting glory days on the hallowed turf of Twickenham. As the dust settles after their close-fought 18-6 win over Scarborough at the Willowbrook ground on Saturday
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Fencing: Chelmsford's Pryor gets GB call-up
Tom Pryor, a 17-year-old Brentwood School champion fencer, has been selected in the Great Britain Under 17 Epee team to compete in the World Championships in Hungary next month. Tom, who lives in Chelmsford, is ranked No 2 Epee fencer in Britain in the
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Soccer: Collins is a chip off the old Iorfa block
It was certainly a case of "like father like son" as Trinity Juniors won their way through to the Southend Junior League cup finals for the first time in 10 years. For scorer of both their goals in a 2-0 win over Outwood Common Youth was Collins Iorfa
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Colchester: Pupils receive techno lowdown
Pupils from ten north Essex secondary schools have been converging on Colchester Institute. They have been discovering the wealth of job opportunities which exist in the world of technology. The youngsters have attended workshops which form part of the
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Closure threat averted at Clacton home
A vital facility for the deaf and blind is battling back against the threat of closure. St Anne's Holiday Home in Harold Road, Clacton, was hit by falling numbers and looked as though it could be forced to shut a year ago. But with usage having jumped
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Anger at plan to extend Colchester club's hours
Angry residents are campaigning against plans to open Colchester's Hippodrome nightclub until 3am. The new owners of the High Street club - soon to change its name to Zeus 2000 - want to extend the opening times for an extra hour each night. They have
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Council's computer used to view porn
A county councillor resigned as chairman of the Essex Fire Authority because his son accessed internet pornography from a council-owned computer, it was revealed today. Labour's Tony Wright, also a Castle Point councillor, had already admitted that the
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Billericay: 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
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Basildon teenager missing
Police are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of a missing 16-year-old from Nigeria who had been staying with a foster carer in Basildon. An Essex Police spokesman said Irene Loloko, who flew into Britain via Stansted Airport on September
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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
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Maldon burglaries spark police warning
Police are urging householders to ensure their homes are secure after the latest spate of burglaries in the Maldon area. An Essex Police spokesman said the latest theft happened between 1.30pm and 4.30pm yesterday at a property in Lower Burnham Road,
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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
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Girl's terror of Pitsea sex stalker
A 12-year-old girl was left so traumatised by a man who exposed himself and followed her she kept the horrendous experience secret for a week. The youngster, who lives in Pitsea, was walking to Chalvedon School in Wickford Avenue when the man struck on
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Police hunt for Harold Wood car sniper
Harold police are reopening the hunt for a phantom sniper who has been terrorising drivers in Harold Wood. Terrified drivers in Harold Court Road have been left covered in broken glass after air rifle pellets shattered their windscreens. However police
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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
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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
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Table tennis: Rawreth storm to brink of title
In the Premier Division of the Southend Table Tennis League Rawreth A have virtually clinched the title after thrashing RESSC A 8-1. However, the electric men didn't help their cause by turning up with only two players against the formidable Rawreth line-up
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Soccer: Richard joins Colchester
French defender Fulvio "Fabrice" Richard is set to become Colchester United manager Mick Wadsworth's second foreign signing in successive days. And the U's boss, who yesterday signed Jose Antunes Fumaca until the end of the season, revealed that he is
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Queen's Southend visit: BBC rapped
Southend's council boss today delivered a blistering attack on BBC television for ignoring the Queen's historic visit to the borough. Chief executive and town clerk George Krawiec fired the broadside after Newsroom South East cut Southend out of its coverage
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Essex callers' protest at Sun contest
Telly addicts were today distraught after being told their dreams of a major cash prize lay in tatters. Several readers phoned This Is Essex partner paper The Evening Echo yesterday, claiming they had won prizes on the Sun's Who Wants to be a Millionaire
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Benfleet: Affair caused depression, court told
Married life suddenly turned sour when Ian Chidgey's wife Julie discovered he was having an affair. They argued and fought so much that both finished up with depression and mental health problems, a court heard. Matters came to a head when Chidgey, 35
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North Weald: School crossing mum wins fight
A mother's campaign to protect children from road dangers in North Weald has ended in victory. Pat Bracey was this week celebrating a county council decision to provide a school crossing patrol in the village. She said: "I'm delighted. It's the end of
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Essex waste anger spills over
Campaigners battling against the Essex waste plan have hit back at accusations that they are simply scaremongering. The charges follow a rally at County Hall in Chelmsford on Saturday when protestors from Ongar and North Weald joined hundreds demonstrating
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Brentwood: EastEnder Ross beats killer disease
Brentwood's EastEnder's star Ross Kemp has been at the centre of a life-threatening health scare after fighting off the potentially fatal disease malaria. The 34-year-old, who plays Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap, spent four days in the Princess Grace
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Soccer: Docherty tips Colchester to beat Man City
Legendary Scotland and Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty has backed the U's to beat Manchester City and for the Reds to win the European Champion's League. Speaking after a dinner at Stanway Rovers, Docherty said: "Manchester City are on a bit
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Speedway: New season starts tonight
The tapes go up on the new speedway season at Foxhall Stadium tonight (7.30pm) when 1998 treble winners Ipswich Witches take on the Oxford Cheetahs in a Craven Shield encounter. After the effects of the Elite League winter points limit reduction there
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Boxing: Ayers is on top of the world
Romford-based Matchroom Boxing has a new world champion - lightweight Michael Ayers. And what an inspired performance he produced to claim the vacant IBO world title after knocking out gutsy Columbian Luis Florez! Promoter Barry Hearn may not have been
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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
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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
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Table tennis: Spectacular results for Brentwood academy
All seven table tennis teams from Peniel Academy, Brizes Park, Brentwood, returned as National Champions after the National Schools Table Tennis Championships, held at Kesteven and Grantham Table Tennis Centre in Grantham. The seven teams had qualified
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Swimming: County contest continues
Killerwhale swimmer Jodie Swallow was unable to compete fully in the second round of the Essex Swimming Championships last weekend, due to an athletic commitment. Nevertheless she made her mark in the three events on the Sunday, at Fullwell Cross Pool
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Basketball: Battle of big cats
Leopards returned to Brentwood, in what was billed as the battle of the Big Cats. After dominating the first half, the Leopards fell victim to a lethal combination of the Tigers John McCord and some bizarre refereeing calls. As a result, the Tigers came
