Archive
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Billericay: Giggling girls grab gags record
Chuckle sisters Nicolle and Kelly Hughes shared a giggle with TV's Jenny Powell during a world-record busting jokeathon. The youngsters, from Darryl Way, Billericay, joined 65 others aged between three and 13 at Chessington World of Adventures for the
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Soccer: Clark misery at an end
Simon Clark vowed to put his illness nightmare behind him after putting pen to paper with Colchester United. The tough-tackling central defender, signed from Leyton Orient yesterday, was out for five months last season with acute bronchitis. Clark, 33
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Southend: Sofa Sophie in 999 drama
A couple are celebrating after baby daughter Sophie was born unexpectedly on the sofa at home. Lee and Tracey Pithers were all set to go to Southend Hospital on Tuesday so the birth could be induced. However, Sophie had other ideas and decided to come
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Golf: New holes at Birch Grove
After more than a year's hard graft the new-look Birch Grove golf course is only a week away from its official opening. And for the members and owner Lawrie Marston it is not a moment too soon. The opening drive will be performed by the Essex Golf Union
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Cricket: From the pavilion...with Essex skipper Ronnie Irani
Team spirit key to our latest success It really was a top win for us over Northamptonshire in the PPP Healthcare County Championship division two. We bowled very well on the first day, particularly Ricky Anderson who starred again and got career-best
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Tennis round-up: Arthur serves up tough time...
The men from Westcliff Hardcourts faced their toughest test in the National Singles League when they met the David Lloyd Centre Bushey. For the Hertfordshire team included Wayne Arthur who played Andre Agassi in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year
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Cricket: Windows is a pain for Essex
It was Gloucester that ended the second day of their Championship fixture against Essex with the greater satisfaction, having gained a five-run first innings lead before claiming two quick wickets to leave the visitors with a fragile overnight advantage
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Maldon: Chamber SOS to elect officers
The future of Maldon Chamber of Trade and Commerce could hang in the balance unless new committee members are found. Chairman Chris Tibballs is urging existing members to think about filling the three top spaces which are currently vacant or face the
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Wivenhoe: 'We don't want GM crops here'
A field of GM crops should be ripped up, a town referendum has said. Farmer Jim Dutton decided to take part in a GM forage maize experiment at Sunnymead Farm, on Alresford Road, Wivenhoe. Wivenhoe Town Council's opinion poll counted last night (Wednesday
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Southend: Row rages on over crystal pier pavilion
A global leisure company has delivered a blistering attack on Southend Council over the failed £5.1 million crystal pavilion plan for the town's world-famous pier. Larry Kehoe, managing director of AMF, stepped into the row yesterday (Wednesday) after
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Southend: Pub bosses unite to beat troublemakers
A tough crackdown on anti-social behaviour in Southend nightspots today won the backing of pub and club bosses. A host of town centre venues have signed up to the new Pub and Club Watch scheme to ensure the safest possible environment for revellers. Under
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Clacton: Pair cleared of baby's neglect
A couple have been cleared of neglecting their baby son who died when he was three weeks old. Bruce and Heather Hill had been accused of neglecting their son, Edward, by failing to summon medical assistance when they allegedly knew he was ill. The prosecution
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Vange: New lead in murder hunt
Murder squad detectives are continuing new house-to-house questioning in Vange - after spending four months working at the wrong scene. New information has now ruled out the Barge pub car park, in Clay Hill Road, Vange, as the scene where 24-year-old
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Colchester: Lightning strike thwarts best noise intentions...
Residents of a Colchester street got more than they bargained for on the eve of National Noise Action Day. Colchester Council's environmental control manager Colin Daines was called out at 11pm on Tuesday night after lightning set off alarms in an empty
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Stanford Rivers: Objections to mushroom polytunnels
Villagers in Stanford Rivers have united to veto four black polythene structures being put up on a paddock currently used for horse grazing. The individual objections and a petition from residents were due to be aired at an Epping Forest planning sub-committee
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Billericay: Youth centre plans in crisis
Hopes for a youth centre in the Queens Park area of Billericay have been thrown into crisis after it emerged any new facility might not be able to gain full planning permission. Plans for a new facility for young people and the community, to be built
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Witham: Car park row goes to court
A public car park in Witham faces an uncertain future in a wrangle over ownership. Braintree Council, which has run the Newland Street car park for more than 30 years, has been ordered to quit the land by the proprietor, Neighbourhood Retail Ltd Partnership
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Brentwood, Romford: MP demands build date for new hospital
Health chiefs are urged by Brentwood and Ongar MP Eric Pickles to "come clean" on the date when the proposed new hospital at Romford will be built. He said: "It appears that the promised new Oldchurch Hospital in Waterloo Road, Romford is disappearing
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Pitsea: Pupils to be kept in at lunchtimes
Parents will have to fight their corner if their children are to be allowed out of school at lunchtime. The move, which means each parent must state their reasons for wanting their child to leave the premises, is part of a crackdown on increasing youth
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Southend: Pier set for bright future
A blueprint shaping the future of Southend Pier will be drawn up "as soon as possible", council leader Charles Latham has pledged. The new Conservative administration is "absolutely determined" to spearhead a long-term strategy for both ends of the landmark
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Soccer: Tributes flood in for chairman
Tributes have been paid to a devoted father who worked tirelessly in his spare time as chairman of a youth football club. Paul Scrutton, 44, of Cyril Child Close, Greenstead, was killed while carrying out motorway maintenance work on the A14 in Suffolk
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Motor racing: Davies ninth
Renault Elf Promatecme F3 driver Matt Davies from Billericay battled up the field to ninth place in the seventh round of the Green Flag British Formula 3 Championship at Brand Hatch. "It was a hard race" admitted Davies after converting 12th place on
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Soccer: Whitton gets his man
Colchester United boss Steve Whitton has finally completed the signing of Leyton Orient defender Simon Clark. The Colchester United chief, who has been locked in talks with the left-sided centre-half for several weeks, got his man yesterday (Wednesday
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Wickford: Trouble spots now patrolled
High visibility patrols are keeping a check on trouble spots across Wickford. As part of a new initiative introduced across the Basildon Division, officers are targeting certain areas notorious for problems with unruly young people. Community liaison
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Westcliff: Cheers! Our school's a shining example
A Westcliff school has been celebrating after it was held up as a shining example of excellence in education. Barons Court School and Nursery is one of 300 schools across the UK to be named a Beacon school after education bosses said it met high standards
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Colchester: Parents to get claims settled
Parents whose children were at the centre of an abuse investigation at a Colchester care home 20 years ago are to receive compensation from Essex County Council. The allegations of child abuse centred around Holliwell Lodge in New Farm Road, Stanway,
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Vange: Landlady's delight at police u-turn
The landlady of the Barge pub is delighted that murder squad detectives have finally ruled out her car park as a crime scene. Geraldine Evans has always insisted Danny Davis was not murdered outside her Clay Hill Road pub, in Vange. She was shocked to
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Maldon: Freed mother's vow to children
A young mother, cleared of the manslaughter of a Maldon kebab shop owner, has spoken for the first time of her relief at being free and her determination to rebuild her life with her two children. Serena Kayretli, 23, has returned to the town after successfully
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Braintree: Teenager dies in A120 crash
A teenager has died in a crash which blocked the A120 for six-and-a-half hours. The accident happened at 6.30pm on Monday when a white Renault lorry cab was in collision with a blue Ford Fiesta at Galley's Corner, Braintree. The 17-year-old male Fiesta
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Motor racing: Gladman roars to victory
John Gladman took a win at Knockhill on Sunday to secure second place in the Safety Devices Caterham Roadsport Challenge. The Benfleet driver has 96 points but still trails leader Clive Richards by eight points after the Horsham racer won the first race
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Brentwood, Pilgrims Hatch: Boy beaten in daytime attack
Passers-by ignored a schoolboy lying injured and beaten after being savagely attacked at Wilsons Corner in Brentwood. The 14-year-old Pilgrims Hatch boy was cycling home from Shenfield when he was set upon by three youths, sent tumbling off his bike and
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Clacton: Drugs sold by boy in school
A schoolboy has been cautioned by police after he sold drugs on school grounds to another pupil who was armed with a knife. Police have confirmed the boy, now 12, a pupil at a Clacton school, was cautioned for supplying herbal cannabis inside school grounds
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Langham: Motorist survives as van sliced in half
A motorist was airlifted to hospital after an accident involving a van and two lorries on the A12 at Langham. The 22-year-old Ipswich man was rushed to Colchester General Hospital with head and chest injuries, although police say these were not life-threatening
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Braintree: Clampdown to foil hospital vandals
Security patrols are to be stepped up at a Braintree hospital following a spate of vandalism and theft. St Michael's Hospital has been targeted in recent weeks, with windows being smashed and break-ins to outbuildings. Hospital bosses have now decided
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Braintree: Go-ahead for supermarket
Hundreds of new jobs are set to be created after retail giant Tesco was given the go-ahead for a new superstore. The store will be on the south side of Coggeshall Road, close to the Marks Farm roundabout, in Braintree, and could mean up to 225 full-time
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Leigh: Messy travellers leave big problem
Workers have been cleaning up the mess left behind by a group of travellers who turned Leigh Marshes into a temporary campsite. Up to 20 families with caravans moved on to the site on Two Tree Island last Wednesday and vowed they would be staying for
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Essex: Sculptor's son's tragic tube death
The son of world famous Essex sculptor John Doubleday was killed after becoming trapped on a deserted train, an inquest has heard. Medical student Edwin Doubleday, 24, apparently panicked when he realised the out-of-service tube train was moving and was
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Thundersley: Bridleway sign makes a lot of horse sense
Horse riders were today celebrating after a bridleway which has been used for years was officially marked with a signpost. The route on the corner of Coniston Road and Thirlmere Road in Thundersley links Burches Road with Church Road and is well used
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Leigh, Westcliff: Graffiti 'fool' is freed from prison
A young man won his appeal against a prison sentence for a spate of graffiti attacks across Leigh and Westcliff which caused more than £3,000 damage. Adam Delaney, 20, served just two days of a six-week sentence before it was replaced with a community
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Essex: First aid scam alert
An alleged scam by the Dutch-based firm Royal Consulting has reappeared in Essex in a new format, warns Essex Trading Standards. In a week they had 20 complaints about an invoice sent by debt-collectors European Collections and Investigations on behalf
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Thorrington: Refugee scheme scuppers wedding plans
A couple have hit out after their wedding reception was cancelled - because the venue is to house asylum seekers. The Silver Springs Motel in Tenpenny Hill, Thorrington, has been taken over and its new owners are planning to move asylum seekers in. Janet
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Essex: 30 women face implant removal
A consultant plastic surgeon has been urgently arranging consultations with 30 anxious Essex women who have had soya oil breast implants. Before Trilucent breast implants were taken off the market in this country in March last year, about 5,000 women
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Soccer: U's put on Euro style
Colchester United are shooting their way into the 21st century with a new away strip. The U's have gone continental with a stylish new kit. Out has gone the dowdy but traditional V-neck collar and club badge displayed on the left. In comes a round-neck
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Theatre (Westliff): View from the Palace...
Roll up, Roll up for all the fun of the Palace Last week I was watching the air show in rain sodden skies. This week - at least as I write - the sun has come out and suddenly I can believe that summer has arrived. What a change in the town! I've been
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Maldon: Couple cleared of killing charge
A couple jailed for killing a Maldon kebab shop owner have been cleared of the charges. Serena and Vedat Kayretli, 26, formerly of Dryden Close, Maldon, were jailed in December 1998 for the killing of Fevzi Demir. His body was discovered encased in concrete
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Colchester: Soldier gets malaria in war-torn country
A Colchester-based Para has contracted malaria while on operation in war-torn Sierra Leone. The soldier, who has not been named, is a Gurkha with 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment and went to the Colchester medical centre at the Garrison for treatment
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Southend: Swine ride plans facing new probe
Independent advice has been sought over the multi-million pound Swine roller-coaster proposals, it was revealed today. Consultants Deloitte and Touche have been appointed to look in detail at the plans, spearheaded by Basildon businessman, Tony Garner
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Southend, Great Wakering: Twister hits village
All eyes were turned skyward as a very unusual weather phenomenon swept across the Great Wakering, on the outskirts of Southend. Astonished residents watched as a mini tornado began to form on Tuesday near Great Wakering - it was captured on camera by
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Harold Wood: Time to shame thugs who target library
Harold residents should rally round to fight the problem of yobs and vandals who are causing problems at Harold Wood Library. Mayor of Havering, and Harold Wood councillor, Brian Eagling, says gangs of up to 12 youths have been vandalising the library
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Harold Wood: Travellers told to go
Swift and decisive action by Havering Council and police forced a convoy of travellers off Tylers Common in Harold Wood on Monday - just hours after they arrived. The travellers began arriving on the council owned land off Shepherds Hill on Sunday evening
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Ongar: Last-ditch effort to save rare plant
Conservationists are involved in a race against time to save a rare plant which only grows near Ongar. The Sickle-Leaved Hare's-Ear survives on the brink of extinction on a roadside verge of the A414 at Norton Heath. The yellow-flowered plant first discovered
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Stansted, Great Hallingbury: Uranium could be left in lake
Depleted uranium panels from the crashed Korean jumbo jet could be left at the bottom of a lake if investigators cannot find them. Six million gallons of water will soon have been drained from the lake at Great Hallingbury to help reclamation experts
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Ice hockey: Chargers take on Suffolk
Essex ice hockey fans have the chance to enjoy some free late-night entertainment at the Riverside, in Chelmsford, this week. The Chelmsford Chargers are due to play Suffolk County on Wednesday evening, with a 10.15pm start. But this is no local derby
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Trampolining: Five-star Thorpe
Five trampolining teams from Thorpe Bay school struck gold in the Southend Borough Championships. The school, based in Southchurch Boulevard, scooped five of the eight team titles and added five individual golds to their haul. All four boys teams - years
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Cricket: Prichard denied his ton
Paul Prichard was a happy man after the first day of Essex's Championship clash with Gloucestershire despite being run out four runs short of his century. Playing with much freedom, Prichard got an entertaining 96 and Ronnie Irani and Barry Hyam half-centuries
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Southend: Brass adds shine to day by the sea
A summer evening, the seaside and a band playing music from an ornamental bandstand. What could be more perfect? This Saturday, the Southend Band will be playing a mixture of fun, popular and classic tunes at the Cliffs Bandstand. Music for a Summer's
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Hockley: Homely vision for year 2020
Imagine never needing to make your bed again. Such tiresome chores could be done automatically - according to the high-tech vision of Hockley students, looking ahead 20 years. The ten youngsters from year ten of Greensward College dreamed up a future
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Canvey: Jodie's winning steps
A young dancer has pirouetted her way to stardom after winning a disco dancing competition while on holiday. Jodie Simmons, of Cleveland Road, Canvey, was just one of the family who came home bearing trophies. Her cousins, Lee, 13, and Joe, nine, were
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Basildon, Vange: Mum's plea over church
Basildon's oldest building should be retained as a church and not converted into offices, a woman whose baby son is buried in the churchyard has said. Sylvia Watts has today (Thursday) urged church leaders to scrap plans to convert All Saints Church in
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Golf round-up: Last hole thriller at Hanover...
A crucial par four on the last hole gave Martin Hodson victory in the Hanover Georgian monthly Stableford. The three points earned left Hodson (15) with 45 points and a countback win over Keith Neild (21). In a high-scoring competition, Steve Jacobs (
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Soccer: Pollard's Swift return
Heybridge Swifts manager Liam Cutbush has swooped to re-sign former Swift John Pollard on a two-year contract after a spell with St. Albans. Pollard, an experienced defender or midfielder, returns to his roots after a spell in Hertfordshire, where he
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Boxing: New fight date for Hunt
Leigh boxer Danny Hunt is set to step into the ring again on July 13. The lightweight is due to box at York Hall in Bethnal Green, although the opponent for his fourth professional bout is not known yet. But Hunt will be aiming to repeat the success of
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Vange: Shop till snatch
A robber was caught on CCTV as he snatched £100 from a newsagents' till. The man went into Dillons in Marsh View Court, London Road, Vange, at about 8.45pm last night. He went to pay for something but when the 24-year-old woman shop assistant opened the
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Chelmsford: Unlawful killing verdict on widow
A 77-year-old woman found dead in her bed with head injuries was unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled. The inquest yesterday (Wednesday) heard that the crime remains unsolved nearly a year later. Chelmsford Coroner's Court was told widow Violet Dunderdale
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Canvey: Empty car parks
A Canvey car park has been left three-quarters empty thanks to new charges introduced by the council, traders have claimed. Shopkeepers in Furtherwick Road and Oak Road were fuming after Castle Point Council decided to charge people 20 pence per hour
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Epping, Ongar: New move to end rail feud
Civic chiefs are prepared to act as brokers to try to end the growing feud over the future of the controversial Epping-Ongar railway. Epping Forest District Council's intervention comes as the October deadline looms for the owners to resume commuter services
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Fyfield: Villagers' victory over mast siting
The Battle of Fyfield - over the location of a 38ft telecom mast - has ended in victory for villagers. Campaigners have been told that the mast plus dish aerials will not be sited in the most picturesque part of the village close to Dr Walker's Primary
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Stock: Suicide hint to fire deaths
Two men who died in a flat fire may have been involved in a gruesome suicide pact. A coroner recorded an open verdict after he failed to rule out the possibility that the pair could have deliberately barricaded themselves in and started the fire which
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South Essex: Don't go potty, Teresa!
Rayleigh MP Dr Michael Clark has branded his Tory colleague Teresa Gorman "irresponsible" after she spoke in favour of cannabis cafes. Mrs Gorman, the veteran Tory MP for Billericay, has added her name in support of a controversial Commons' motion which
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Brentwood: Future of care home in the balance
The future of Heron Court old people's home is in doubt this week after it failed to attract any bids from private companies wishing to manage it. The care home in Brentwood Road, Herongate was one of 13 which Essex County Council's social services committee
