Archive
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Southend: Solicitor is struck off
A solicitor has been struck off for a catalogue of errors including borrowing £20,000 from an elderly woman and not paying it back. A disciplinary tribunal also heard Anthony Thipthorpe, 60, failed to safeguard a family's interests during a probate dispute
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South Essex: Nursing homes in cash poser
South Essex Health Authority is seeking legal advice over who should meet the bill for patients in nursing homes. The detail of its eligibility criteria for NHS care is being scrutinised by solicitors to ensure it is in line with the landmark Court of
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Colchester: Carpet body funeral
The funeral of Colchester man Adrian Doherty was due to take place on Friday - more than two months after his body was found rolled up in a carpet. The body has been released following a police investigation into his death. Mr Doherty, 31, of Normandy
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Great Bentley: Man showed naked photographs to girls
Police are hunting a man who showed naked pictures of himself to teenage girls. The three 14-year-old girls ran off after the man showed them the photographs. Insp Dave Appleby said the teenagers were playing on Great Bentley village green at the time
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Clacton: Pensioner starved herself to death
A hunger-striking pensioner starved herself to death in protest at being told to leave her old people's home, an inquest heard. Moyra Perry-Phillips, 75, became a resident at Kingston House on Kings Road, Clacton, in February. Marie Baya, owner of the
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Great Yeldham: Gun raid terror in village
Detectives are hunting robbers who threatened staff and a customer at a village post office with a sawn-off shotgun and a crowbar. Two masked raiders went into Great Yeldham post office, near Halstead, at 4.45pm on Thursday and took cash. The amount is
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Family matters to Melanie...
Family law specialist Melanie Wilson juggles being available for her clients full-time with having a young son, finds JANE O'CONNELL Like journalists and estate agents, lawyers don't rank highly in the public imagination. All too often they're seen as
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Soccer: Wood shut out by Billericay
Opposition strikers will no longer be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of meeting Billericay Town. The New Lodge side had picked up the unenviable reputation of having one of the most generous defences in the Ryman League Premier Division
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Thorpe: Man jailed after attack on teenager
A man who rubbed blood in a teenage girl's face and hair during an unprovoked attack has been jailed. Andrew Parker will mark his 23rd birthday in custody after Colchester magistrates sentenced him to six weeks' imprisonment. Amanda Stear, prosecuting
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Castle Point: £2m leisure repair bill
Urgent repairs to leisure centres in Castle Point could cost up to £2 million, it has been revealed. A consultants' report into the future of Runnymede Pool in Benfleet and Waterside Farm on Canvey revealed that the cash injection will be needed to maintain
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Jaywick: Man dies in house fire
An 82-year-old pensioner was found dead in his smoke-filled lounge after firefighters had to break into his Jaywick home. Clacton fire brigade was called to the Garden Road bungalow at 10.35pm on Thursday night. Sub-officer David Warwick said there was
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Canvey: Cuddly critters for Christmas
Youngsters at William Read Primary School in Long Road, Canvey, took part in a day of fun to raise money for their new swimming pool. Dozens of children had decorated cakes and made cards for competitions held during their school bazaar. Their parents
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Basildon: Knocked out by chemist's error
A couple today received an apology from a chemist after young mum Samantha Foster was knocked out in front of her two children by a wrong prescription. The mix-up happened after Miss Foster picked up prescriptions for herself and her young son from AA
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Yachting round-up: Low tides lead to a disappointing start
One of the lowest tides of the year, combined with gales that ravaged the northern part of Britain during the week, added up to a disappointing start to the Crouch Yacht Club's Red Insurance Nutcracker Trophy meeting last Sunday. The start of the first
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Clacton: Jail for 'greedy' care home boss
Callous care home boss Thelma Hitchiner betrayed the trust of the people she was supposed to be looking after by stealing their money. She even guided the hand of one blind resident to sign what he thought were small withdrawals. But a court heard how
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Braintree: Tobacco tin clue to body in lake
A photograph of a tobacco tin has helped police identify the body of a man found floating in a water-filled gravel pit in a quiet corner of Braintree. The man, whose identity is due to be revealed later today, was seen by a man walking his dog at Waterfield
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Southend: Call for improved conservation area safety
A ward councillor is calling for a 20mph zone to improve road safety around Milton conservation area in Southend. Councillor Ray Davy (Con) wants to see the new lower limit put in force to complement speeding restrictions which have already been put in
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Basildon: Serial shoplifter given last chance
Serial shoplifter Christopher Harding has been given a last chance by magistrates to improve his lifestyle. Harding, 42, has been given just over three months reprieve - during which he must not steal from any more shops, rid himself completely of his
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Basildon: Appeal for hit-and-run driver
The driver of a car who knocked a cyclist off his bike was today urged to come forward - before the police to find him. Computer analyst Stewart Holbrook, 26, of Littlebury Green, Basildon, is off work sick with a fractured collar bone, minor head injuries
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Prittlewell: Rudolph's got the hump
When is a reindeer not a reindeer? When it's Rudolph the red nosed camel. Organisers of the Christmas fair at St Mary's Church, Prittlewell, decided they needed something out of the ordinary to draw the crowds to their fund-raising event. The quest to
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Soccer: Canvey coach keeps the faith after defeat
Keep faith in us - that's the defiant message from Canvey coach Glenn Pennyfather despite the Islanders' Ryman League Premier Division mini-slump continuing with defeat in Surrey on Saturday. Gulls had on-loan Colchester striker Neil Gregory and winger
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Running: Southend on national high
The two Southend High Schools are on top of the athletics world today after producing stunning performances on the national stage. While the boys won the junior competition at the English Schools 19th cross-country cup final at Wakefield, Yorkshire -
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Soccer: Lua Lua lights up Colchester
It took Lua Lua just seven minutes to make his mark after coming on as a half-time substitute for the injured Duguid against Chesterfield. He came within a couple of inches of scoring with his first touch before thrilling the Layer Road crowd with a jinking
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Soccer: Pilgrims end Southend's success
Southend United's winning streak against Plymouth Argyle came to a shattering end as the Shrimpers' fortunes nosedived further at Home Park. The Pilgrims cashed in on sloppy first-half defending from the Seasiders on Saturday to build a commanding two-goal
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Southend: Father and son in sea rescue
A brave teenager has helped save the lives of a father and son whose boat capsized, leaving them stranded in the dangerously cold sea off Southend. Richard Eves, 15, of Camper Road, Southend, rushed to the rescue with his father, rowing their boat to
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Angling: Great weather, poor fishing
With 25 anglers taking part the club fished their annual pier Championship on Sunday but unfortunately the catches did not match the weather. Only a few codling, whiting and pouting made up the bags. The result: Winner: Willie Duncan 3lbs 8ozs Second:
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Manningtree: Kittens could be destroyed
Two kittens discovered in a warehouse face death unless a wealthy cat lover comes to their rescue. The kittens ended up in quarantine amid fears they might have accidentally boarded a lorry in Spain. Discovered by an eagle-eyed worker in a warehouse owned
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Colchester: Animal protest worry
Police were called to Petsmart, Cowdray Avenue, Colchester, after fears of a possible animal rights demonstration following TV reports of alleged animal cruelty in other Petsmart stores. Officers attended after two men drove up in a van blowing whistles
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Leigh, Chalkwell: MP demands Euro rethink
Angry MP David Amess has demanded that Leigh and Chalkwell be reinstated in a bid for £15 million of European funding. The Department for Trade and Industry decided a week ago to drop Leigh and Chalkwell out of Objective Two - a European scheme aimed
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South Essex: Bus crews reject 'final' pay offer
The disagreement over pay at bus company Thamesway is set to continue - and could go to a fifth ballot. The revelation comes after the "final" pay offer was rejected by a margin of just 13. The latest offer would have seen rates rise from £4.71 an hour
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Essex universities performing well
Students at Essex University have an excellent record of achievement, according to a new Government-sponsored league table published on Friday. The Colchester-based university had "top class efficiency rates" and a low number of students who dropped out
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Frating, Colchester: Bungling burglar collapses during raid
A burglar who severed nerves and tendons while breaking into a home was later discovered collapsed in a pool of his own blood by the homeowners. Colchester magistrates were told on Thursday how Ronald Ellis of Frating Road, Frating, made a day time break-in
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Clacton: Ex-care home boss gets two years
Former care home boss Thelma Hitchiner was jailed for two years on Friday for stealing £16,000 from residents in a Clacton care home. The judge at Chelmsford Crown Court told Hitchiner, 54, she was a "thoroughly dishonest and callous woman". Hitchiner
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Soccer: No alarm bells yet says Little
Southend United boss Alan Little promised to stick to his beliefs following his side's latest setback at Plymouth Argyle which saw the Devon outfit triumph 3-1. Defeat at Home Park on Saturday increased the Shrimpers' glum Third Division run to four matches
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Soccer: Holland happy to see Ipswich winning
Ipswich captain Matt Holland is not worried about Town's latest failure to turn possession into goals - this time against Nottingham Forest. Holland scored the only goal to beat David Platt's expensive under-achievers at the City Ground yesterday. But
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Soccer round-up: South Essex non-league results
SATURDAY RYMAN LEAGUE Premier Division: Boreham Wood 0, Billericay Town 2; Carshalton Athletic 3, Canvey Island 1. FA CARLSBERG VASE Round 3: Hemel Hempstead 0, Great Wakering Rovers 1. SCHWEPPES ESSEX SENIOR LEAGUE Basildon United 1, Hullbridge Sports
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Clacton, Chelmsford: Crashes kill two pedestrians
Police are appealing for witnesses following two separate road collisions in which pedestrians died. The first happened at about 7pm on Friday at the junction of Skelmersdale Road and Granville Road, Clacton, and involved a pedestrian and a Vauxhall Cavalier
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Hockey: Green nets six of the best for Chelmsford
Chelmsford Highway Hockey Club captain, Jo Green, was in fine form last weekend as she scored six goals, five coming in one match. Green, 26, netted her side's equaliser in Saturday's National League Premier Division encounter with Slough, and she went
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Westcliff: Crazy driver hunted
Traffic police have appealed for help after a motorist backed into a bus on a busy road and escaped the wrong way up a one-way street. PC Ron Levy described the catalogue of motoring offences as "horrendous" and "unusual". The male motorist, wearing blue
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Basildon: Schools agree a merger is best
A third Basildon school has bowed to Government pressure and is to merge its infant and junior campuses. Merrylands schools in Cumberland Drive, Laindon, are to follow in the footsteps of nearby Manor and Swan Mead schools and set the ball rolling to
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Wickford: Let there be lights
Whingers in Wickford must put their hands in their pockets - or put up with the same poor Christmas lights next year. That was today's blunt message from the lights' organisers in response to complaints about the quality of this year's display. Lights
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Southend: Stabbing victim's doorstep plea
Police have appealed for witnesses after a man was stabbed in Southend. Residents of an Archer Avenue address called police after the man, who had been stabbed in the back and arms, knocked on a door pleading for help. The 26-year-old was taken to Southend
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Leigh: School off special measures list
A Leigh primary school has been taken off special measures - just 18 months after Government inspectors ordered it to improve. Ofsted inspectors gave Blenheim Primary School in Blenheim Chase the thumbs up after a return visit. They had previously put
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Southend officers faced fury of 400 rioters
Two Southend police officers told how an angry mob overturned and set fire to a police van just yards from them during violent clashes with rioters in London. British Transport Police officers Nick Brook and Gary Jennings were drafted in with 200 others
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Basildon: Tipsy motorist ban
Motorist Kelly Buck was so tipsy behind the wheel that she collided with a traffic island and a parked car. Her erratic driving along Church Road, Basildon, on November 3 shocked another driver so much that he called the police. When officers stopped
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Basildon: Sorrow at loss of old cinema
The boss of Basildon's only remaining cinema today said the doomed Robins complex could have survived as its neighbour. UCI manager Ian Duffield said he was upset to hear the final curtain has come down on the three-screen town centre cinema. However,
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Basildon: All at sea for brave fishermen
Staff at four fast-food shops around Basildon went to sea in a bid to raise cash for fishermen's widows and children. Workers at Fish'n'Chick'n shops dressed up in fancy dress as they collected cash to boost the coffers of the Royal National Mission to
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Soccer round-up: FA Sunday Cup
Cup joy and pain There were mixed fortunes for the two local sides playing in the third round of the FA Umbro Sunday Cup yesterday afternoon. Southend Sunday League Oakwood Sports won their way through to the last 16 with a brilliant 3-0 success over
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Rugby round-up: Last-gasp winner ends Cup dreams...
ROCHFORD 19 OLD VERULAMIANS 21 A well-deserved NPI Cup victory was snatched from Rochford's grasp by an injury time try and conversion. Verulamians looked a spent force going into extra time with the score standing at 19-14 to Rochford. But after some
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Soccer: Four to miss Colchester's Shield trip
Teenager Lomana Tresor Lua Lua will spearhead Colchester United's Auto Windscreen Shield challenge when Steve Whitton's revamped U's take on Swansea City tomorrow. Lua Lua, the U's matchwinning hero in the Second Division clash with fellow-strugglers
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Soccer: Howard Southwood - Speaks his mind on the Blues
Finance news is frightening The latest cash figures coming out of Roots Hall are frightening to say the least - a real nightmare. There were losses of nearly £1 million for the financial year ending July 1998 and that is projected to double by February
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Badminton: Linden take top spot
Division One A late start to the season for the top mixed league division saw a struggle for supremacy with Linden A having the edge. They went top of the Basildon and Thurrock District Badminton Association table on points average over Waterside A after
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Soccer: South Essex non-league round-up
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD 0 GREAT WAKERING 1 Village side Wakering made critics who suggested that their fabulous start to the season might be a flash in the pan eat their words with the performance of the day in the FA Carlsberg Vase. Rovers, who rocketed to the
