Archive
-
Date
Weeley: Ambulance station boost
A village ambulance station is to be redeveloped to provide staff with some of the best possible training facilities. Tendring councillors have agreed the major plans for Weeley ambulance station, which will see it increase in size and be completely refitted
-
Date
Canvey: Teaching duty for fire crew
A second police-run clean-up of Canvey Lake is set for August. PC Jess Fisher is organising the rubbish removal day after the success of the first tidy-up last month. Teams of youngsters gave up a day during the half-term break to fill a skip with abandoned
-
Date
Archery: Magnificent seven are on target
A squad of seven archers from Rayleigh Town were on target when they went to Andover for the National Junior Target Championships. They shot 12 dozen arrow metric rounds on the first day and 12 dozen arrow imperial Bristol rounds on the second. Despite
-
Date
Basildon: Schools' roaring show
School children across Basildon joined forces to perform their very own version of the West End hit Lion King. Growl - children from Crays Hill Primary school have made their own masks for the Lion King musical Picture: ANNA LUKALA Abacus Primary School
-
Date
Basildon: Gunman wanted more
A man is recovering after being threatened by a gunman as he walked home at night. Police said the victim was heading along Church Road, Basildon, on Tuesday at about 11.35pm when a car pulled up alongside him. A man wearing a hooded top got out of the
-
Date
Rugby League: Eels take show on the road
Essex Eels play their first game at Romford's Redden Court School on Saturday, with hopes of clinching a first win in their debut National League Three season. The struggling squad entertain Carlisle Centurions, who are also in their first season of National
-
Date
Harwich: Rabbits blamed for weedy roundabout
Rabbits are driving road bosses hopping mad after causing weeds on roundabouts designed to be low-maintenance. Covered in weeds - the roundabout at Bathside, Harwich Picture: STEVE BRADING About £30,000 of public money was spent weed-proofing three roundabouts
-
Date
Maldon: Military museum opens its doors to the public
Weapons and artefacts from centuries of battle have been unveiled at the opening of Maldon's new tourist attraction. Two years after the building was bought, Richard Wooldridge's vast and varied collection has opened as the Combined Military Services
-
Date
Canvey: Teaching duty for fire crew
Canvey firefighters spent the day with a nursery group teaching children all about fire safety. They explained to the children at Northwick Park pre-school, in Third Avenue, Canvey, why they should not play with matches and when it was important to dial
-
Date
Rochford: Public phones facing axe as BT cuts costs
Four phone boxes in Rochford will be removed after BT claimed they were unprofitable. The rise in mobile phone use has been blamed for the axing of the payphones, which will leave only five in the district. The phones which will be removed are in Hall
-
Date
SEssex: Traffic will swamp our roads by 2020
The county's roads network is in danger of being swamped by soaring traffic levels as thousands more homes spring up across Essex. County council traffic chief Rodney Bass today said the 50-year-old road system would be unable to cope with traffic within
-
Date
Dunmow: Man jailed for stabbing
A Dunmow man was lucky that a stab wound which put him in hospital missed his vital organs, a court heard. Paul Kleber's attacker, Anthony McHugh, 50, of Warners, Dunmow, admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, at Chelmsford Crown
-
Date
East Hanningfield: Council set to reject travellers' site
Chelmsford Borough councillors are poised to turn down plans to build a privately-owned travellers' plotland site at East Hanningfield on the advice of planning officers. The officers will recommend outright rejection of the bid to turn 1.6 hectares of
-
Date
Braintree: Classrooms hit by rain damage
Classrooms at a Braintree school are unusable after rainwater cascaded through ceilings following last night's torrential rain and high winds. Flooding was reported in Braintree's Bradford Street, Rosemary Avenue, Skitts Hill, Broad Road, and the Old
-
Date
Brentwood: Anger at high street closure
The pressure is rising over plans to close the High Street to allow Essex and Suffolk Water to undertake major repair work with road campaigners predicting total chaos over the summer. Save Brentwood Action Group (SBAG), which campaigned against the pedestrianisation
-
Date
Brentwood: Wildlife Trust art exhibition
Some stunning works of art will be on display at the 12th annual exhibition organised by the Brentwood and Billericay branch of the Essex Wildlife Trust. Around 350 pictures will be displayed, together with a number of unframed ones, and all are for sale
-
Date
Shoebury: Bar team prove they're a Shore thing
A Shoebury pub has been voted top place for a tipple and a bite to eat by a national pub chain. Top team - Kat Ball, Gez Campbell, Martin Edge and Daisy Horn celebrate their triumph Picture: ROBIN WOOSEY The Shorehouse, in Ness Road, scooped the Bar Team
-
Date
Shoebury: Historic garrison pub is gutted by inferno
A historic landmark pub in Shoebury has been gutted by fire. The ground floor of the Shoeburyness Hotel was completely destroyed by the blaze which took hold in the kitchen around 3pm yesterday. The pub, popular with servicemen when the old garrison was
-
Date
Heybridge: Company challenges home plan refusal
A company has launched a second High Court challenge to the Government's refusal of its plans to use land it owns in Heybridge for a 124-home residential development. Thomas Bates & Son, of Harold Wood, Romford, is asking Mr Justice Harrison to quash
-
Date
Rayleigh: OAPs angry at closure of post office
Rayleigh pensioners are up in arms after another post office closure in the area, albeit a temporary one. The branch, on the Chase, will be unavailable to customers until the end of the month. Elderly residents now face a journey into the town centre
-
Date
Cricket: Wash-out blow hits Essex in the pocket
Essex were left counting the cost after their Twenty20 Cup clash against Surrey fell victim to last night's heavy rain at Chelmsford last night without a ball being bowled. Although the county had the foresight to insure gate receipts against a wash-out
-
Date
South Essex: Gales wreak chaos
A boxing club was destroyed, roads flooded and several homes struck by lightning as freak weather battered south Essex. Crushed - club trainer Cliff Wright at the wrecked Rayleigh Boxing Club Picture: ROBIN WOOSEY A tree collapsed onto the roof of the
-
Date
Essex: Schools must do better
Essex schools are falling short in the quality of education they offer. A damning report from Ofsted has criticised Essex in comparison to counties such as Kent, Hertfordshire, West Sussex and Nottinghamshire, saying the county "could do better". The
-
Date
Leigh: Businessman's plans for marina development
A multimillion pound marina development in Leigh Old Town could produce up to 50 extra jobs, the businessman behind the plans said today. Ron Fraser, from Westcliff, wants to convert buildings at the former Johnson and Jago boatyard into a hotel, restaurant
-
Date
Soccer: Wignall talks end in cash stalemate
Southend United supremo Ron Martin confirmed today that efforts to resolve the club's compensation dispute with former manager Steve Wignall are still far from settled. Wignall is suing Blues for a sum believed to be in the region of £25,000, which has
-
Date
Tennis: Triple tie-break thriller ends even
Rochford and Thorpe Bay II had a ding-dong second rubber in their Men's Division Two encounter. Both sets went to tie breaks, with Rochford's Phil Reid and Andy Bowden winning the first and Thorpe's Malcolm Sedgwick and Chris Porter claiming the second
-
Date
Canvey: Susan stops storm chaos
Public-spiritied Susan Ball directed traffic from her mobility scooter as freak weather brought down power lines blocking Canvey's busiest road. Director of operations - Susan Ball who controlled the traffic along Long Road Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL She
-
Date
Essex: No puffs on the chuff chuff
Rail company One has become the last operator in the East of England to ban smoking on all its services this week. One, which took over the First Great Eastern franchise earlier this year, will outlaw smoking on its mainline services between London Liverpool
-
Date
South Essex: Chernobyl kids enjoy the fresh air of the county
A group of Belorussian youngsters have become the latest victims of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster to take a holiday in south Essex. Young visitors - Belorussian guests of the Billericay Link charity with some of their host families Picture: ANNA
-
Date
Billericay: Building twin-town links
Getting the most out of Billericay's twinning link with the French town of Chauvigny is the aim of a new committee launched by one of the town's twinning association. The committee currently has 16 members who have an interest in France and more people
-
Date
Basildon: Sheltered homes for old pub site
Plans to demolish a pub to make way for a sheltered housing development have been given the go-ahead by Basildon Council. The proposals, which will see the Burstead Plough, in Southend Road, South Green, replaced by a three-storey block of 31 flats, were
-
Date
St Osyth: Tony nets real live Jaws ... at the beach
Forget Jaws the movie - get down to St Osyth beach for the real-life action. Fisherman Tony Talbot got the shock of his life when a pulled up a 4ft thresher shark on to his boat as he was trying to catch bass. The 38-year-old realised it was something
-
Date
Athletics: Katie gunning for golden Gateshead finale
Southend's Katie Flaherty will be aiming to bring a glorious schools' athletic career to a golden end in Gateshead over the next two days. Going for gold - Southend's Great Britain 400m runner Katie Flaherty Picture: ANNA LUKALA Katie, who leaves Southend
-
Date
Essex: £300K for rural communities
A countryside action group has been awarded £300,000 to help rural communities. The cash secures the future of a programme designed to help villages plan their future development. The scheme is being run by the Rural Community Council of Essex (RCCE).
-
Date
Colchester: Youths in late-night streak
Youngsters were spotted running naked through the streets of Colchester. Police said six teenage boys were seen in the buff, shouting and causing a disturbance at 1.20am today in Deben Road. They were accompanied by two girls, who kept their clothes on
-
Date
Southend: Council concern as satisfaction drops
Just over half of those who responded to a survey in Southend were satisfied with the service provided by the council, it was revealed today. Councillors and officers said they were mystified why the level has dropped from nearly 65 per cent satisfaction
-
Date
Braintree: Publicans warned over gang
Publicans in Braintree have warned colleagues to beware of a gang running a protection racket in the town. Braintree and Bocking's branch of the Licensed Victuallers' Association (LVA) has spoken out after claiming local pubs have been targeted in recent
-
Date
Karate: Alan's 30 years as champ
Karate instructor Alan Parrish is marking 30 years of involvement in the sport this year -- and his experienced has been rewarded with more international recognition. Honoured -- Alan Parrish (right) receives a long-service award from Karate master Kawasoe
-
Date
Basildon: Hundreds turn up for opening of new store
Hundreds of people surged into Basildon's new Asda Wal-Mart superstore in its first minutes of opening today. Flooding in - crowds queued up for the opening of the new Asda Picture: MAXINE CLARKE The 82,000 sq ft supermarket in the Eastgate shopping mall
-
Date
Ongar: £1m to halt pollution threat
More than a million pounds of district council money could be spent on an old rubbish tip in Ongar to protect the local environment from leaking pollution. Bobbingworth Tip, near Moreton, has been out of use for around 20 years but household waste thrown
-
Date
Southend, Rayleigh: Robberies go through roof
Robberies have rocketed across Southend and Rayleigh - up a shocking 30 per cent. Offences against the person and vehicle crime have also risen and criminal damage has shot up about 20 per cent - with graffiti vandals the chief culprits. According to
-
Date
Basildon: £4m case - Family praised
The family of a man awarded £4m compensation for brain damage, suffered after he jumped from a roof, have been praised by a judge. Austin Waymark was being treated for manic depression but was allowed to leave Basildon Hospital's psychiatric unit, walk
-
Date
Soccer: Blues to face Irons in cup
Southend United have landed a mouthwatering Carling Cup first round clash at local rivals West Ham. What will be an eagerly anticipated encounter is set to be played on Tuesday, August 24, at the Championship club's Upton Park home. Blues boss Steve Tilson
-
Date
Colchester: Rise in cases of mumps
Hundreds of people could be at risk from mumps after a sudden increase of cases in Colchester, it emerged today The number of people with the disease jumped from just six in the whole of 2003 to 12 in the first half of this year It could mean a 300 per
-
Date
Colchester: Is club culture set to leave High Street?
Clubbers should be evicted from Colchester's Hippodrome to make way for an upmarket High Street. Heard nothing - Carl Johnson, new manager of the Hippodrome nightclub in Colchester High Street, says the venue has no plans to leave Picture: NIGEL BROWN
-
Date
Angling: Dave up early to net
Dennis Hale took the honours at the first round of the Essex Summer League -- but did not land the Jetty Anglers golden peg prize of £1,000. Southend's Hale missed out by seven pegs after winning the East Tilbury match with 30 flounders and an eel for
-
Date
Colchester: Bar calls off late licence bid
A High Street bar has postponed its bid for a late-night licence after being branded Colchester's most violent pub. The Wig and Pen was due to apply for the late-night extension at a licensing meeting last night. But manager Ray Martin is putting the
-
Date
Essex: County lashed by gale-force winds
Thousands of homes and businesses suffered severe power cuts as unseasonal storms struck the region. Making a splash - Cars negotiate the bad weather Electricity giant EDF said 6,000 homes in Essex were left without power as high winds and heavy rain
-
Date
Great Bentley: It may not be Orange on green after all
The future is looking brighter for Great Bentley villagers after mobile phone giants Orange agreed to reconsider its plans. The company had wanted to put up a mast overlooking the largest green in the country but villagers campaigned long and hard to
-
Date
Soccer: U's face Cheltenham in cup clash
Colchester United boss Phil Parkinson today welcomed the news his side have been handed a home draw against Cheltenham Town in the first round of the Carling Cup. The sides will do battle at Layer Road in the week beginning August 23. Parkinson told the
-
Date
Maldon: Art on roundabouts?
Public art could be on show on roundabouts at the gateways to Maldon. Ideas have been explored by Maldon District Council about some form of public art which would increase the sense of location and place as people enter the town. Discussions have taken
-
Date
Castle Point: Pupils will be just wild about nature reserves
A wildlife group will be helping Castle Point schools set up their own little nature reserves. Robert Drake Primary in Thundersley and Jotmans Hall Primary in Benfleet have approached the Castle Point Wildlife Action Group to help them set up a miniature
-
Date
Vange: Mum's shock as thieves swipe £400 in card scam
A mother today told of her shock at discovering thieves had cleared out her bank account - without her even knowing about it. Amanda Hall, 28, of Lambourne Crescent, Vange, didn't discover her account had been raided until she went to withdraw cash on
-
Date
Golf: Rochford cadets fly into quarters
Rochford Hundred cadets have emulated their Thornton Cup and over-55s teams in winning a place in a top Essex competition quarter-final - the Youth Shield. The youngsters finished top of their group after a nailbiting 3-2 win over fierce local rivals