Archive
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Tendring: Don't bank on a 2000 taxi!
Millennium celebrations in Tendring could be thrown into chaos with no taxis available. A bid to allow drivers to triple their fares was rejected by Tendring Council and branded "extortionate". Now John Brigden, chairman of the Tendring Taxi Association
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Lorry drivers plan Essex road chaos in tax protest
Lorry drivers are planning to bring traffic to a halt at Easter in protest over the Government's increase in diesel prices and vehicle excise duty. John Tye and Gordon Stacey plan to head a convoy of lorries driving slowly from Harwich along the A120,
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Guild members turn back clock
Townswomen's Guild members dressed for the occasion when they marked 70 years of the formation of the movement. The South East Essex Federation of Townswomen's Guilds was holding its annual general meeting as well as celebrating the special anniversary
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Drugs cash could help fight crime
Government minister George Howarth promised that cash seized in raids on dealers could soon be ploughed back into the fight against drugs. Mr Howarth, Under Secretary of State for Home Affairs, made the pledge on a visit to Clacton Police Station. The
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Southend: No more lollipops for Margaret
Lollipop lady Margaret Luckett has bid a tearful goodbye to the thousands of youngsters she helped get safely to school. For 32 years, the 70-year-old has been a regular sight ferrying pupils cross East Street to St Mary's C of E Primary School in Southend
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Ross to leave EastEnders
Eastenders' hard man Ross Kemp is making a controversial channel switch in a reported £1.2 million deal. The Albert Square star, who plays Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap, is said to have dedicated the next ten years to rival channel ITV. Believed to have
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Soccer: Prince Avenue's kit deal raises the roof!
The soccer boys of Westcliff's Prince Avenue Primary School always welcome a night on the tiles! For the UK's leading ceramic tiles retailer, Topps Tiles, has extended its youth football programme with kit sponsorship for the team at the school in Hornby
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Rugby: First silverware for Mersea
Mersea Island RFC finally won their first piece of silverware in the club's 10-year history, winning the final of the Suffolk Plate. In a tense and exhilarating final, both teams competed passionately 'til the final whistle on Sunday, with the Islanders
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Great Baddow: Animal hospital plan sparks row
Angry residents from Great Baddow stormed out of a meeting about proposed plans to use a local RSPCA shop as an animal hospital. The meeting of the Chelmsford Council development control sub-committee had to be closed temporarily after upset locals marched
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Southend Carnival gives away £18,000
More than £18,000 has been handed out by leaders of Southend Carnival Association. Up to 44 different charities from around the town will benefit from the money thanks to the crowds and fundraisers at last year's carnival. A total of £18,100 profit was
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Witham station's £100,000 facelift
Witham commuters have welcomed the start of a £100,000 refurbishment of the town's railway station. Work has started on the first phase of the station's facelift, which is part of a £9 million Great Eastern Railway investment programme across the network
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Thundersley: 'Thieves wrecked our school garden'
Children who spent hours creating a special garden at their school were today broken-hearted after thieves dug up their plants. Pupils at the Thundersley Junior and Infant School gave up their play times to plant dozens of flowers and shrubs around the
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Bellamy in Braintree
Celebrity naturalist, David Bellamy, paid a visit to Braintree on Friday. As well as attending a concert at St Michael's Church, he met schoolchildren and students at Braintree District Museum where he judged a competition to submit an environmental project
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A127 Rayleigh Weir 'most polluted road in region'
The A127 at Rayleigh Weir has been named and shamed as the most polluted stretch of road in East Anglia. Friends of the Earth claims the latest data from Government air quality scientists shows the section of the Southend Arterial Road has levels of nitrogen
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Teachers' pay deal rapped by Southend schools
Offering teachers more money if they reach set targets could lead to 'unhealthy competition' and stress on pupils, it has been claimed. The Government suggestion that teachers should receive performance-related pay has received an overwhelming thumbs-down
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Canvey: Police caught in gang fight
Police today revealed how officers were forced to protect an injured victim during a gang fight outside a Canvey nightclub. An officer was called to Kings Club on the island and found a youngster suffering from a wound to the side of his face. While the
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Tiptree: Banana beef leaves jam firm in a pickle
Essex's famous jam-makers could be hit by a US ban which started with the banana war and has moved on to beef. Tiptree-based Wilkin and Sons, which has traded with America since the turn of the century, stands to lose seven per cent of its annual turnover
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Corringham: Swimming party girl in pool rescue
A mum who rescued her daughter from drowning is demanding an inquiry into a leisure centre's safety procedures. Seven-year-old Charlotte Ling was one of 30 guests at a children's birthday party at the pool at Corringham Leisure Centre when she found herself
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School sport: Thorpe Bay's four-midable cross-country show
Four boys from Thorpe Bay's Alleyn Court School performed with distinction in the Independent Schools Association national cross-country championships and helped East Anglia to win the under-12 boys' title. They all collected gold and an individual silver
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Cricket: Law left out of Aussie World Cup squad
Essex cricket was handed a massive boost today with the omission of their overseas star Stuart Law from Australia's final World Cup squad. Law was one of four players left out of the Aussies' original 19 - the other three being Test openers Michael Slater
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Wickford: Wanderer William walks into trouble
Witless William the cat walked right into trouble when he went on one of his usual wanders. The six-year-old puss managed to get himself covered in filler and fibreglass after strolling into a garage at the back of his home in Highcliffe Drive, Wickford
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Canvey prepares for giant trucks
Two key bridges on Canvey are among the first in the county to undergo vital strengthening work demanded by Brussels bureaucrats, it was revealed today. A European ruling has demanded that all bridges in Britain must be able to withstand the weight of
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Angling: Sea of plenty as big cod falls to Marlin
Hadleigh angler Tony Lambert landed this superb cod while fishing aboard his own boat White Marlin. In fact good fishing is in prospect all round as catches improve throughout the area. Decent numbers of good cod are now being taken. 15 fish to 9lb were
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Soccer: One goal enough for Braintree
One goal was enough to earn Braintree three valuable points and put an end to the run of six games without a victory which had all but quashed their promotion hopes. The chances of Iron finishing in the top three remains on the slim side although a few
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Soccer: Beacon Hill's sweet revenge
Table-topping Rovers travelled to OC's looking to extend their unbeaten run and to gain revenge for a shock cup defeat earlier in the season. Starting for the first time in four months was Steve Hennessey who resumed his long and successful midfield partners
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Southend fraudster jailed for stock theft
A fraudster who "looted" stock from his own companies was today beginning a two-and-a-half year jail sentence. Fancy goods merchant, Paul Westwood, 34, made sure there were no assets left for creditors to seize when his companies went into liquidation
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Dengie: Help for heart attack sufferers
The British Heart Foundation looks set to receive help from Maldon District Council in buying equipment to help heart attack sufferers in the Dengie area. The leisure services committee recommended last week that £1,550 be given towards the cost of a
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Colchester: Can some good come out of a wasted life?
There was a sense of deja vu. Despite warnings, despite a history of violence, despite previous court appearances, a mentally-ill patient had killed a man. He was let down by the system, the independent inquiry found. Little comfort to the family of the
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Colchester primary schools survey
A major survey on the future of primary schools in Colchester is about to start. The town currently has more than 1,000 empty places in its 38 primary, infant and junior schools -but pupils are still being taught in portable classrooms. Essex County Council
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Bocking: New campaign for church restoration
A fund-raising campaign has been launched by St Mary's Church, Bocking, to boost its £300,000 restoration appeal. Under the Millennium Challenge, people are being asked to buy shares in the church. In return, their donations will be recorded in a book
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Soccer: Brazilian staying, insists Colchester boss
Brazilian ace Jose Antunes Fumaca is still a Colchester United player. U's boss Mick Wadsworth, who snapped up the exciting ball-playing wizard from Brazilian club Celonuse, insisted yesterday Fumaca has not signed for Barnsley yet whatever the first
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Heybridge: Come home plea to missing pregnant girl
The mother of a pregnant teenager missing from her Heybridge home, has made an emotional plea for her to come home. Melissa-Jane Rowe, 15, who is ten weeks pregnant, has not been seen since March 13 and is believed to be in London with her boyfriend.
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Getting their fill of service
For many disabled people being able to get about in their own car is an independence to be cherished. But with the almost universal switch to self-service in petrol stations getting fuel can prove to a real obstacle. With the help of disabled driver Martin
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Hague joins calls for Southend bypass
Tory leader William Hague has thrown his weight behind calls for a new Southend outer bypass. On a whistle-stop tour of Southend yesterday, the former Welsh Secretary backed the blueprint to ease the borough's transportation crisis. He said MP Sir Teddy
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Mountnessing: Fatal crash on A12
A woman was killed and two men were injured today when a car left the A12 at Mountnessing and burst into flames. An Essex Police spokesman said the accident happened at 1.25am on the London-bound track, when a Peugeot left the carriageway, crossed the
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Vandals may force Wickford surgery to close
A Wickford doctor has warned residents to show some community spirit or lose their vandal-hit surgery. Dr John Harriott said people must keep their eyes and ears open to prevent the hooligans from striking again. Otherwise staff would have no choice but
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Basildon Council set to offload housing
Cash-strapped Basildon Council looks set to save money by offloading homes which need major repair work. The authority hopes to make a dent in its estimated £1.3 million housing debt for the next financial year by transferring properties to a housing
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Essex waste site plan may be binned
An almighty show of people power may be on its way to ruling out new waste sites for Essex. Essex County Council could be set to pull the plug on current plans for eight major waste sites after coming under fire from thousands of outraged residents across
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Soccer: Duo to leave Southend?
Scottish striker Alex Burns and winger Adrian Clarke are the two players most likely to leave Roots Hall before tomorrow's transfer deadline, Southend United boss Alvin Martin revealed today. Burns, who joined Third Division Blues from Dutch side Heracles
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Soccer: Magilton plumps for Ipswich
Just as the saying goes, behind every great man stands a woman. And Ipswich fans will be grateful Colette Magilton gave her approval for husband Jim to make his move to Portman Road permanent. Magilton, 29, took more than a week to make his mind up to
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Moves for chess to become sport
After a near thousand year wait one of the world's oldest and most popular pastimes is set to be recognised as a genuine sport. Chess, which is believed to have originated in the 12th century, could soon be rubbing shoulders with the likes of football
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Colchester: Troops in barracks breakout
Soldiers in fancy dress launched a dash for freedom today during a mock jailbreak. The wacky stunt, organised by troops from 210 Signal Squadron, aims to boost the coffers of the Army Benevolent Fund. Fifteen soldiers broke out of the Goojerat Barracks
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Wickford: In Lewis's memory
Friends and family of Lewis Roche, 14, the Wickford schoolboy who died suddenly of a rare virus earlier this year, are staging a charity concert in his memory at Beauchamps School tonight. It will include songs by Lewis's father, Brian, poems by his girlfriend
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Benfleet: Tackling life after soccer
Feelings will be running high when a student play kicks off at King John School tonight and tomorrow. Zigger Zagger tells the story of Harry Philton. His life is dominated by football, violence and the leader of the City supporters, Zigger Zagger. A spokesman
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Soccer: Burns explains decision to quit Southend
Alex Burns today revealed the heartbreak behind his decision to quit Southend United and return home to Scotland. The 25-year-old striker signed a two-year contract with Blues during the summer after joining the Shrimpers on a free transfer from Dutch
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Soccer: Watson condemns Billericay to heavy loss
Billericay Town will be glad to see the back of Ryman League Premier Division favourites Sutton United. Having lost the home League match to the Surrey side 2-1 last August, the New Lodge side crashed 4-0 away in the League Cup in December. On that second
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Soccer: Harding hat-trick seals easy Ramblers victory
Steve Harding's second hat-trick in four days was the only notable feature in what was a one-sided affair. Saturday's game saw Stansted bring a side which reflected their current struggling circumstances. For 30 minutes though, Ramblers relied on early
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No millennium work cash bonus for Essex 999 staff
Paramedics have been told they will not be given any bonus payments for missing out on millennium celebrations. The Essex Ambulance Trust says it does not have enough money to pay staff extra over the new year, and would have to cut back services or go
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Harwich: Bogus official preys on elderly
Pensioners have been left "traumatised" after a bogus water board official searched their homes and stole money. Six pensioners, who all live alone, were targeted during a string of incidents in the Harwich area. One victim, an 84-year-old woman, bruised
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Danbury: Newborn chicks found in dustbins
Hundreds of newborn chicks were found in dustbins at a turkey farm after an employee forgot to lethally gas 2,000 eggs. Witham magistrates heard yesterday that some of the eggs dumped in a skip later hatched and the chicks were found alive among the rubbish
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Colchester school wants £10m move
A Colchester school wants £10 million to move 400 metres. Stanway School has applied to Essex County Council to build new premises, capable of looking after 850 pupils, in Winstree Road. The school's 1960s buildings need refurbishing and the preferred
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Train attack on Southend teenager
Witnesses were today being sought to a frightening gang attack on a teenager that forced police to evacuate a train. The 18-year-old from Southend was today recovering at home after taking a beating at the hands of the vicious group. The student, who
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Tilbury: Model Zoe's in a real Knot
Model Zoe Dorman was undertaking a very different kind of role when she was at Tilbury Fort to take part in a Sealed Knot training weekend. Zoe, of West Road, Shoebury, is a senior member of the history reconstruction group and helps train new members
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Pageant focus on old Benfleet pub
A Benfleet pub which began life as a courtroom in 1381 because of a peasants' revolt, is to be featured in Castle Point Millennium Pageant. The community pageant is now taking shape with scriptwriters recreating major historical events in Castle Point
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Suggesting a career change...
TOM KING meets stage hypnotist Julian Clark, who's so good he's been thrown off the stage by a hynotised security guard A man who pays the rent by hypnotising people on stage is hardly likely to be a dull stick, but Julian Clark has an especially curious
