Plans for a massive hike in charges for home care have been placed on the back burner. Thurrock Council met to consider a proposal which would have seen a rise in charges from £8.65 a week to £37.10. However, an increase in the price of meals on wheels
Children, pensioners and young mums are being put at risk on 'the most dangerous crossing in Brentwood', a concerned safety campaigner has claimed. Ron Fine, who lives on nearby Shenfield Common, has been fighting for five years to get something done
Poppy the palomino miniature horse is 11 months old and, although fully grown, is just 25 inches high. She has been living happily at Mistley Place Park Environmental Centre for most of her life and along with all the other young animals at the New Road
Steve Whitton has made a promise that supersub Lomana Tresor Lua Lua will not be leaving Layer Road. With the annual transfer deadline only 13 days away, the U's boss is anticipating a host of phone calls inquiring about his young star. "I don't even
The Southend Wednesday League Cup final, to be played on a date to be arranged in April, will be a top of the cops battle. For the Police sides of Basildon and Grays have qualified to meet after good semi-final successes. Basildon beat Rayleigh Lodgers
Crash victim Susan Doe's mother and sister discovered a tragic accident scene in Roxwell as they hunted for her car. Mrs Nan Doe and Claire Doe, 26, began their search when Susan, a 25-year-old telesales executive, failed to arrive home at her Chelmsford
Crime-busting cameras have no impact on stopping drink-related violence, it has been revealed. The revelation comes in the annual report of the Chelmsford CCTV system which shows another rise in the amount of unruliness caught on When cameras were installed
Goals from Crane, Graham and Gamman gave Southend Police a 3-1 win over Southend Postmen in the only Southend Wednesday League game played. The victory allowed the Postmen to take over in second spot behind top dogs Rayleigh Lodgers. However, the delivery
A top American firm could be in the running to buy Woods Air Movements. Speculation over who will buy the award winning Colchester business is heating up as the end-of-March sale date approaches. But until the sale of Marconi-owned Woods is complete,
Holtend United are in the finals of the Southend Sunday League's Section B Cup after a 3-1 semi-final success at Hawkwell Athletic. D Davison grabbed a double for the winners. In Section C, Burkett's double helped Wheatleys 2nd to a 3-1 victory over their
Rebel butcher Dave Stephens went straight to 10 Downing Street on Wednesday in his continuing battle against metric measurements. Mr Stephens, who runs Mandy's Chop Shop in Leigh Broadway, met officials from the Department of Trade and Industry and demanded
A goal three minutes from time by Neville Fox saw Ford Basildon into the semi-finals of the Southend Borough Combination Veterans League's Charity Cup at the expense of Third Division Haydon Manor. It was the first game Manor had failed to win all season
A fourth-minute goal from George Neal was enough to see Rayleigh Town through to the final of the Essex Intermediate Cup. They beat fellow Intermediate League Senior Division One outfit Frenford Senior away and now take on Division Two Harold Wood Athletic
Southend United have left their illustrious Premiership counterparts firmly in the shade, following a recent survey of junior supporters' clubs up and down the country. Soccer website Zoo Football carried out a nationwide poll of all 92 professional league
Witham's very own Elton John lookalike is cashing in on his pop star looks. Ray Johnson, 43, is set to for his own share of the limelight when he takes part in ITV's The Lookalikes Agency on Saturday night. Viewers will see Ray, a member of Derek's Doubles
A worker's hand was crushed in a mangle-like machine a factory making cleaning cloths, a court heard. Spontex Nonwovens, of Severalls Business Park, Colchester, admitted breaching health and safety regulations. It was fined £6,500 and told to pay nearly
People in Chelmsford may soon be able to stroll down their street without fear of falling foul of a nasty surprise. Officers from Chelmsford Council think hidden mini-cameras could be the key to a crackdown on dog-fouling. And if the system is a success
A Vange health carer who risked jail by smuggling medicine to dying Iraqi children said the country's situation had spiralled out of control. Sanctions-buster Martin Thomas, who claims his efforts are blighted by ignorance, is due to leave for the stricken
More than 1,000 new jobs could be created at Shoebury's New Ranges as the future of the military site is finally revealed. A mystery company has stepped in with pioneering plans to house its hydroponic or organic "process" for fruit, vegetables and pharmaceuticals
With confidence high in the Chelmsford City camp as they move closer to the Dr Martens League Eastern Division leaders manager Gary Bellamy declared on Thursday: "The real promotion race is now on and we are determined to make it!" City, buoyed up by
Billericay Town's dream of winning the Ryman League Cup for the first time in their history ended in dramatic fashion in Berkshire on Tuesday night. Having been held 1-1 by Division One promotion-chasers Maidenhead United in the first leg at New Lodge
A new location for troubled Colchester market has been ruled out. Instead there are plans to merge Vineyard Street market with the popular farmers' market. Both would be held on a Saturday at the same site, with the normal Vineyard Street market also
A brave 14-year-old girl has come forward after being seriously sexually assaulted by a man in a balaclava. The teenager was originally too embarrassed and scared to tell the police about her ordeal but felt compelled to report it in case anyone else
Little Burstead's 700-year-old church St Mary the Virgin is threatened with "rack and ruin" as its small congregation struggles to find the £20,000 needed to cover essential repairs. The picturesque church off Rectory Road is a cherished landmark and
A lorry caused "offal" commuter chaos after it shed its load on the M25. The lorry scattered its load of animal carcasses and meat on the junction of the A13 and M25 at about 3.40pm on Thursday. One lane had to be coned off, while police, fire and council
Essex MPs have raised concerns over falling police numbers in the county. Colchester MP Bob Russell and North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin have spoken out following the publication of Home Office figures. They show that in Colchester division the number of
Special equipment was used by police to rehearse rescue procedures at Stansted Airport during last month's hijacking of an Afghan airline. Head of Essex County Council's community safety and emergency plans unit, Peter Pearson, told councillors sound-deadening
A school was evacuated after a five-year-old boy set fire to his coat. The youngster is believed to have brought a lighter to Our Lady of Ransom School and set fire to his coat which was hanging in the cloakroom. Children were evacuated and two fire engines
Chef Gordon Maxwell cooked up a storm when he took home leftover cauliflower cheese from work. Police were called, handcuffed him and led him away to police cells - to stew. Today Mr Maxwell, 29, who aptly lives in Cookham Court, Shoebury, was today (
Essex police and firefighters are among the poorest performers in England and Wales. The Audit Commission annual report, published on Thursday, singles out both for their poor response times to emergencies. The county fire service comes in for a particularly
A man subjected his former wife to a terrifying ordeal by ramming the car she was in. And a court heard how the woman's friend was devastated when he discovered the man had broken into his Chelmsford home and scattered his late wife's ashes around the
SATURDAY RYMAN LEAGUE Premier Division: Basingstoke Town 0, Canvey Island 1; Dulwich 1, Billericay Town 2 Division 3: Great Wakering Rovers 4, Hornchurch 1. SCHWEPPES ESSEX SENIOR LEAGUE Bowers United 1, Concord Rangers 1; Burnham Ramblers 5, Eton Manor
The celebrations in the Blackburn Rovers dressing room said it all for Fabian Wilnis. Ipswich Town's Dutch defender, who excelled in Tuesday night's goalless draw at Portman Road, reckons they couldn't have done anymore to break down Tony Parkes' side
A swimming teacher who taught three generations to swim and transformed a wooden "tub" into a permanent pool has died. Barbara Woodward, of Underwood Square, Leigh, died aged 57 after an 18 month fight against cancer. Mrs Woodward began teaching at West
Southend United's transfer-listed hitman Neville Roach returned to Roots Hall on Wednesday following a wasted trip to the Cayman Islands. The 21-year-old striker was not allowed to pull on his boots and play for his adopted nation in Sunday's World Cup
Southend Manor will be bidding to gain one foot in the final of the Schweppes Essex Senior League's Ancient Order of Foresters League Cup on Saturday when they visit Sawbridgeworth in the first leg of their semi-final. Manor, following their 1-0 home
Hornchurch-based disability swimmer Callum Hanslip hardly had time to draw breath after his return from the Ukrainian Open Disability Swim Championships last week when he travelled north to Darlington to compete in the BT Swimming National Junior Championships
Ronnie Irani has been named as the new Essex cricket captain. On Thursday the all-rounder replaced Test captain Nasser Hussain who was one of the 12 players contracted by the England and Wales Cricket Board last week. Hussain, who now becomes club captain
Colchester United manager Steve Whitton has thrown his weight behind a drive by Second Division rivals Reading to ban agents from the game. Whitton's revelation yesterday (Thursday) came just hours after the U's were involved in a second Football League
Great Wakering Rovers bid to give their almost certain hopes of promotion from the Third Division in their first season as a Ryman League club another major boost with victory at Ware on Saturday. The village side have romped clear at the top with a marvellous
Just bootiful! That's what one of the world's best-known footwear manufacturers thought of a Southend shoe shop's window display - and gave bosses £1,000. Ricky Osburn, joint owner of Victoria Shoes, in the Victoria Plaza, has the whole world at his feet
Three masked men wearing Army-style clothing brought terror to a holiday camp during a £5,000 robbery. But the raiders crashed both their getaway vehicles and left "crucial evidence" behind, a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court was told yesterday (Thursday
Bowers United and Concord Rangers were the only local Schweppes Essex Senior League sides to get into the action on Saturday - and ended up sharing the spoils at Crown Avenue. David Hope gave the Pitsea home side a 33rd-minute lead which David Jenkins
The best young swimmers in Chelmsford picked up armfuls of trophies at the weekend. Cups and club record awards were given to all the winners in the Chelmsford Swimming Club 1999 championships at a presentation ceremony at New Hall School, Springfield
The famous footballing name of Greaves has returned to Essex non-league football with the debut of Danny - son of the illustrious Jimmy - for Scheweppes Essex Senior League championship hopefuls Burnham Ramblers. Danny, who ran Southend United's youth
DIVISION FIVE LEAGUE CUP FINAL This was an entertaining game with plenty of fine football, and a credit to both sides. Redstones duly completed the league and cup double. Hutton, however, pushed them all the way and deserve great credit for their performance
SENIOR DIVISION ONE It was a bad weekend for Hatfield Peverel with players missing and a cup game cancelled but the players brought in did well when they entertained Takeley and continued their improvement with a point as the game finished all square
The Essex squad has been selected for the final of the Liberty Trophy against Lancashire, at Melton Mowbray, on April 9. There is only one change from that which beat Dorset in the semi-final. Peter Pereira of Barking, who was a 'first choice' for the
This game was always going to be a very tight affair. The game got under way with Colchester taking the early advantage, but Chelmsford soon got into their stride and pulled the scores level with 13 minutes gone at 20 each. Colchester then pulled out
Billericay Town boss Gary Calder faces major injury problems before Saturday's key Essex derby with Purfleet at New Lodge. Midfielder Paul Linger definitely misses the game after suffering a broken bone in his foot in Tuesday night's League Cup semi-final
A wealthy pilot who flew into a no-fly zone came within sight of an elite Red Arrows team during an aerobatics display. Bernard Kelly, 49, of Hullbridge Road, South Woodham Ferrers, on Thursday admitted being in breach of the Civil Aviation Act by breaking
A balaclava-clad gunman escaped with nearly £300 after an armed robbery at a convenience store. The raid happened at Sam's Stores, in Laurence Avenue, Witham, on Thursday night when a man brandishing a black handgun walked in and shoved a terrified member
A man who had part of a healthy leg amputated because of a psychological condition wants to extend his house -- because he is now disabled. Kevin Wright had his right leg removed above the knee in an operation two years ago at the Falkirk Royal Infirmary
A horrified homeowner is clearing up again after a car smashed into his garage - the sixth time it has been hit by a vehicle. Gordon Bloom, of Grange Hill, Kelvedon Road, Coggeshall, was woken up to the sounds of a crash just after 6am on Thursday. A
Colchester travel to Drapers Farm on Saturday to take on bottom-placed Maldon in a relegation battle crucial for both sides. The All Blacks will want to put in a much better performance after their disappointing display a fortnight ago against West Norfolk
Southend boss Alan Little has ordered his team to play for pride at Brighton and Hove Albion. The Shrimpers chief wants his men to come out on top of the Third Division derby clash on the Sussex coast on Saturday by winning the battle of the struggling
Jake Crampin slam-dunked for computer vouchers with help from the London Leopards. The ten-year-old from Wyburns School in Rayleigh was just one of a number of youngsters invited to Tesco on the Mayflower Retail Park in Basildon to celebrate the store's
Training was high on the agenda at Chelmsford and District Sub Aqua Club as some members took the opportunity to improve the 'open water skills' when they visited Stoney Cove in Leicestershire. Here, divers practiced techniques they require for their
A hat-trick from Davies saw Holmes to a 6-1 win at Armleon in the Vange Sunday League's Management Cup. Results Division 1 Cup round 2: Intersports 2 (Antonu, Dorney), Linford Wanderers 1 (Knowles). Management Cup: Greeves 3 (Raby, Dann, og), Hodgson
Toxic asbestos has been cleared from a Billericay farm, following concerns from residents and councillors. Debris had been strewn across the site at Crowndale Farm in Rosebay Avenue for almost a month after a blaze burnt the building to the ground. Owners
The Southend District League programme was decimated by waterlogged pitches with no less than eight matches washed out. However, holders Linford Wanderers won their way through to the semi-finals of the Centenary Cup. They came back from a 1-0 deficit
Chelmsford stumbled to another defeat when they were beaten by third-placed Doncaster on Sunday. While Chelmsford had little to play for other than pride, they will have been disappointed with their performance against a side still chasing the league
Andrew Smith returned from the National Junior Disabled Champion-ships in Darlington last weekend clutching a fistful of medals - three gold, two silver and one bronze. He kept his title for the 25 metres butterfly "dash" winning a new Championship record
Arena Essex's Troy Pratt is to be awarded a testimonial this year in recognition of his ten-year riding career with the Hammers. He made his debut for the club in 1989 and has raced in the crossed Hammers race-jacket for all but two of those seasons.
Oh baby, look at you! These three youngsters are just one of the many handfuls to arrive at the Basildon Zoo, in London Road, Vange. The tiny meerkats were born three weeks ago and are being cared for by the staff and volunteers at the growing zoo. These
It was tough for Bernice Clarke to be disowned by her Zionist family but she has no regrets, writes JANE O'CONNELL At 80-something, a time when many women of her age may be looking forward to an outing to the park, Bernice Clarke is planning a safari
The performance may not have been of the highest quality, but the result was just right to put Chelmsford Highway in with an excellent chance of reaching the semi-final play-offs of this new competition. An understrength Leicester side, short of several
A disabled four-year-old girl will miss out on vital therapy after thieves stole her bike. The theft has sickened the girl's father. He gave up his job to look after his daughter full time and said today he has no idea where he can get the cash to replace
Meet bouncing baby Myles Russell -- one of the largest tots around. Myles was eight-and-a-half lbs when he was born and immediately afterwards he began to grow -- and grow and grow. Now at just eight months old, he weighs in at a whopping 25lbs -- more
A call has been made for zero tolerance policing on the Greenstead estate, Colchester. Residents fed up with vandals want them to be arrested by police -- no matter how minor the offence. In recent years, zero tolerance policing was hailed a success in
Police have appealed for help in tracing the last movements of Roxwell sex swap patient Bryan Hooley, 28, who was found naked in chains on a beach at Kessingland, near Lowestoft in Suffolk. Police at first thought the 5ft 9ins tall body was that of a
An innovative crimebusting scheme is already proving to be a hit with residents of a Southend housing estate - just a week after being put in place. The specially-built steel information box located in the Kursaal estate's Estuary Housing Association
A gunman who terrorised customers and staff in a Benfleet restaurant is starting a 15-month jail sentence. Diners were forced to dive under tables for cover when James Smith threatened to open fire. Smith, 31, allegedly told one petrified man: "Don't
Vandals who broke into a cemetery and trampled on graves were today branded "disgusting". The intruders sprayed graffiti and desecrated headstones at Wickford Cemetery causing more than £1,000 damage. Police today stepped up their hunt for the hooligans
In the Basildon Sunday League Senior Division Cup semi-finals St Basil's took an early 2-0 lead through Douche and Denny and never looked back as they claimed victory over Vange and Pitsea Working Men's Club to earn a final spot. In the other semi, Alexandrou
Lomana Tresor Lua Lua's virtuoso effort at Preston on Tuesday night confirmed him as the U's all-time leading goalscoring substitute. The U's striker came off the bench to put the U's 2-0 up at Deepdale before they eventually went on to win 3-2. Lua Lua
The new season at the Chigboro trout fishery opens this coming Friday, with manager David Weston predicting bumper catches. There are still plenty of big over-wintered fish, and the new season stockings should ensure that everybody has fish in front of
After her unusual childhood Ellen Kent found life as an actress dull she tells SALLY KING. Now she produces operas, two of which come to Southend later this month. Ellen Kent spent her childhood in Bombay, Malaga and Norfolk. Now she spends her life bringing
Jack Murray dreams of film and television roles. In the meantime he treads the boards and works in tele-sales he tells SALLY KING There's a bit of the devil in angelic-looking actor Jack Murray. Raised in Basildon and Noak Bridge by Irish parents, he
The semi-finals of the Tigers 8s and 9s Bukta South-East Essex Mini-Soccer Primary League cups produced four close and competitive matches. The two undefeated under-8 teams, Leigh Rockets and Rayleigh Leopards, were involved in a thrilling end to end
A man suffering from a long-term illness has set himself the major task of scouring the European battlefields of the Great War in search of missing allied soldiers from north east Essex. James Gooding, 45, a keen historian, has to have kidney dialysis
Janice Torr, a member at the Billericay tennis club, won six out of six matches when she represented Essex in the LTA 18 & under Junior County Cup at Basingstoke last weekend. Janice was in fine form as she helped the Essex girls beat Northumberland
It has been a wet and windy winter and many of the region's golf clubs are feeling the effects with soggy greens and wet fairways. In fact, it has been so bad at Harwich and Dovercourt Golf Club there has been no play for some time and phone callers to
Matchroom welterweight Darren Bruce will find himself on the Prince Naseem Hamed/Vuyani Bungu world title undercard at the Grand Hall, Olympia, London on Saturday evening. Bruce, from Grays, will face Brummie Mark Ramsey in a six or eight round contest
The family of a much-loved Clacton man made sure his last journey was as special as he was. Jack Saunders, who died at his Kersey Drive home, was carried to Weeley Crematorium in a horse-drawn hearse followed by his four children in a horse-drawn carriage
A former pond where witches were drowned and with a local history of planning disasters has suffered another setback. Plans for a five-storey block of flats for historic Doom Pond, Leigh, have been thrown out - just the latest in a series of problems
CHELMSFORD GOLF CLUB Ladies Day, having been washed out, left only the men to have competition results. The weather was good enough to enable both the Saturday and Sunday March medals to be held. The Saturday event attracted 109 competitors and 104 turned
Ridleys, the Essex Brewer, are to sponsor Olympic medal hopeful, Kevin Hughes. Kevin, from Hockley, is currently ranked as Britain's No 1 in pole vaulting and has already achieved the Olympic qualifying height of 5.60 metres to compete at the 2000 Sydney
Referee Rob Styles did get it wrong when he booked Colchester United defender Joe Dunne instead of striker Karl Duguid. The mix-up came in an incident involving Burnley's England star Ian Wright at Layer Road two weeks ago. Duguid claimed at the time
Chelmsford Chieftains maintained their record winning streak, but only just, after a fairly low-key victory over close neighbours Romford Raiders on Sunday. It was Chieftains' first home match since clinching the English Premier League title the previous
Southend United's supporters club are laying on transport for tomorrow's short Third Division trip to Brighton and Hove Albion. A coach will be leaving ASDA in Shoebury at 10.15am, before making further pick-ups on the way to Laindon. Bookings can be
SATURDAY RYMAN LEAGUE Premier Division: Billericay Town v Purfleet; Chesham v Canvey Island. Division 3: Ware v Great Wakering Rovers. SCHWEPPES ESSEX SENIOR LEAGUE East Ham v Stansted; Hullbridge Sports v Basildon United; Woodford Town; Ilford v Concord
Ipswich Town aim to get back to winning ways when they visit Wolves on Saturday. Town visit Molineux without a victory in three games and George Burley is keen to get the promotion push back on track. Wolves have won their last four matches at home and
Essex girls were runners-up but Essex boys relegated when the LTA 18 and under Junior Inter County Championships were held at the weekend. The girls were in action in Group 3 played at Basingstoke and had wins over Northumberland 9-0 and Cambridgeshire
Dave Strachan KO Cup Round Three A shock was on the cards at Southminster where unbeaten Division Five side Little Waltham led their Premier Division opponents by two goals to nil at half-time, but, not for the first time this season in a cup match Southminster
With the two teams both among the four clubs hot on the tail of top dogs Dagenham and Redbridge, tomorrow's Canvey Island visit to Chesham in the Ryman League Premier Division is a match of massive proportions. Gulls, currently in a run of 10 wins and
A group of gipsies camped next to Sainsbury's at Rayleigh Weir have moved to the site of the proposed multi-million pound Virgin leisure centre. The 15 caravans, lorries, cars and animals arrived on the land in Rayleigh Road, Thundersley, on Thursday
Love is in the air at a drop-in centre for the elderly - and it doesn't take cupid to work out who the happy couple are. In a crowded room at Halstead's Age Concern centre sit a pair of giggling lovebirds, holdings hands and cracking jokes. At the tender
A family has moved out of Clacton after criticising their neighbours - and has gone to nearby Frinton. Chris and Sarah Watford had moved to Dahlia Close, Clacton, from their Wiltshire home. But within two days their house caught fire and someone stole
Work on Brentwood's derelict Hart Street site could start in a matter of months after borough councillors gave the green light to a £15million development scheme. Councillors at last Wednesday's full council meeting approved plans for 62 flats, an office
Cloud Nine Trampoline Club members, Hannah Davies, 12, and James Davies, 9, were recently selected to train with the Welsh national trampoline squad. Following a successful first weekend training they have now been asked to return each month. These sessions
Billericay's motor racing protg Matt Davies and his Renault Elf Promatecme F3 Team are in confident mood following testing at Snetterton and Oulton Park last week despite rain being the week's real winner. The lightning 23-year-old topped testing times
A South Woodham woman has told how she was so shocked after being covered in glass following a bus accident that she had to take tranquillisers to help recover from the ordeal. Bliue Goodchild, 21, was on the Eastern National double-decker bus from South
