Archive
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Halstead: Half the girl she used to be
Bride-to-be Elisa Kemp isn't the woman she used to be and that caused problems with her wedding dress Miss Kemp, of Stanley Road, Halstead, has dropped four dress sizes in anticipation of the big day, and says she has never felt better. The 24-year-old
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Colchester: Jackie helps to find drugs haul
A traffic warden helped police recover a large haul of crack cocaine and heroin in Colchester. Now eagle-eyed Jackie Tyrrell' dedication to her job has won her a top Essex award. Mrs Tyrrell is to be awarded the Betts Trophy by Essex Police, which is
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Basildon, Thurrock: Families invited to twins club
The South Essex Twins and Triplets Club will be staging an open day on Saturday to show prospective members what it has to offer. Most of its members come from Thurrock and the group was formerly called Thurrock Twins and Triplets. It meets twice weekly
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South Essex: A scruffy garden - but I'm not bitter
A south Essex pub garden, voted among the worst in the country, is set for a major facelift. The garden at the World's End pub, in Tilbury, is getting funding as a result in the Murphy's Irish Stout pub garden challenge. It was voted as one of the three
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Westcliff: Trevor's 'black box' to protect drivers
Inventor Trevor Byford is poised to make millions from a pioneering new gadget which protects innocent drivers from prosecution. Trevor, of Badgers Close, Westcliff, has designed the trail-blazing device which records accidents from inside cars modelled
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Essex: Police air unit cash
Essex is one of four forces getting new police helicopters thanks to a multi-million pound Government handout Air support units in Essex, Merseyside, Lancashire and South Yorkshire will each get the cash to boost their operations, using the aircraft to
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Rugby: Southend 27 - 10 Cambridge (E Counties Cup)
Southend's pack was at the top of their game as the London Two club set up an Eastern Counties Cup semi-final showdown at National League Barking. The London Two promotion-chasers defeated London One strugglers Cambridge at Warners Park with two pushover
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Soccer: Whitts can't wait
Colchester United boss Steve Whitton cannot wait for tonight's big Layer Road home clash with promotion-chasing Stoke City. Whitton said: "It will give us all a perfect chance to get Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Oldham out of our systems. "That was never
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Harold Hill: Petition against chemical storage
A hundred name petition has been handed to Havering Council objecting plans for a chemical storage site in Harold Hill. Mayor of Havering and Heaton ward councillor Denis O'Flynn spearheaded the petition. His moves follow the announcement of plans to
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Southend: Post debate turns ugly
A bitter war of words today broke out between mail company Consignia and industry watchdog Postwatch ahead of a meeting in Southend to discuss poor performance in the town. Despite improvements in the mail service in the SS postcode area, Southend has
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Stanford-le-Hope: Dog walkers given wake-up call
Dog walkers have been given a wake-up call in strong language by furious homeowner Paul Staines. Paul, of Branksome Avenue, Stanford-le-Hope, is so fed up with dogs fouling his garden he has erected a notice to remind people it's not a doggie loo. He
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Rugby: Aaron lines up a final date at Twickenham
Steve Parmenter will be particularly keen to see Canvey Island's defence of the FA Umbro Trophy make further progress in Somerset tonight. For the midfielder, in particular good form recently, was previously with Nationwide Conference Yeovil Town, who
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Soccer: Just the ticket for young fans
Southend United will be distributing more than 1,000 tickets to local youngsters as part of the Nationwide Supporters of Tomorrow scheme. The project rewards individuals within schools, youth clubs and other community groups by providing free tickets
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Cressing: Man to pay £300 to victim of racial abuse
A man convicted of racially abusing his neighbour has been ordered to pay his victim compensation. Antonio Cocca, 63, of Jeffreys Road, Tye Green, Cressing, had denied harassing Fitzroy Gordon and the racially aggravated use of threatening words or behaviour
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Women's Hockey: Chelmsford 2 - 0 Doncaster (National League Premier Division)
In a crucial match which both teams were desperate to win to ease their relegation fears, Chelmsford produced the goals and deservedly came away with all three points. The home side dominated from the first whistle and the only surprise was that they
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Soccer: Maher back in the frame for Blues
Influential midfielder Kevin Maher could make a surprise return to Southend United's starting line-up at Carlisle tonight. The 25-year-old has been out of action for more than a month with a toe injury, but he is set to pull his boots back on for the
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Thundersley: Diver's exhibition to get splash of colour
Students from Thurdersley's Seevic College have joined forces with Southend Pier Museum for an ambitious art project. Art students at the college, in Kiln Road, will be working to brighten up the museum's diver's exhibit. The diver's suit is currently
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South Essex: Businesses urged to vote on railways
South Essex businesses are being urged to have their say on the state of Britain's rail network. The British Chambers of Commerce is organising an online poll to find out just what impact the growing chaos and unreliability of the system is having on
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Sible Hedingham: Family-run dairy firm sold to co-op
A family-owned dairy processing company today announced it has been sold to a national milk co-operative. Tanner Foods, which employs 90 people at its plant in Oxford Lane, Sible Hedingham, has been sold to Milk Link, a dairy farmer co-operative based
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Rochford: Mystery of roadside trainers
A major police search was sparked after a pair of trainers were discovered by the side of the road. Police fear a serious road crash could have taken place and are trying to track down the owner of the adult-sized shoes. A police patrol car was driving
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Chelmsford: Adrian's jump for hospital
A schoolboy is taking part in a bungee jump in memory of his mother. Gill Fenech, 40, of Chestnut Walk, Chelmsford, died from cancer last year. Now her 15-year-old son Adrian has decided to leap 200ft to raise money for the Helen Rollason Cancer Care
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Southend: New business training centre
A south Essex college is set to make the business community a priority with the official opening of a new state-of-the-art business training facility. South East Essex College this week officially launches its new business development centre on London
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Uttlesford: New leisure centres get green light
Final proposals for a £10million joint public and private sector project to provide new leisure centres in Uttlesford has been approved by Uttlesford District Council. In a special meeting held on February 27, the Leisure PFI Scheme was given the go-ahead
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Colchester: Owners urged to reclaim car badges
Police are looking for the owners of dozens of cars, from Porsches to Skodas, which have had their badges stolen. PC Steve Simmans, of Shrub End police station, has seized 85 of the emblems, which are sought after by young collectors because of a craze
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Rugby: Aaron lines up a final date at Twickenham
Westcliff winger Brian Watts proved real hot stuff when he turned out for the England Fire Brigade side. Brian, 33, has been in electric form this season and his appearance in the 47-0 defeat of Ireland was his sixth for the national fire service team
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Essex: Appeal after road rage incident
A woman was left shaken after she was tailgated by a lorry driver during a road rage incident on the A12. Police said the driver of a yellow articulated lorry drove very close to the back of her blue Rover 400, eventually colliding with it. They are appealing
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Braintree: Parents' uniform problem raised
The burden of buying new school uniforms if Braintree's Chapel Hill School closed has been raised by a council executive member. The fate of the troubled school, which could close if standards do not improve, was brought up at a Braintree Council executive
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Brightlingsea: The little girl who touched our hearts
Little Kiera Simons, who touched the hearts of many, has died. The youngster, the only child of Jennie and Sean Simons of Brightlingsea, died at home aged five years and four months. Kiera, born seven weeks prematurely, suffered from the rare carbohydrate
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Snooker: Ingall bows out in final
Wickford snooker star Lisa Ingall put up a brave bid to reach the final of the women's Scottish Championship before bowing out 4-3 to Kelly Fisher at the semi-final stage. Today, Basildon-based Stuart Bingham aimed for a place in the last 16 of the Thailand
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Walton, Frinton: Vandals target beauty spot
Young yobs have been targeting an award-winning nature reserve. Pedlars Wood is visited by hundreds of wildlife lovers each year. But now vandals have smashed up a handbuilt oak bridge and filled up a pond with wood ripped from borders. Nature worker
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Danbury: 3 year jail term for drug addict
A drug addict has been jailed for a string of burglaries in mid Essex. Lyndon Hawes, 23, admitted two burglaries and asked for another ten matters to be considered when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court. He was jailed for a total of three years. Rowland
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Walton: School memories to be shown on TV programme
The memories will come flooding back for old pupils of a former Walton School when they see themselves on television. A black and white cine film, shot by one of the teachers in 1947, will form part of a documentary, being shown on Anglia TV tonight.
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Colchester: £8,000 wall will keep floods out
Residents in one of Colchester's most flood-threatened areas will soon be able to ditch their sandbags. People in properties on Riverside Walk, next to North Bridge, had to resort to this basic line of defence when the River Colne bursts its banks in
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Pitsea: Fun rides off as thieves strike
A bid to bring a community together to have fun has been destroyed after thieves stole three bikes worth more than £5,000. Clifford Herbertson, from Pitsea, only moved to the area last year with his wife and three sons and started arranging activity days
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Hockey: Doncaster 4 - 2 Chelmsford (English Hockey League Division One)
Two late goals from Dale Isaac gave the scoreline some respectability but, in truth, Chelmsford were always second best on Saturday as they went down 4-2 at Doncaster. A 4-0 scoreline would not have flattered the home side, but Isaac struck twice in the
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Basildon: Illegal fuel plant closed down
A customs clampdown on the use of illegal fuel in Essex has resulted in an illegal fuel plant being closed down and a large number of vehicles seized. In a six-day operation across the region, with the use of customs road fuel-testing vans, 55 vehicles
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Leigh: Gregory, 5, loses cancer battle
The parents of a little boy who put up a fierce struggle against cancer today paid tribute to "the bravest little boy in the world". Plucky five-year-old Gregory Culff died in his mother's arms at their Leigh home after a ten-month battle with cancer.
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Soccer: No change for Purfleet
Purfleet remain in sixth position in the Ryman League Premier Division after last night's 3-1 home success over Essex rivals Heybridge Swifts. Tonight, main rivals Gravesend and Northfleet aim to cut the lead of top dogs Canvey to five points when they
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Westcliff: Alarms in blaze house not working
Firefighters investigating a blaze which left three children in hospital today revealed there were two smoke alarms in the house -- but neither had a battery inside. Fire crews battled thick smoke and flames at the house in Westborough Road, Westcliff
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Thundersley: Work to start on leisure centre
Work will begin on the Virgin Active leisure centre in Rayleigh Road, Thundersley, at the end of this month. Contractors will begin laying the foundations for the ambitious £6 million project within weeks. The company, which owns the site, will take approximately
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Thurrock: New course drive for college
The Thurrock Adult Community College is planning a week-long promotion of its huge range of courses for all later this month. It is holding a special celebration of multi-ethnic learning with the intention of opening up learning opportunities for the
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South Woodham: Residents concern over traffic levels
Chelmsford Borough Council is looking into the possibility of introducing traffic calming measures to a South Woodham Ferrers road after residents complained it has become overloaded with cars. Clements Green Lane, which is to the north of the town, is
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Southend: Cash injection for Jubilee celebrations
Celebrations to mark the Queen's golden jubilee were today given a £25,000 injection by Southend Council. The cash boost will be spent on a package of events to mark the Queen's 50th anniversary on the throne. Details of the projects, including a seafront
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Purfleet: Woman died after overdose
A woman was found dead at her home after telling relatives she was going to take some medication and have a bath to ease some pain. Patricia Charles, of River Court, Purfleet, had been staying with her brother and sister-in-law over Christmas but seemed
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Witham: Plaits Gone...but school still says no
Braided schoolgirl Faye Cowig is still not back in the classroom despite taking out her controversial plaits. After six weeks off school, the 15-year-old has relented and taken out the braids. But she will not be allowed back to lessons unless she re-enrols
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Essex: Veteran politician will not join party again
Veteran councillor Roy Smith today announced that he will not be rejoining the Labour Party at the end of a three-year suspension and will stand as an independent. Mr Smith, 78, was suspended last week following a hearing before a panel of the National
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Soccer: U's looking to buck a trend
Colchester United will have to achieve a feat they have only managed against Stoke City once before if they are to beat the promotion-seeking Potters at Layer Road tonight. Just one win in seven previous League outings is all the U's have mustered a 1
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Clacton, Harwich: Hit squad to cut cataract op wait
Hundreds of patients will get long-awaited cataract operations during the next month, it was revealed today. A special team from Manchester has been brought in to help reduce the lengthy waiting list at a cost of £230,000. Its work is being paid for by
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Southend: New nightspot for town
A new nightspot catering for 1,000 people is set to open later this year in the centre of Southend, it was revealed today. The Piazza, expected to employ between 50 and 60 staff, was granted a provisional licence yesterday. Two bars will be included in
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Cricket: England hopes for Essex man Habib
Aftab Habib is hoping that a move to Essex will kick-start his England career, according to his new boss. "He sees it as a challenge and one that will lead to him getting back into the Test side," said David East, the county's chief executive. Habib has
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Thurrock: Centre to tell shoe company story
A new centre telling the story of East Tilbury's British Bata Shoe Company and the Bata estate is set to open next month. The centre - based at east Tilbury library - is funded by a grant from the Cory Environmental Trust and is a partnership between
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Manningtree: Sisters do it for themselves at annual cadet camp
Two musical sisters have been hitting all the right notes Claire and Louise Appleby are both members of Manningtree Squadron Air Training Corps. They were selected with one other cadet from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex to take part in the annual Corps National
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South Essex: Town's roads among the worst in the county
The condition of roads and footpaths in a south Essex town are "among the worst" in Essex, according to a leading county councillor. Now the chance to mend the damage in Shotgate has emerged with new roads budget money, community leaders are demanding
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Harwich: Port traffic to be diverted
Work is finally under way on the last stage of the long-awaited Parkeston bypass. The final development of the bypass, which will divert port traffic away from Parkeston village, started yesterday New drainage, footpath reconstruction, surfacing work
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Soccer: Whitton - let's put it right
Karl Duguid will return to a Colchester United squad tonight that is being told to forget the opposition, believe in themselves and just go out and win. The all-action Duguid was a notable absentee, because of a one-match suspension, from the U's line-up
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Colchester: MP raises concern on new court
North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin has raised concerns over radical changes planned for the county's magistrates' courts system. He argued it would lead to "remote justice" and was running over budget. But a spokesman for the courts defended the scheme, saying
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Benfleet: Gunman snatches garage cash
A gun-toting robber assaulted a member of staff at a Benfleet service station before making off with £2,000 in cash. The ordeal took place at 10am yesterday, when the robber entered the Save Service Station in London Road, Benfleet. The robber grabbed
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Clacton: Maternity unit to stay shut for another three months
The maternity unit at Clacton Hospital will remain closed for another three months. The unit at the hospital in Freeland Road was originally shut on February 7, for about a month due to staff sickness. However, health bosses have now decided that it will
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Soccer: Embery looks to turn up heat
Fight fire with fire is the message Braintree manager Ben Embery will send out to his players before tonight's crunch rearranged replay with Margate. The Iron know a quarter-final place at home to Morecambe is at stake if they can beat the Nationwide
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Aveley: Suspicious fires
Firefighters from Grays tackled two suspicious fires in Aveley in the early hours on Sunday morning. In the first two cars were badly damaged behind shops in the High Street at approaching 2am. The fire also caused slight damage to the rear of one of
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Colchester: Looking at role of home carers
County councillors have seen first hand the work carers do at residential homes in the area. A group of visitors including Julie Young, Theresa Higgins and Derek Robinson dropped in to a residential care home run by Mencap in Colchester. Staff got the
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Westcliff: Former timber yard goes up in smoke
An investigation was today under way after firefighters battled for two hours to bring a blaze at a derelict timber yard under control. Three appliances from Southend and Leigh were called out to the fire at the yard in Fairfax Drive, Westcliff. Len Goff
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Soccer: Tony walks out on Town
Tony Kinsella resigned as manager of Witham Town and said: "I feel let down by the club." The former Ipswich Town midfielder quit yesterday after a year-and-a-half in charge of the Spa Road outfit. He cited the club's 'lack of ambition' as the main factor
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Southend: Family grieve for tormented soul star
The stepbrother of tragic south Essex Soul II Soul singer Doreen Waddell today led tributes to a "beautiful, lovely, and outgoing" woman. She was run over and killed after fleeing across a busy road when she was caught shoplifting at a Tesco store in
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Colchester: Mother hands over children to social services
Two children who had been on the run with their parents for more than two weeks have been handed over to social services. Jason Patmore, nine, and his sister Sheree, six, went missing with their mother and father Tara Dalton and Jason Patmore, both 26
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Thurrock: Helpers wanted for youngsters
The search is on for people who want to help Thurrock's youngsters. The council's youth and play service is hunting for people who have the desire to do more for the young people of the borough and would like to join their team. And they are all being
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Cricket: Gooch wants Essex fighting fit
Essex might not have the most gifted set of cricketers in the country - but they are likely to be among the fittest when the new season starts in April. Although the players are not due to officially report back for this summer's campaign until the beginning
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Colchester: Time for revamp at clock museum
A major revamp is in the pipeline at one of Colchester's museums in a bid to make it more accessible to the general public. Plans are being drawn up for a series of improvements at the Tymperleys clock museum in Trinity Street. Colchester Council's museums
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Braintree: Police chief proud of staff's kind action
Police staff went beyond the call of duty and dug deep when an 11-year-old boy's presents were stolen. When the boy, who does not wish to be named, reported the theft, staff at Braintree police station dipped into their own pockets and gave him money
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Thurrock: RNIB wants Jumbles For Jubilee
A charity is urging groups in Thurrock to mark the Queen's Jubilee raising money to help blind children have a more fulfilling life. The Royal National Institute for the Blind is calling on people to take up the Jumbles For Jubilee challenge and to stage
