Archive
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Ongar: Time to bury the hatchet
Rival factions in the struggle to keep Ongar's hospital open have been called to a summit to decide the unit's future. The public have been asked to fill in a questionnaire giving their solutions to the dilemma. And former parish council chairman Keith
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Jury rejects Hadleigh couple's police brutality claim
A jury has decided three police officers did not wrongly arrest and imprison a couple after a drunken brawl in a kebab shop. After two hours of deliberation the five men and three women ruled against the civil claim of Paul and Janet Peters at Southend
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Colchester: Last farewell to tragic Amy
Grieving relatives and friends yesterday paid their last respects to Colchester schoolgirl Amy Burgess. Amy, a year 11 pupil at Philip Morant School, died a week ago after falling from the NCP car park in Nunns Road, Colchester just hours after exam stress
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Clacton: Expelled pupil can't find another school
A seven-year-old boy cannot find a place in school after being expelled for hitting a teacher. Steven Gill, of Windmill Park, Clacton, was expelled from Coppins Green Primary School in November last year Mother Debbie is appalled she cannot find a school
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Braintree pre-school set for place in record books
It's a record - and it's almost official. Braintree's twins and triplets explosion is about to shoot a nursery school into the record books. On Wednesday This Is Essex revealed Christchurch Nursery had five sets of twins - as well as a trio of triplets
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Basildon: Bloodless surgery for Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses from all over Essex have paid out for a piece of equipment which will revolutionise the way they are treated in hospital. They yesterday presented an argon beam coagulator to Basildon Hospital, which will keep blood loss during surgery
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Cricket: Windows' pain for Essex
Gloucestershire batted through the second day to finish 79 runs ahead of Essex with three of the first innings wickets in tact. In reaching 352-7 they obtained four batting bonus points for the first time this season with Matthew Windows scoring 118 in
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Cricket: World Cup action in Chelmsford
While the county cricket side are involved in a PPP Healthcare Championship match in Gloucestershire, the County Ground at Chelmsford will be hosting it's second match of the 1999 Cricket World Cup. This time the game, which takes place on Saturday, is
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Cricket: Laying down the Law
Essex's Stuart Law, who scored two magnificent centuries in last week's PPP Healthcare Championship match against Yorkshire at Chelmsford, has said that the county must start winning matches soon, if they are not to become among this season's also-rans
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Cricket: Law leads Billericay to a fine victory
At tea, the complexion of Saturday's game was rather different to that after the interval, as at the break, Wickford had made significant and rapid progress towards their mammoth target. Billericay skipper Ian Pont sat his players down and demanded an
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Basildon: Angry parents protest at school bar
Battling parents have vowed to go to prison if their children are barred from a much-praised Langdon Hills school. Furious mums, keen to get their youngsters into Great Berry school said they would rather keep their youngsters at home, than send them
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Angling: Martin enjoys grand end to the day
From a grim start, Clacton angler Martin Englefield literally had a grand finish to a memorable day. After a dramatic journey, 34-year-old Martin ended up with the £1,000 top prize in the Isle of Sheppey Open championship. Martin, of Farmers Way, made
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Basildon: Having a real blast with Shakespeare
Shakespeare would be amazed if he could see the preparations going on at Basildon's Chalvedon School. Staff and pupils are getting ready to stage a production of Romeo and Juliet - but with a difference. Although the words will be true to the original
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Leigh: Road rage attack on lollipop lady
A lollipop lady today called for drivers to be more aware of a school pedestrian crossing before there is a serious accident. Lyn Hall, 52, made the plea after nearly being run over by a motorist in a road rage incident as she tried to help youngsters
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Chelmsford: Flasher follows teenage girl
A teenage girl was followed by a man after he exposed himself to her on a Chelmsford road. Police are anxious to find the man after the late night incident at the junction of Chignal Road and St James' Park. The 15-year-old was on her way home at about
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Colchester: Non-urgent ops cancelled
Twenty non-urgent operations have been cancelled at Colchester General Hospital in the last seven weeks. Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust, which runs the hospital, said this was due to emergency cases needing beds or treatment space. The spokesman said that
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Colchester: Furious parents unite to fight
Parents who claim their promised new school was snatched away through a costly blunder have formed their own residents' association. In February a school planned for Turner Rise, Colchester, was put in jeopardy after a £1.4 million oversight. A delay
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Maldon: Fourth trial for ex-mayor
A corruption trial involving former Maldon mayor Ron Daws is expected to take place in the summer. The July trial will be the fourth Daws and property developer Stephen Sibley have faced since allegations were made against both men. The previous three
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Colchester: Heather studies family place in history
If the name is anything to go by, then one student taking part in an exercise in politics is sure to go far. For Heather Pankhurst, 15, is a direct descendant of Emmeline Pankhurst, the famous suffragette and campaigner for the right of women to vote.
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Basildon: Parents meet daughter's dying wishes
A dying teenager's three wishes have finally been realised - three years after her death. Brave Donna Curtis begged her parents to make three heartfelt dreams come true as she lay terminally ill. The 19-year-old, who was born in Wells Gardens, Basildon
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Tennis: Frinton aces reach national final
Frinton's tennis stars will be aiming to go one better than last year when they meet Essex rivals Connaught for the £5,500 top prize in the National Club League men's final at Southampton. Runners-up to the David Lloyd Bushey team of Hertfordshire last
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Chelmsford: Rat disease victims fight for life
A 50-year-old Springfield man fought for his life for a second time after contracting a killer disease spread by rats It happened while he was rescuing his pet dog from a mountain stream in Yorkshire. Former driving instructor Michael Haley, who underwent
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Kittens saved from Colchester house fire
A family house was damaged and two kittens had to be given oxygen when a fire broke out in a Colchester house. The blaze started in the terraced council house at Cyril Child Close, Greenstead, while the occupants were out. Neighbours alerted the fire
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Great Totham: Villagers kick up stink over smell from farm
Villagers have called for action after claiming their lives have been blighted by an obnoxious smell from a nearby farm. Farmer Graham Bunting, who owns the fields on Sheepcotes Farm, in Sheepcotes Lane, Great Totham, has been spraying his crops with
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Essex: Here come the boys in green
Ambulance crews at the cutting edge of saving lives have been issued with new Casualty-style uniforms. Paramedics and technicians at Essex Ambulance Service have swapped their blue trousers and white shirts for the new look. From Tuesday frontline crews
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Canoeing: Paddling home with some good results
At the Hemel Hempstead Marathon on Sunday Chelmsford paddlers returned with some good results. The race at Hemel starts in a narrow boat turning area on the Grand Union but the canal width narrows considerably 50 metres after the start which, combined
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Cricket: County backs structure revamp
Essex has welcomed the prospect of more changes to the structure of county cricket. Only months after the popular Benson and Hedges Cup competition was thrown on to the scrap-heap, Essex are among a number of counties currently rallying to reinstate the
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Athletics: Somma shines to win glorious double
Southend High School's Somma Power was jumping for joy after a win double in the Eastern Young Athletes League meeting. Competing for Basildon on their home Gloucester Park track, Somma won both the long jump (4.91m) and shot putt ((9.45m) in the under
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Cricket: Destroyer Dakin aiming for run feast
Halstead's in-form opening batsman Neale Dakin is aiming to enjoy a bumper Bank Holiday run feast. The run-hungry Star Stile right-hander has already hit top form in his first two outings to the crease as the three-times Two Counties champions currently
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Rugby: Crispins dedication rewarded
Chelmsford Rugby Club hosted their annual dinner and dance and presentation evening at Furze Hill on Friday, attended by 185 players, former players and friends of the club. Club president, Mr Peter Jordan, highlighted the many successes of the club during
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Rollerspeed Skating: Enfield meeting
Tatern Park in Enfield was the venue for a rollerspeed skating meeting, hosted by Southend Roller Speed Skating Club on Sunday. Skaters from the South Woodham Ferrers & Wickford Rollerspeed Club competed against skaters from clubs from Derby, North
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Cricket: Bizarre finish to a thrilling match
A good performance saw Chelmsford return to winning ways after an exciting match at Brentwood on Saturday. The home side elected to have first use of a good wicket but found early runs hard to come by due to accurate but luckless bowling from Tim Jones
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Swimming: Georgina was top girl at Stowmarket
With Chelmsford Swimming Club now settled into their new home at the Waltham Centre, New Hall School pool, a group of club members travelled to Stowmarket and returned with some excellent results. Georgina Ball was named the top female swimmer after her
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Cycle Speedway: Den lures stars to Wakering's big day
Great Wakering Rebels' Den Winch provided a galaxy of past and present cycle speedway stars at the village club's Sports Centre for his 50th anniversary trophy meeting. It was probably the best individual line-up ever seen in the district. Sportsmanship
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Soccer: Junior league send out SOS
The Southend Junior League have come to the end of another hugely successful season with a stark warning about next term from top official Yvonne Haycock. The curtain came down on the 1998-99 campaign with last week's cup final day at Roots Hall. However
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Athletics: Masons high mileage training paid dividends
The Springfield Striders trail runners were out in force at Great Blakenham on Sunday, where the course passed through two vast country estates and farmland to the north west of Ipswich. Andrew Mason's high mileage training paid dividends as he finished
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Clacton: Eyes down for bingo Full Monty
Bingo players had trouble keeping their eyes down for a full house during a weekly session at a Clacton club. Play was interrupted when five security guards performed a strip at Zetters Bingo Club. The stunt was the brainchild of Jason Butler, Danny Lees
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Brightlingsea: Healthy interest in boatyard site
Agents handling the sale of a disused boatyard in Brightlingsea said today there had been a healthy interest in the site. And Jeremy Newman, of Colchester-based Newman Commercial, said there was still time to submit written offers for the two-acre site
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Braintree: Buster in circle bid
Maverick environmentalist Buster Nolan has been campaigning in Norfolk to save an ancient tree circle unearthed by the sea. Diggers have already moved into the "Seahenge: area, near Hunstanton, charged with removing 55 tree stumps in the egg-shaped formation
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Wickford: Cowboys warning as old folk are hit
Elderly people in Wickford are being fleeced by cowboy builders who even duped one vulnerable woman out of her holiday savings. They have struck three times this week in St David's Way and have so far got away with more than £100. They were first seen
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Southend: Daring flats plan backed
A radical bid to demolish a post-war house and replace it with a modern block of seafront flats has won the backing of Southend councillors. The daring application from developers Civicgreen would scrap an impressive 1948 building on The Leas, in the
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Leigh: Man denies car brake pipe attack
A man accused of cutting the brakes of his neighbour's car in a revenge attack has told a jury: "I'm innocent." Mark Rowntree, 23, of Wood Farm Close, Leigh, denies slitting the brake pipe on a Fiat Panda belonging to Carol Waller and partner John Stevens
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Blaze shock for Hockley driver
Motorists alerted a lorry driver who was unaware his straw load was ablaze as he drove along. Rayleigh police and Hockley fire service were contacted and firefighters spent an hour tackling the lorry blaze in Lower Road, Hockley. PC Rob O'Sullivan said
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Benfleet, Hadleigh: Crime blitz results
Burglaries and car crime have dramatically dropped in Benfleet and Hadleigh, thanks to a full-scale police operation. Uniformed police patrols were stepped up and undercover teams were sent to the worst affected areas in a two-week blitz, dubbed Operation
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Taxing efforts to report Essex road fund dodgers
Mid Essex residents who want to report cars without road fund licences to the DVLA are having a taxing time. Last week the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency launched a campaign to crack down on the county's 48,000 road fund dodgers who are evading £5.6million
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Stansted record
Stansted Airport expects a record 90,000 passengers this bank holiday weekend. The busiest day will be Sunday when 32,000 passengers are forecast and Monday when there will be just 1,000 less. Most population destinations are Dublin, Amsterdam, Milan,
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Southend: Open verdict on shopping centre death
An open verdict has been recorded by a coroner on a man found lying dead in a shopping centre. Southend coroner Dr Peter Dean said he could not be certain that Robert Whiteley, of Whitegate Road, Southend, had intended to kill himself as he had spoken
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Southend bid to increase councillor numbers gets boost
A bid to boost the number of councillors on Southend Council has cleared the first hurdle. Leaders at the local authority have won the initial backing from the Local Government Commission for England. The draft recommendations are open to public consultation
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Great Bentley: Parents demand school resignations
Angry parents have called for the resignation of the headteacher and governors at a village primary school after it was heavily criticised by Government inspectors. A vote of no confidence in Great Bentley School head Yvonne Potter and the board of governors
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McDonalds to bulldoze North Weald pub?
The controversial bid by American giant McDonald's to demolish a North Weald pub and build a burger bar has now been backed by council planners. The application for the site of the derelict Bull and Horseshoes in London Road, Latton, was recommended for
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Brentwood: Father dies after mystery M4 crash
Accident investigators have been trying to solve a mystery crash which killed a Brentwood financier. Andrew Russen, of Heron Way, Hutton Mount, lay dead near the wreckage for five hours before his body was discovered. The accident happened early on Saturday
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Cricket: Brentwood slip up to Chelmsford
Brentwood succumbed to another league defeat, at home to Chelmsford, on Saturday. Their visitors must have thought that Christmas had arrived early this year, as Brentwood somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Batting first, Brentwood
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Landscape holds key to hidden Essex life
Author John Hunter has bridged the gap in explaining the quirks of the Essex countryside, writes TOM KING Some 43 years ago the great W G Hoskins, half historian, half geographer, and entirely his own man, wrote one of the greatest pioneering works in
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Athletics: Sarahs incredible gold medal double
GOLDEN GIRL: Sixteen-year-old Sarah Deacon is all smiles after winning two gold medals in the Essex County Track and Field Championship. Sarah, of Barberry Close, Harold Hill, attends Redden Court School and trains with Havering Mayesbrook Athletics Club
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Basildon: CCTV blinded by lightning
Basildon's CCTV cameras are back on line - a month after they were knocked out by a freak thunderstorm. Thirteen cameras were struck down by lightning in April. The bolt from the blue left the town centre, St Martin's Square and Gloucester Park without
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Cycling: Beale at his best
Graham Beale stamped his authority on the Evening 10 mile series being run by the Essex Roads Cycling Club by winning the latest event and also recording a personal time of 23 minutes, 38 seconds. Gary Glenister was second with 25m 3s with Brian Atkinson
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Soccer: Dyer slaps in transfer request
Ipswich Town's £5 million-rated midfielder Kieron Dyer has stunned his team by asking for a transfer. Dyer, who was yesterday named in the England under-21 squad for the Euro 2000 qualifiers, shocked Town bosses with his demand. It comes as a complete
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Clacton: Tony puts best foot forward
A man with two replacement hips is to take part in a sponsored walk. Former British Rail worker Tony Suddery will be walking Clacton seafront this weekend for an orthopaedic and arthritic organisation. Mr Suddery, of Tudor Green, Jaywick, will be making
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Running: Peter's 100th marathon
A dedicated member of Witham Running Club completed his 100th marathon last weekend. Peter Burns who ran his first marathon just eight years ago, crossed his 100th finishing line at the 26-mile Halstead marathon, after less than four hours. "I finished
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Soccer: Launders breezes into Layer Road
New signing Brian Launders breezed into Layer Road determined to make a name for himself with Colchester United. The former Republic of Ireland under-21 and youth international attacking midfielder has been on the brink of a major breakthrough since moving
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Cycling: Dave has a good time
Sunday morning was breezy for the 5.30am start of the Veterans National "50". Dave Nock started at No.1 and soon left the rest behind and clocked a personal best time of 1h.59.33s. This was not bettered until No.40, S Clark, of Bournemouth, came back
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Golf round-up: Georgia is the aim
Sixty young hopeful golfers from 26 golf clubs in Essex will be competing for a place in the Championship Final to be held in Georgia, USA, when they tee off at Braintree Golf Club on Wednesday, June 2. Braintree Golf Club have decided to combine their
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BMX Racing: Mixed fortunes in Ipswich
Ipswich was the venue for round three in the BMX Regional Summer Series and six of the Braintree BMX Club riders took part. First out was Matthew Sewell, 6, who started off impressively with a third place in the first moto but he was only able to take
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Clacton: £654,000 boost for school
Clacton's largest high school is preparing for a major expansion to take it into the new millennium. Colbayns High School is going ahead with a £654,000 project to build seven new classrooms, a new computer suite and refurbish other areas of the site.
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Wickford: Adam does the honours for Somerfield's new look
Young cancer sufferer Adam Liones had a very important job for such a small person at Somerfield in Wickford. The five-year-old, from Wickford, was invited to cut the red ribbon and reopen the town centre store after a major refurbishment to bring it
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Wickford purse snatches
Shoppers beware - six Wickford folk have had their purses snatched in the same day, say police. The attacks happened within minutes of each other in the town centre and many of the victims were described as "elderly and vulnerable". Police are looking
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Westcliff: OAP killed in road
A pensioner was killed while crossing the busy London Road in Westcliff. Molly Brown, 80, suffered serious head injuries in an accident involving a white Leyland Daf lorry being driven by a 24-year-old Hertfordshire man. Mrs Brown's husband was today
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Billericay: Banned driver's death crash bid
A Billericay woman discovered her boyfriend was driving her car while he was disqualified - after he tried to kill himself behind the wheel. Leigh Ann Howell, 32, of The Warren in Billericay, knew boyfriend Sean Curson, been disqualified from driving
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Woodham: Bid to make town thrive
A 12-point action plan to ensure South Woodham Ferrers develops into a more thriving community beyond the millennium has been given the official seal of approval by the town's newly re-elected council chairman, Muriel Gower. A resident herself for the
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Mid Essex: Betts hit back
The parents of ecstasy victim Leah Betts have hit back at claims that their drugs awareness campaign has encouraged youngsters to use heroin. Paul and Janet Betts, from Latchingdon, have spent more than three years researching and collating information
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Corringham: Man risks life for his dogs
A dog owner may have put his life at risk when he returned to rescue his pets from his house after a fire. The man was cooking at his house in Burrs Way, Corringham, on Wednesday, when he briefly left the house. When he returned he spotted the chip pan
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Paxman's set to be sold?
Mystery today surrounded the future of Colchester engineering company Paxman Diesels. Callers asking about the future of the Hythe Hill site are being played a recorded message. It informs them that parent company Alstom plans to sell off its engineering
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Basildon: Neighbours fail to block care home
A controversial care home has been given the go-ahead despite concerns of local residents. The residential home in Herondale, Barstable, will house eight patients recovering from mental illnesses. Nearly 30 names were collected on three petitions opposing
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Clacton: Our Ted's won the cup!
Chants celebrating Manchester United's historic treble rang out with extra fervour in one Clacton household. When super-sub Teddy Sheringham levelled the score with a dramatic injury time strike in Wednesday's European Cup Final, the goal hero's cousin
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Tree vigil to halt Essex bypass
Eco-warriors have vowed to mount a permanent treetop vigil until plans to build the £92 million A130 bypass are reversed. The band of up to 50 environmentalists say they will stay at their Rettendon treetop site until road developers scrap the scheme.
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Cricket: Bore draw was the outcome
Harold Park were away to Cassowaries at Fairlop Oak on Saturday and in contrast to the mainly bright, breezy weather, the match petered out into the most boring of draws. Batting first, Park were given a bright start by David Leadbeater and Kevin Savage
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Yachting: Copsey cruises to victory
Brian Copsey, of Maldon Little Ship Club, won the second of the BJRC (Blackwater Joint Sailing Committee) events of the summer, the Stone Cruiser Cup, on Sunday. Carolanti (Rolland & Co) finished runner-up for the second successive race and Derek
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Tennis: 250 in Chelmsford junior tournament
Two hundred and fifty entries have been received for this summers Pope & Smith Chelmsford Junior League tournament. The competition has started and the Essex club look like getting among the honours in the boys singles events, if the seedings are
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Soccer: Launders comes clean about Colchester move
Derby County midfielder Brian Launders was set to become Colchester United manager Mick Wadsworth's latest new signing on Thursday. Launders was due to travel from his native Ireland to sign a two-year deal for the U's at Layer Road. An attacking midfielder
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Chelmsford: Fence fending off trouble
Chelmsford Borough Council has constructed a 6ft fence in an attempt to bring peace to a two-year neighbours' dispute. But the £1,000 close-board fence has failed to end the row -- with both parties officially claiming through the borough disputes procedure
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Braintree: Family group faces crisis
Homestart - the Braintree-based charity which works to help young families under stress - is holding urgent talks with the district council this week in a bid to find a new base. Volunteers are concerned that proposed housing development at their present
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Braintree soldier's Macedonia refugee efforts
Braintree soldier Scott Adams, a Royal Engineer Sapper, has played a vital part in the mission to set up a refugee camp in Macedonia and distribute essential aid to the homeless. With other soldiers Scott, 20, worked round the clock to help build a tented
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Speedway: Arena Essex win to go joint top
Last Friday saw a gripping encounter, that had the Racers holding a one point lead after heat 10 but four heat advantages from the last five heats saw the home side claim a margin of victory that belied the parity of the two teams. Despite providing only
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Boxing: Loss leaves Callaghan fuming
Barking featherweight Marc P. Callaghan was an angry young man following his first professional defeat on Tuesday evening. Callaghan, who has quickly earned a reputation as one of the finest young boxers in Barry Hearn's Matchroom stable, was fighting
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Women's boxing: Shanee set for States show
Female boxer Shanee Martin has been handed a dream chance to fight in America. The 17-year-old Colchester student answered an advert on the internet inviting applications to compete in a women's invitational tournament. But she will only be allowed to
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Clacton: Tears as jury clears rape suspect
A man broke down in tears after a jury cleared him on charges of rape and indecent assault. The prosecution at Chelmsford Crown Court had alleged Gerald Gordon had raped the 26-year-old woman at her home near Clacton, but the jury of seven men and five
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Clacton Common nearly ful
Two new stores are opening at Clacton Common's factory shopping outlet. Jo Kids, selling clothing for young children and Roman Originals, selling women's separates and casual wear, will open their doors over the bank holiday. Ladies fashion store Jacques
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Stansted: £50,000 blaze at village castle
Stansted Mountfitchet's Norman-style castle and village has been hit by a blaze which caused £50,000-worth of damage to a thatched building on the site. The fire, last Wednesday evening, destroyed the tourist attraction's thatched surgeon's house. Fire
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Witham: Jury out in plumber's air rage assault case
The air rage jury trying a plane passenger said to have wreaked havoc on a Boeing 747 at 35,000 feet was today considering its verdict. Plumber Ian Bottomley, 36, allegedly injured three British Airways cabin crew, caused £30,000 damage and even invited
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Canvey: Seven cygnets stolen from lake
Two distressed swans are jealously guarding their young after thieves stole seven cygnets off Canvey lake. Only a month ago the swans hatched a record of nine cygnets but now only two are left and it is feared the others may have been stolen. Parks warden
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Southend: Motorshow magic and airshow awe for all
The 14th LTS Rail Southend Airshow is all set to take to the skies this Sunday and Monday. With warm and sunny weather forecast bumper crowds are expected to flood in to enjoy the two days of spectacular flying and land-based entertainment in what is
