Archive
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Basildon: Families flee gas pipe blast
Three terrified families fled their Basildon homes after an underground gas pipe exploded sparking a blaze. Watchful eye - firefighters at the scene in Basildon A manhole in Brendon, Basildon, collapsed releasing flames following the explosion, prompting
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Clacton: Dicker murder: pair released
Two people arrested in connection with the murder of Clacton widow Jean Dicker have been released without charge. A 26-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman returned to the town's police station yesterday to answer bail. The pair, who are both from the
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Basildon: Burglars' gem raid on house
Burglars broke into a home by prising open its bolted front door. Jewellery belonging to the victim's late mother was stolen from the house in Hereford Walk, on the Craylands Estate, Basildon. Neighbours called the police after they spotted two youths
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Chelmsford: Officers praised for fast actions
Brave police officers in mid-Essex are to receive commendations for professionalism in their work. The two sergeants and two PCs in the Chelmsford division will be recognised for their acts tomorrow. These include talking a distressed man down from six-storey
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Golf: An explosive start
Southend's Essex Golf Complex held their annual captains drives in with new club leader Paul Mitchell and lady counterpart Sandra Sicheri starting the proceedings by hitting exploding golf balls. Mitchell then treated onlookers to an array of impressions
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Soccer: Fabian is backing Blues
Fabian Wilnis today backed Ipswich Town to transform their impressive away form into points at Portman Road. The Blues are unbeaten in nine games on their travels and last lost at Sunderland in September. In marked contrast, Joe Royle's side have lost
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Hadleigh: Wine meeting for church
Undiscovered wine connoisseurs are invited to join a Hadleigh society for a meal and sampling session next month. The event is being organised by fundraising group Friends of Hadleigh Church, who work to ensure the upkeep of the St James the Less Church
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Soccer: Cade is frustrated
Jamie Cade today revealed his mounting frustration at being unable to pin down a starting role at Colchester United. Jamie Cade The striker has been restricted to just a handful of cameo substitute appearances since arriving from Middlesbrough in November
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Angling: Sprats hit Crouch haul . . .
Crouch boats fishing out of the river have been finding thornbacks while closer to home dabs are making up bags. The arrival of sprats in the river is not helping. Southend boats are also finding plenty of roker ro compensate for the lack of cod, with
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Canvey: Noisy youths may cost me my job
A petrol tanker driver constantly kept awake through the night by noisy youths faces losing his job. The 61-year-old has been unable to turn up for work on several occasions after being disturbed by rowdy teenagers. The man, who only wants to be known
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Hadleigh: Getting the cash you're entitled to
Concerned pensioners will get the chance to question experts and make sure they are getting the cash they are entitled to. Representatives from the Government's Department of Works and Pensions will soon be visiting Hadleigh Library in London Road, for
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Basildon: Speed petition has 85 names
Road protesters have handed a petition with 85 signatures to Basildon Council ahead of a debate on controversial new traffic calming measures. Protest - Rob Hill with the road humps petition Picture: DANIEL SHEILS The highways department wants to introduce
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Basildon, Colchester: Surprise attack earns man 4 months in jail
A Basildon man who attacked a stranger in Colchester has been jailed for four months. CCTV footage shown in court showed Lee Chalcraft, 22, of Hereford Walk, Basildon, assaulting the man in the Red Lion Walk precinct on July 6 last year. Shini Cooksley
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Soccer: Scarborough 1-0 Southend United (FA Cup third round replay)
Southend missed out on the chance of a money-spinning FA Cup fourth-round tie against Chelsea after crashing out 1-0 to Scarborough. Mark Quayle prodded home a Jimmy Kelly cross on 83 minutes to win it for the non-league side. Leon Constantine tested
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Tennis: Top-four spot for Westcliff's Bob
Westcliff Hardcourts' Bob Byrnes came home in fourth place when Essex LTA held an invitation tournament at David Lloyd Basildon. Byrnes partnered Richard Davis from the host club, where they were the losing third-place play-off finalists. David Tomlinson
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Brentwood, Basildon: Welcome to Playtopia!
An enterprising Brentwood couple have opened a £1million indoor adventure play centre for children, believed to be the tallest of its kind in the world, in Basildon. The Playtopia centre, in the Pipps Hill retail park, boasts first-class facilities for
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Maldon: Tye, Tigger and Marmite are reunited
A youngster is looking forward to the rest of 2004 after his lost kitten was reunited to him safe and sound. Seven-year-old Tye Blackledge, of Drayton Close, Maldon, was devastated when five-month-old Tigger went missing on December 22. But after an appeal
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Basildon, Southend: Charity slams housing offer
A charity has condemned Basildon Council's controversial decision to offer a homeless teenager temporary housing in Southend. Stephen Payn, 16, was staying with his girlfriend's parents until earlier this month. However, Basildon Council paid his train
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Southend: Special needs school sites are named
The planned sites of four special classrooms for pupils with special needs in mainstream Southend schools have been revealed. Last March, Southend Council was handed £1.4million from the Department for Education and Science for the development of four
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Canvey: Plan for 22 flats refused
Plans to build a block of 22 flats on Canvey have been rejected by Castle Point Council. The planning committee turned down the application by Ryga Properties for the scheme at Eldertree Road. Council planners felt the three-storey building's height,
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Bradfield: Woman stole cash from church event
A woman has been told to pay back money she stole from a church fundraising event. A court heard residents in Bradfield staged an open gardens day to raise money for the local parish church. One visitor was 56-year-old Olga Alderman-Lotar and Chelmsford
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Colchester: Ex-post office to be home
The former sub-post office in East Hill, Colchester, is to be turned into a home. The post office, which served lots of elderly people, was one of three in the town to close last March, despite objections from more than 1,000 people. The idea behind the
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Harwich: Man jailed for threats
A man who used threatening behaviour on the last night of a Harwich nightclub has beeen jailed for four months. Police had been outside Reflections nightclub on October 12 and encouraged people to go home at 4am. But Colchester magistrates heard Jason
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Canvey: Crash pair recovering
A man and a woman were today recovering after a Mazda and a Fiat collided near Sadlers Farm roundabout, leading to the closure of Canvey Way. The 64-year-old woman, from Canvey, who was driving the Fiat with three children in the back, was taken to Basildon
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Thundersley: Exam joy for table toppers
Delighted staff and students at Thundersley's King John School were celebrating today as school league tables revealed they were top of the Castle Point class. Didn't we do well? - Students at the King John School in Thundersley celebrate the school's
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Soccer: Scarborough 1-0 Southend United (FA Cup third round replay)
Southend missed out on the chance of a money-spinning FA Cup fourth-round tie against Chelsea after crashing out 1-0 to Scarborough. Mark Quayle prodded home a Jimmy Kelly cross on 83 minutes to win it for the non-league side. Leon Constantine tested
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Billericay: MP Baron raps Blair on green belt travellers
Tory MP John Baron has attacked Prime Minister Tony Blair over "inadequate" planning laws which he says allow travellers to develop green belt land. Speaking at Prime Minister's Question Time in the Commons, the Billericay MP said: "My constituency and
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Colchester: Festival plans are unveiled
Proposed plans for this year's Colchester Festival have been unveiled with a programme that will pack the town with music, song and laughter over three weeks. What will be the biggest festival ever to take place in the town will hopefully include regular
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Silver End: Hunt for ciggies thieves
Police are searching for thieves who stole £2,500 worth of tobacco and cigarettes from the co-op supermarket in Broad Way, Silver End. The thieves first covered up a CCTV camera before removing the front window of the store to allow them access to the
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Shoebury: Hundreds flee as store is set alight
Terrified shoppers scrambled for a supermarket's exits after a man doused clothes with petrol and set them alight, causing hundreds of thousands of pounds damage. A fireball erupted from racks in the menswear department of Asda, in North Shoebury Road
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Wickford: These tots were made for walking
Fundraising youngsters used a school hall for a sponsored toddle after the rain kept them inside. Tiny fundraisers - youngsters from Wickford mother and toddler group hand over their efforts to Brian Jiggens, centre, of the Meningitis Trust Picture: ROBIN
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Canvey: Spink's plea for train
Castle Point's MP has raised his campaign to equip Canvey with its own train station in the House of Commons. MP Bob Spink spoke of the issue in the Commons with Dr Kim Howells, Minister of State at the Department of Transport. Before the House he demanded
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Soccer: Coote snubs approaches
Former U's striker Adrian Coote has told how he has snubbed a series of approaches from League and Conference clubs - because he does not want to repeat his Colchester United flop. Coote, the U's joint-record signing, has turned down trial offers from
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Essex: Spate of crashes on ice
Icy weather caused more than 70 accidents in less than two hours today because roads were not gritted, Essex Police said. Southend Council and Essex County Council failed to take action following forecasts of freezing temperatures, officers claimed. A
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Soccer: Scarborough 1-0 Southend United (FA Cup Third Round replay)
Southend United saw their FA Cup dreams shattered at non-league Scarborough last night as Seadogs striker Mark Quayle netted the only goal of a dire and disappointing third round replay. The nippy front-runner tapped home Jimmy Kelly's well-directed cross
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Southend: Fury over 'rise or cuts' tax question
Taxpayers have rallied against a council consultation exercise, claiming town chiefs are manipulating figures, failing to provide value for money and confusing the public. More than 1,000 residents have already responded to an invitation in last week's
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Maldon: Park is awarded green flag for third year running
For the third year running, Maldon's renowned Promenade Park has been allowed to let the prestigious Green Flag fly high. The park is one of 16 in the eastern region, nine of those in Essex, to achieve the standard At an official ceremony, district councillor
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Dovercourt: Tributes pour in as 'exceptional and courageous boy', 10, dies
Tributes have been paid to a courageous ten-year-old boy who has died of cancer. Declan Heath, of Ashley Road, Dovercourt, battled his illness for 18 months and helped raise money for research into the illness. The youngster underwent a pioneering operation
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Rochford: Council misses out on £100,000
Rochford has missed out on a £100,000 boost to improve public transport. The district council's bid was part of a package put together by Essex County Council and submitted to the Government under the Urban Bus Challenge initiative. However, only £780,000
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Cricket: England call captain Cook
Talented young Essex batsman Alastair Cook has been given the honour of captaining the England under-19 side in the forthcoming World Cup in Bangladesh. The 19-year-old from Wickham Bishops just simply could not refuse the chance to lead the nation's
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Soccer: Gutted!
Southend United's caretaker manager Steve Tilson slammed the Shrimpers' "below par" showing at Scarborough last night as the non-league Seadogs progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a narrow 1-0 victory. "We're obviously extremely disappointed
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Witham: 13p for greener, cleaner town
Residents have been promised an improvement in their town's appearance after a sharp rise in council tax. From April, Witham Town Council will increase its precept - the portion of council tax paid by Witham residents to the town council - from £38.86
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Colchester: Home hopefuls' pay shock
Homebuyers seeking the average house in the Colchester area need to be earning more than £40,000 a year. The shocking figure shows that while house prices have soared to an average of £165,000, people trying to move up the property ladder face a difficult
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Canvey: Park users tell of motorbikes terror
Canvey islanders are too scared to go to their local park, for fear of being mown down by motorbike tearaways, it was claimed last night. Residents told how the Canvey Heights park has become a no-go zone after becoming a racing track for youngsters riding
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Witham: Woman's death not suspicious
Police are not treating the death of a woman found at a house in the early hours of yesterday as suspicious. Investigation - a member of the forensic team outside the house in Witham Picture: ADRIAN RUSHTON Officers were called to the address in Mersey
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Coggeshall: Halo for Honywood
Pupils and teachers are celebrating today after being named as one of the top value added schools in the country. The Honywood Community School, in Westfield Drive, Coggeshall, scored 103.8 in the value added section of this year's GCSE league tables,
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South Essex: What's your view on A13 strategy?
Motorists and residents are to have a say in shaping plans to develop the A13 in Thurrock. The Highways Agency wants to hear from people who use the A13 and A1089 and was launching a public consultation period for its Route Management Strategy (RMS) today
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Grays: Woman's assault in lift
Police are hunting a man who indecently assaulted a woman in a Grays tower block. The 23-year-old victim entered the lift on the ground floor of Bevan House at around 5pm on Tuesday and was followed inside by the man who attacked her. She managed to stop
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Canvey: School's first art director
The first ever art director appointed at Cornelius Vermuyden School in Canvey hopes to brighten the lives of students, adult learners and future artists. New role - Andrew Barry aims to make a big impact on the way art is taught and seen Picture: LUAN
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Harold Hill: Soul concert moving closer
Ambitious plans to hold an open air soul concert in Harold Hill, which were first revealed in the Brentwood Gazette last month, are a step closer to reality. The organisation behind the plans was in meetings with Havering Council, emergency services and
