Archive
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Frinton: Inept knife robber still on the run
A man who tried to rob a Frinton jewellers at knifepoint before making a blundering getaway was today still on the loose. Police were hunting the armed robber who threatened staff at HBJ Jewellers, in Connaught Avenue, but left empty-handed. The man was
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Coggeshall: Restaurant gets green light
A plan to convert a former bank in Market End, Coggeshall to a restaurant has been agreed by planners-despite a massive outcry from villagers. The Braintree Area Committee approved the scheme on Tuesday although 420 people signed a protest petition claiming
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Southend: Gagged mums protest over abused children
Placards were waving outside Southend County Court as droves of women came out in force to demand better laws to protect children from violent parents. Southend women made a symbolic gesture outside the building in Tyler's Avenue, on Friday, by wearing
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Castle Point: Parents warned over trick or treat
Police today sent out an early warning shot to Castle Point parents whose children are likely to cause havoc on Halloween. Insp Andy Parkman said the Rayleigh police division, which covers the borough, didn't want to be party poopers but said last year's
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Corringham: Romeo's charm led to a £17,000 swindle
Romeo Andrew Taylor wooed a married woman by sending text messages on her mobile phone which began "Hello, sexy". He then persuaded Janet Templer, 39, to swindle her company out of £17,000 which helped pay off his debts and enjoy a sunshine holiday abroad
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Southend: Nightclub closes owing thousands
A Southend nightclub has gone into liquidation owing thousands of pounds to creditors. Fulcross Consultants, the company behind the Palace Ballroom venue on the ground floor of Palace Hotel in Pier Hill, has been voluntarily wound up following an extraordinary
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Orsett: Armed robbery at McD's
Police were today hunting two gunmen who raided a McDonald's restaurant at the Orsett Cock roundabout on the A13. At around midnight the men, wearing overalls and monkey masks, approached a member of staff at the back of the fast food eatery and demanded
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Basildon: It's the right call for charity
Two football-mad bus drivers who dyed their hair red and white handed over the money they raised for charity. In the money - the cheque is handed over. Picture: DAVE Henderson EKGV1 Darren Hubbard and Pat Coughlan, who work for Thamesway in Basildon,
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Maldon: Cash boost for mentors
A Maldon charity, helping troubled teenagers, has received £14,000 to help train mentors. Mind, a charity involved with all aspects of mental health, has come up with a way to help teenagers experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. Brosis
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Southend: The flames of passion
A young couple's row became so steamy the fire brigade had to be called. Crews from Southend fire station went to Fairburn Close, off Windermere Road, Southend, after residents smelled smoke and thought there was a fire in the building. However, when
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Grays: Horse slash horror
A disabled woman was traumatised after her horse was found with horrific life-threatening slash wounds. Tracy Hornsby, 38, from Tilbury, who suffers from a brain disease, bought her seven-year-old bay Cob, Blaze, only a month ago, as a relief from her
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Soccer: Goal relief for hero Belgrave
Southend United striker Barrington Belgrave admitted his injury-time winner during Saturday's 1-0 Roots Hall triumph over York City had relieved weeks of frustration. The 22-year-old climbed off the substitutes' bench to fire his first goal of the season
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Soccer: Slough date for Canvey
Canvey Island and Billericay Town must travel for the first time in this season's competition if they are to gain a place in the FA Cup competition proper. Today's draw for the fourth and final qualifying round on October 26 saw Gulls picked out for a
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Soccer: Whitton faces a tough battle
Steve Whitton is girding his loins for a battle after watching his Colchester United team slip into the Second Division's bottom four. The worried U's boss saw his team throw away three points at fellow strugglers Swindon Town after the Wiltshire club
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Chelmsford: Prison packed
A report by Chelmsford Prison's Visitors Board is set to highlight overcrowding Chairman Neil Orr said the issue was one that the Board is "extremely concerned about." Last week it was revealed that the prison in Springfield Road was almost at saturation
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Southend: Flat fire man is praised
A quick-thinking Southend man had been praised by firefighters for battling severe flames and smoke in his flat. The blaze caused severe smoke and heat damage to the kitchen of his first floor flat in Maldon Road, Southend, last night - but fire crews
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Basildon: 'Help' plea mystery
Police are searching for information after people reported hearing a teenage girl's voice shouting for help. Officers were called to Great Knightleys in Basildon after a resident said she had seen a dark blue Transit-like van and heard what sounded like
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Southend: Getaway car hunted in ramraid probe
Police today launched details of the getaway car believed to have been used in a ramraid on a Southend shop last week. Burglars smashed a stolen JCB into the front of Londis in Southchurch Road early on Friday morning and stole a cash machine from inside
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Southend: Beware the cash machine tricksters
Southend residents are being targeted by criminals who are running a devious cashpoint scam, police admitted today. The fraud involves fooling people into thinking the cash machine has swallowed their card and then carefully watching them type in their
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Laindon: Car park thieves warning
Commuters using car park 14 in Laindon Links are being encouraged by police to park elsewhere after 30 cars were broken into in just one day. The thefts happened between 6am and 10pm last Wednesday, but it was not until late in the evening that drivers
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Southend: Ram raiders grab cash machine
Ram raiders smashed a stolen JCB into the front of a Southend shop and made off with a cashpoint machine. It happened just before 3am today when the JCB, stolen from Hanson Brick, in Star Lane, Great Wakering, was driven into Londis supermarket in Southchurch
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Thurrock: Worker injured in fall
A man had to be airlifted to Basildon Hospital after falling eight feet and being crushed by a lift. The Procter and Gamble employee was working in the company storeroom when he fell off a raised platform and landed on his back on the concrete floor eight
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Karate: Late bloomer John, 50, nets national karate title
Basildon's John Harris took up karate approaching his 50th birthday after watching his daughter Gemma train. Age is no barrier - 50-year-old national champion John Harris displays his trophy in front of other Phoenix members. Picture: LUAN MARSHALL EQECC1
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Southend: Beer can attack on man
A man was hit on the head with a beer can after he refused to hand over his mobile telephone to a robber. The victim fell to the ground and smashed his glasses. He was approached in the stairwell of a block of flats in Delaware Road, Southend, by a man
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Soccer: Pinault out to prove all his critics wrong
Talented French footballer Thomas Pinault has a point to prove. The skilful Colchester United midfielder wants to show the media - written and radio - he is a much better player than they are currently giving him credit for. Openly admitting that he is
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Chelmsford: Anger as music venue closes
A top Essex music venue which played host to bands Oasis and Travis will close down and be turned into an entertainment and sports pub. The famous Army and Navy, in Chelmsford, will close on Saturday for a five-week refurbishment to make way for a mainstream
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Soccer: Lets hear Roots Hall roar
Blues boss Rob Newman is calling on fans to create a carnival atmosphere and lift his team to a third straight win. Victory over York City tomorrow would lift Southend ahead of the seventh-placed Minstermen and could catapult them into a Third Division
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Southend: Arson attack at disused woodyard
Arsonists have struck again at a derelict woodyard in Southend which is the subject of a major planning battle. Firefighters were called to the site in Fairfax Drive, Westcliff, at 3.45pm on Friday to find wood had been piled up against one of the walls
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Rayleigh: 'I had to help hospital doc'
A shocked businessman claims he had to help a doctor stitch up his injured nephew because of a hospital staffing crisis. Russell Smith, 20, from Rayleigh, was rushed to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford after being cut from his car and needed treatment
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Colchester: Boy starts house fire
A nine-year-old boy sparked a house fire after setting fire to some felt in his bedroom and then hiding it in a cupboard. The top floor of the house in Goring Road, Colchester, was completely damaged and left the boy's family homeless. The house had just
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Showjumping:Penny pinches the spoils
Having already achieved major success at the event, 15-year-old Battlesbridge schoolgirl Hanna Penny was out to claim glory in two more classes at the Horse of the Year Show. Hanna won the highly sought after Squibb and Davies Junior Foxhunter Championship
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Soccer: St Albans City 1-0 Chelmsford City (FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round)
Chelmsford came out second best against the Ryman Premier pacesetters, losing 1-0 to St Albans City at Clarence Park in the FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round. It was Miguel de Souza's late goal that did the damage, as Paul Parker's Essex side held out for all
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Castle Point: Hi-tech council's going computer crazy
Hi-tech computer equipment worth £107,000 is heading for Castle Point Council. The planning and environmental health departments are all set to benefit from an information technology overhaul which will propel the departments into the 21st century. The
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Soccer: North move heads in right direction
Shrimpers fans battling for a return to the North Bank at Roots Hall today expressed their delight at the way a newspaper's campaign is progressing. Just over a week after the call was first heard from the Evening Echo's campaign, Southend United chiefs
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Dovercourt: Army tackles garden bomb
An Army bomb disposal unit was called in and several houses were evacuated when an unexploded shell was unearthed in Dovercourt. Soldiers and police sealed off roads and a section of the beach while they blew up the highly dangerous Second World War device
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Soccer: Southend United 1-0 York City (Nationwide Division Three)
The Blues left it to the last possible minute to clinch their third victory on the spin. Barrington Belgrave came off the bench for fellow striker Graeme Jones and was on hand to tap in from three yards out from Leon Cort's knock down deep into stoppage
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Braintree: Return of the silver screen
Cinema is set to return to Braintree with the completion of the town's new 12-screen cinema. The purpose-built multiplex next to Freeport Designer Village is due to open its doors to the public in less than a month on November 8 just in time for eager
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Thurrock: Borough's population booming
Thurrock is proving a highly popular place to live. The population has increased by more than a tenth (10.4 per cent) over the past decade, according to the latest census. This represents a far faster growth rate than the national or regional figures
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Soccer: Great Wakering Rovers 0 - 1 Oxford City (Ryman First)
Wakering's miserable Ryman League Division One North home form continued on Saturday as Oxford's Mark Simms taught them a finishing lesson. Rovers are unbeaten away from home in the League, but at Burroughs Park have tasted success just once in six starts
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Canvey: Flat attack rapist gets five years
A drunken rapist who attacked a woman in his flat has been jailed for five years. Anthony Ball, 42, was said to have been depressed before and after a heavy drinking session. He bundled the victim on to his bed and raped her at the flat in Gains Close
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Colchester: Two years on the run ends with detention
A paratrooper has been given 11 months detention for being absent without leave for nearly two years. At a court martial hearing in Colchester, Private Stephen Hunt, of 3 Para, admitted being AWOL for 685 days Capt Ciaran Gould, prosecuting, said Hunt
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Basildon: M25 death crash
Police are renewing their appeal for witnesses to a multi-vehicle crash on the M25, where a 61-year-old woman died. Patricia Filbee, from Murcia, Spain, had been travelling in the passenger seat of a Renault Clio which collided with a lorry between junctions
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Soccer: Ryman League Round-Up (Division One North)
Harlow maintained 4th spot in Ryman Division One on Saturday, but again failed to hold onto a lead at Hammerskjold Road as Berkamstead escaped with a point. Steve Blaney had given the hosts the lead on 11 minutes, but Ben Smith's penalty equaliser 8 minutes
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Benfleet: PC's top of the dogs
A Benfleet policeman and his dog have come first in the Essex Police dog trials, it emerged today. PC Colin Elsegood, of Benfleet, and his dog Ronnie, were runners up in last year's competition. However, this year the pair, based at Laindon dog unit,
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Southend: Teddy boys have fun at the library
Tots took their teddy bears to a sing-a-long nursery rhymes event in an effort to encourage parents to read books with children. A kid's best friend - two year-old Samuel Godsafe took his teddy bear along to the event at Southend Library as part of National
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Soccer: Box out at Harwich
Nigel Box has been sacked as Harwich and Parkeston's manager in a meeting with chairman Tony Armstrong. The Shrimpers poor run of results, leaving them bottom of the Jewson League premier division, prompted the decision. Box said: "It has been reported
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Benfleet: Alan's fishing lake crusade
Keen anglers and nature lovers should soon be reaping the rewards of one man's crusade to resurrect the fortunes of a beleaguered Benfleet lake. Alan Foster, of Rushbottom Lane, has applied for planning permission to return the small lake at the bottom
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Hockley: Let us sleep
Residents say they are being kept awake by roadworks going on outside their homes until 2am. Council contractors are using pneumatic drills, concrete cutters, lorries and JCBs in Spa Road, Hockley. Work on the revamp of the town's main road is going on
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Soccer: Striker switch for U's?
Adrian Coote and Scott McGleish could be the latest weapons to end Colchester United's worrying goal drought if Kevin Rapley fails a fitness test. Under-fire U's boss Steve Whitton is set to shuffle his strikers cards again by pitching the as-yet untried
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Jaywick: Essex couple get married beside M1
A lovestruck Essex couple married at the scene of their romantic meetings - Newport Pagnell Services on the M1. Happy couple - Susan and Chris on their wedding day at Newport Pagnell services on the M1 (24156-4) And the ceremony at a hotel on the northbound
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Billericay: Warning over phone scam
Police have given a warning to local residents to be aware of a scam that has caused people in other counties hundreds of pounds in phone calls. Police have received accounts from residents who have been duped by a smartly dressed woman who claims that
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Lawford: Police hunting for hit-and-run driver
Police were today hunting a hit-and-run driver who left a teaching assistant needing hospital treatment after knocking her off her bike. The 37-year-old woman, of Lawford, was knocked unconscious when she was thrown from her cycle during the collision
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Soccer: Ipswich Town 2 - 1 Sheffield Wednesday (Nationwide Division One)
This must rank as one of the most bizarre days in the history of Ipswich Town. On an afternoon when the match itself became something of a sideshow, there was easily as much drama off the pitch as on it. To some extent, it was inevitable that might be
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Frinton: Lives ruined by yobs
Police have stepped in to quell rowdy youngsters following an elderly couple's desperate plea. George Mowbray, who is in his 80s, has told how on one occasion he had to step in to break up a fight between two groups of teenagers of both sexes on his front
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Essex: University's £6m research boost
A £6 m development set to house the best electronics and computer research programmes in the UK is to be built at Essex University. The plans come in addition to the multi-million pound research park, also to be built on the Wivenhoe campus, and will
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Braintree: Teachers resign
A headteacher and her deputy have resigned from their posts following the completion of investigations into the way they dealt with an allegedly abusive pupil. Parents at Lyons Hall School in Braintree were told the news on Friday in a letter confirming
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Soccer: Colchester United 2-2 Swindon (Nationwide Division Two)
Colchester threw away a two-goal lead away to draw 2-2 against fellow strugglers Swindon. U's went ahead after a mistake by Dutch goalkeeper Bart Griemink. He allowed a weakly-struck Joe Keith free-kick to slip under his body for Scott McGleish to run
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Colchester: Elderly targeted by bogus callers
An elderly woman managed to defeat two bogus callers as they tried to force their way into her Colchester home. The strangers visited her in Lincoln Way and said they were from the council. But the woman followed the "If in Doubt, Keep 'em Out" advice
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Canvey: Thief nabs mobile
An elderly disabled man was today recovering after thieves snatched his mobile phone from his hand while he was sitting in his electric wheelchair. The 71-year-old, who suffers from angina, was outside the health centre in Foksville Road, Canvey, talking
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Clacton: Baby parrot stolen from pet shop
A baby parrot worth £300 was stolen from a Clacton pet shop. A customer who had been handling the Green Cheek Conur is thought to have stolen it from Kaywoods Pet Supplies in Old Road. The incident happened at about 2.30pm on Friday when the shop had
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Basildon: Charity high flyers
They flew through the air with the greatest of ease - well almost! Those with a head for heights - and those without - bungee-jumped from a crane 200ft high all in the name of charity. Flying high - pub cleaner Kelly Mayo jumps for charity Picture: LUAN
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Vange: Brute jailed
A brute who threatened to kill a schoolgirl was today behind bars - trapped by his DNA four years after the attack. It was only when Jay Faulkner was arrested for being abusive to police that they discovered he was the man behind the assault on a 13-year-old
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Speedway: Last lap heartache for Arena race star
Leigh Lanham almost pulled off one of the major shocks of the season when competing in the Championship of Great Britain at Coventry on Saturday night. The 25 year-old Arena Essex rider finished the meeting with 10 points just failing to finish in a top
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Soccer: Sheepshanks - call is a hoax
David Sheepshanks has admitted Rotherham boss Ronnie Moore may be considered for the vacant managers' job at Ipswich Town. But he vehemently denies approaching the Millers before Saturday's 2-1 success against Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road. Rotherham
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Rochford: Car smashes wall
Firefighters said it was amazing nobody was hurt after a car ploughed through a cottage garden wall in Rochford. Fire crews raced to South Street after reports that someone was trapped in the Vauxhall last night at around 8pm. But fortunately the driver
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Tendring: Rotary jumps in to save Christmas treat
A special Christmas Day treat for almost 200 elderly and disadvantaged people has been saved after the plug was pulled on funding for the event. Last year, Tendring Council gave more than £500 towards the cost of providing a meal and entertainment for
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Dedham: Refurbished tea gardens unveiled
Constable country's new-look £100,000 tea gardens are open. Refurbishment work on the tea rooms in the historic thatched cottage near Flatford Mill, near Dedham, is complete. The new timber building which has appeared on the scene made famous in Constable's
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Castle Point: £15,000 call for more festive lights
The streets of Castle Point will have more festive flavour this Christmas if councillors agree a proposed cash injection. Labour council leader Dave Wells says an extra £15,000 would go a long way to improving the festive lights. Councillors will consider
