Archive
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Hadleigh: Schizophrenic strangled pensioner
A paranoid schizophrenic who throttled a 78-year-old woman until she was on the brink of death has been locked up indefinitely. At Chelmsford Crown Court, Liamanda Webb, 32, of Homestead Gardens, Hadleigh, admitted trying to strangle pensioner Yvonne
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Chelmsford: Lifeline bid for Holly, 8
The parents of eight-year-old Chelmsford girl Holly Crisp have launched an urgent appeal to raise £100,000 to save her life. Ray Crisp and Kathy Lakin, who call her their little lionheart girl, are desperate to raise the funds to pay for specialist surgery
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Arson at Great Baddow nursery school
An arsonist who started a blaze at a Great Baddow nursery school in the early hours of Tuesday caused damage estimated at about £4,000. Two large wooden play houses, their contents and a maypole were wrecked at the 120-pupil Woodcroft Nursery School in
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Pitsea: Medication warning
Police have warned the public to be on their guard after some potentially dangerous drugs were stolen from a handbag. An Essex Police spokesman said the drugs, Chlordiazepoxide, Clomipramine, and Trifluoperazine, were in a black plastic rucksack taken
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Kelvedon: Death 'not suspicious'
A post mortem examination on the body of a 51-year-old woman found in Kelvedon has failed to establish the cause of death, according to police. An Essex Police spokesman said the body of the woman had been found by police when they called at an address
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Soccer: Brighton snap up Trigg
Wivenhoe keeper Darryl Trigg has been snapped up by Division Three club Brighton. And if he manages to impress, the Dragons could be in line for a four-figure fee. Trigg, who has been training with the south coast outfit over the last month, was signed
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Ice Hockey: Goebel quits
Chelmsford Chieftains Ice Hockey Club's Karl Goebel is to retire at the end of this season. Goebel has been with the club since August 1991, having played his first game against Basingstoke Bison. He has played in 404 games for Chieftains, his only club
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Athletics: Andrew and Laura are popular winners
Andrew Mason and Laura Graham, of the Springfield Striders Club, became club half marathon champions at the Brentwood Half last Sunday. Brentwood is always popular, as it falls a month before the London Marathon and provides a guide to how everyone's
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Basildon: Richard's hairy moment during shampoos tour
Euro MP Richard Howitt came out smelling sweetly after his brush with hair specialists KMS. The South Essex MEP visited the Basildon hair care firm to discuss the possibility of gaining European funding for a prestigious new training centre. Mr Howitt
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Laindon worker's payout in sacking protest
A worker sacked after "blowing the whistle" about dangerous working conditions has been vindicated by an industrial tribunal. Laindon pipe layer Steve Denne reached an undisclosed out of court settlement with his former employers after the tribunal ruled
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Shame bid to stop bad parking at Leigh school
Parents who park badly outside a school are to be "shamed" in a special newsletter in a bid to stamp out the practice. Governors at Westleigh infants and junior schools in Leigh have decided on the measure in an effort to stop parents parking outside
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Colchester: Buses rule on the hill
We've gone green! Colchester's long-awaited first dedicated bus lane has arrived - and become quite a talking point in the town. A few motorists, unaware of the changes, tried to park in the lane on North Hill this morning and others were seen driving
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Southend rape suspect in jail drama
A man accused of raping two women in Southend was today said to be too ill to appear before magistrates after being rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition. Unemployed Michael Mason, of Weston Road, Southend, was today believed to be back in
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New action for Essex firefighters?
Essex firefighters were today on the brink of industrial action. An emergency union meeting was due to be held this afternoon which could mean firefighters across the county would attend 999 calls only. Fire Brigades Union branches at Essex fire stations
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Basildon Bleach Boys
Twelve strapping footballers admitted to more than a touch of nerves when they had an encounter with a bottle of bleach. The members of Lansdowne Rangers football club, who play in the Southend sceptre league but are based in Basildon, each became a dazzling
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Fencing: Matthew's golden display
Hutton Mount fencer Matthew O'Connell has been enjoying the fruits of his dedication to the sport. The 14-year-old took part in the Junior Home International event earlier this month, helping the England Under 16 Sabre team to victory, and receiving a
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Family devastated in fatal M11 smash
A 72-year-old woman from Takeley and her three-year-old great grandchild were killed when two cars collided on the M11 just south of Stansted Airport. An Essex Police spokesman said the accident happened just before 5pm yesterday on the Cambridge-bound
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Colchester: Snakes alive!
A slippery customer gave Royal Mail worker Jan Groom a shock when it sneaked in for a nap in one of her trainers. Mrs Groom, 42, was dressing for a gym session at her office in St Peter's Street, Colchester, when she came face to face with the reptile
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Soccer: Martin quits Southend
The search is on for a new man at the top after Southend United manager Alvin Martin resigned. The 40-year-old decided to call it a day after the team's 1-0 home defeat by Hull City on Friday, a result which leaves Southend just six points away from the
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Soccer: Wignall wants Southend job
Former Colchester United boss Steve Wignall revealed today that he would relish the chance to revive Southend United's flagging fortunes. Alvin Martin's resignation from the Roots Hall hot-seat after Friday night's 1-0 home defeat to Hull City has left
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Soccer: Odds were against Alvin from day one
Alvin Martin has finally brought an end to 20 months of torment by quitting as manager of Third Division strugglers Southend United. The 40-year-old former West Ham and England defender reached the point of no return on Friday night after witnessing his
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Soccer: New Southend manager must come quickly
The inevitable happened on Friday night when the dismal reign of Southend United boss Alvin Martin finally ended after the latest in a long run of miserable results. However, the burning question on the lips of most fans after chairman John Main's tearful
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Southend: Fight to save man on beach
Police revived a 62-year-old man found washed up on Southend seafront, but he later died in hospital. A member of the public alerted police when he saw the elderly man, believed to be from Westcliff, opposite The Leas. He was pulled from the water where
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New war on Basildon drug dealers
Drug dealers have been put at the top of a police hitlist aimed at tackling crime in Basildon over the coming year. Supt Denis Sheppard, head of Basildon police, unveiled the 1999/2000 blueprint on Friday - and it spells bad news for the dealers. They
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Southend: Staff in gear to pitch in
Teachers at a Southend school were forgiven for looking as if they were heading for the sports pitch rather than the classroom. Seven staff at Westcliff High School for Boys donned the football kits of the team they support - all in the name of charity
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Give Joshua some dignity
Joshua Newton is like any other chatty, mischievous three-and-a-half year old - except he will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The youngster, from Lynton Road, Hadleigh, suffers from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder
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Clacton: Sophie's in safe hands with dad
It was the save of the season for Kingsley Banks. The Heybridge Swifts goalkeeper showed what a safe pair of hands he has when he dived in at the right moment as wife Wendy started to give birth to baby Sophie in a hospital car park. Helped by a sweeper
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Clacton: Kosovo tears for Amelia
A soldier who was due to get married on Friday is instead involved in the heart of the Kosovan crisis. Rob Kennedy, 27, from Clacton, is serving in Macedonia as part of the NATO force. On Friday, he was due to be marrying his fiancee Amelia Kent at Colchester
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Jobs go at Witham insurance firm
Nearly 40 jobs are going at insurance giant Sedgwick's Essex base, with more losses threatened. The firm's entire finance department is being moved to parent company Marsh McLennan's Docklands site. The American multi-national bought out Sedgwick last
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Basketball: Ursuline's clean sweep
The basketball players from Brentwood Ursuline School made a clean sweep of the Senior basketball cups in Mid-Essex. The Under 16 squad made it a hat-trick in 1999 by retaining the trophy that they had won in 1997 and 1998. The Under 15 squad ensured
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100 Southend workers hit by mystery bug
Health chiefs are probing the cause of an outbreak of a mystery stomach bug which has led to more than 100 staff at a Southend company being taken ill. The workers at the Royal Bank of Scotland's credit card centre reported similar symptoms of sickness
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Chairman Bob is the people's champion...
TOM KING meets the man who built Rolls Royces, campaigns for pensioners and whose family has an unusual extra member that he never invites to tea In 1995, retired from his work as a union official but still crackling with energy, Bob Sears looked round
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Benfleet: Oak tree memorial for Mitchell
An oak tree has been chosen as a fitting tribute to a 14-year-old Benfleet meningitis victim. Appleton School pupil Mitchell Kemp tragically died from the killer brain bug and now his parents, friends and teachers have decided upon a lasting memorial
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Southend childcare team faces axe
Plans to axe 22 child care jobs in Southend are expected to be rubberstamped tomorrow night. Eleven full-time and 11 part-time posts are to be lost as part of a cost-cutting move. Members of the social services committee will be asked to agree the redundancies
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Cleared Southend man: 'My life ruined by child sex charges'
A man of 61 nearly collapsed after his name was cleared in an indecent assault case involving two young girls. Grandfather Ken Hedley had trouble standing as the Basildon Crown Court jury returned six not guilty verdicts freeing him of all charges. The
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Ice Hockey: 7-Up sponsorship renewed
Chelmsford Chieftains have attained renewed sponsorship from the international soft drink company, PepsiCo, to support the team's bid for their 1999-2000 English Premier League title. The commitment for a second year from PepsiCo brand, 7-Up, gives security
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Gymnasts set to lose Clacton home
A group of gymnasts are set to be made homeless unless they can find a new base. Stourdale Gymnastics Club, who train at Highfield Holiday Park, Clacton, have been told they will have to leave the site because the building they currently use is needed
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Speedway: Ipswich sting the Bees
Ipswich Witches raced to another comfortable victory when they defeated Coventry Bees 52-38 in the Craven Shield - a meeting marred by a series of crashes. By far the most frightening was in heat 14 when Coventry's Danish star Brian Andersen and the Witches
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Vandals on rampage in Wickford and Billericay
Yobs have gone on the rampage through Wickford and Billericay, smashing shop windows and damaging cars. Police were amazed to see reports flooding in on Saturday morning of mass criminal damage in the two normally quiet towns. Adrian Rondeau, owner of
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Southend sun shines for crowds
Hundreds of sunseekers crowded Southend as temperatures soared on the first weekend of British summertime. Thermometers hit 15C, (59F), attracting throngs of people to the seaside town. An Easter market in Southend High Street on Saturday was mobbed as
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In-line skating: South Essex success
South Woodham Ferrers and Wickford's Rollerspeed skating club have yet again claimed top rink honours. They picked up two championships, three second places and also had three third place winners at the last of this season's National Indoor In-Line skating
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Soccer: Martin sunk as Blues crash against Hull
A rare taste of Friday night football at Roots Hall heralded the end of Alvin Martin's troubled reign as Southend United manager as the Shrimpers slumped even nearer to non-league oblivion. Visitors Hull City, bottom of the Third Division a few weeks
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Badminton: In-form Seabright eclipses Eastwood
A marvellous maximum from Dick Seabright sealed a place in the Peter Gibbs badminton Cup semi-final for Westcliff 2nds at Eastwood's expense, despite their three point handicap advantage. Westcliff lifted both the ladies and gent's openers in straight
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Soccer: Wakering slip as Pitsea push on
While Great Wakering Rovers suffered a shock setback to their Schweppes Essex Senior League title hopes, Pitsea outfit Bowers United continued their championship challenge at full throttle. Wakering's 2-1 defeat at lowly Stansted was not only a blow to
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Soccer: Crusading Canvey march towards title
It was a case of game, set and match to Canvey Island as Jeff King's men continued their seemingly irresistible march towards the Ryman League Division One title. For set piece goals by Andy Jones in the closing minutes of each half kept Gulls seven points
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Southend: Rent book relief for disabled council tenants
Disabled Southend Council tenants will no longer be charged for paying their rent at post offices and banks. The move came as councillors on the housing and environmental services committee reviewed the rules for handing out "no fee" rent books. Most
