Permanent measures could be put in place to curb excessive speed and dangerous driving often experienced during cruiser meetings on Southend seafront. Police narrowed the carriageway and sealed off the central reservation car park along Western Esplanade
A long awaited road helping link Braintree to a new retail area is to open. The road from Railway Street to Lakes Road, completing the new links between the town centre, Freeport Designer Village and the A120, will open on September 4. It is hoped the
The promise of non-stop family fun and entertainment brought nearly 37,000 people to Chelmsford's Hylands Park at the weekend for the 12th annual Chelmsford Spectacular. Chart toppers Steps kicked off the three-day event with a sell out performance on
Help and advice for council tenants who are in arrears with their rent is available in a new booklet from Chelmsford borough. There are sections on how to pay rent, available help, including benefits, and what to do if payments fall behind. It advises
Maldon district councillors have approved plans for a micro brewery in Maldon. The application by the Mighty Oak Brewery which plans to move from Brentwood to West Station Industrial Estate, Spital Road was agreed subject to conditions by members of the
A grieving mother has told how her son lay in front of a speeding train to be with his father - who died exactly four years earlier. Richard May, 21, had battled with a drugs addiction since the death of his beloved father, Raymond, from a heart attack
A grant of £15,000 has been awarded to Chelmsford Community Environmental Trust by the Eaga Partnership, to give people advice about saving energy in their homes. Chelmsford Borough Council has contributed £5,000 towards the scheme. It will be monitored
Hadleigh's oldest school looks set to be transformed into 24 new flats - but the outside will stay the same, it has emerged. Pupils from Hadleigh Junior School are due to move to a new building near the infant school in Bilton Road next year leaving behind
A pensioner plucked from the sea after he fell off his yacht has thanked the lifeboat crew and a passerby for their help in saving his life. Grandfather Roy Riley, 70, was rescued by the Harwich inshore lifeboat crew after he fell overboard from his single-handed
Detectives arrested a man and a woman on Wednesday in connection with the death of transsexual Bryan Hooley. Mr Hooley's naked body was found washed up on Kessingland beach near Lowestoft in Suffolk in on March 2. He suffered head injuries and had drowned
A boat involved in an infamous murder trial is to be auctioned off in September. The Lady Jane became a focal point in the trial of Albert Walker, of Little London Farm in Woodham Walter, near Maldon, who was convicted of murdering his business associate
A 79-year-old retired doctor has completed a sponsored climb up Ben Nevis ... despite having three artificial joints. Dr 'Sandy' Sandiland from Orsett has raised more than £1,000 for charity by scaling Britain's highest peak in a marathon nine-hour climb
Stolen goods are to be returned to their owners as part of a pioneering shop hunt campaign by police. At the weekend, Basildon Police are to tour secondhand shops and scan goods for postcodes. Any postcodes found will be traced and goods proved to be
A recruitment crisis in Essex police is contributing to rising sick leave in the force, say officers. Increasing workloads, low pay and ever tightening legislation over police operations is causing rising stress and fatigue among officers. The startling
An 11-year-old girl was indecently assaulted as she looked at toys in a High Street shop in Southend. The girl was in Woolworths on Tuesday afternoon when a skinny man approached her and committed an indecent act before running off. The girl, who was
Richard Webb, from Burnham-on-Crouch, was one of seven skaters representing the South Woodham Ferrers & Wickford Rollerspeed Skating Club, at the annual international skating event held by the Zwaantjes Rollers Club in Ostend, Belgium. Webb, in his
Netting a 15lbs salmon after a 20-minute battle is an achievement any angler would be proud of, but for Douglas Heddle, the catch was even more remarkable. The 86-year-old fisherman from Pyefleet, Fingringhoe, made the history books by being the oldest
The brother of Rettendon killer Jack Whomes staged a one-man protest outside Basildon Magistrates' Court today. John Whomes, 38, was demonstrating after charges against him for chaining himself to a gantry over the M25 at Thurrock were dropped by crown
Billericay Town are continuing to show their determination to reach the highest levels of the non-league game by planning a new 1,000 seater stand at their New Lodge ground. Plans are about to be put in with Basildon Council for permission to erect the
John Main has been officially booted off the board of Southend United, despite fans' support for the disputed Blues chairman at an extraordinary general meeting. Three hours of intense debate on Wednesday at Boots and Laces ended in a show of hands which
Petrol campaigner David Windsor has taken his protest to the capital by chaining himself to railings at the Tower of London. The 77-year-old pensioner from Stanway has already hit the headlines by blocking Colchester High Street earlier this year to protest
An environmental group has forked out £80,000 towards building a new cycle path which will link Colchester with quiet roads towards Tiptree. The new path will be opened on August 31 and it forms part of the National Cycle Network which aims to provide
A pleasure park could close for good this winter unless a new deal can be struck up with Southend Council, the operator has warned. Mike Dolby, who runs Never Never Land on behalf of the council, warned he was on the verge of quitting the seafront children's
Up to 60 asylum seekers could be given temporary housing in Braintree. If agreed by Braintree Council's community committee, 14 housing units at Craig House, Manor Street, would be set aside to house asylum seekers. Each unit could house a family or a
Brazen burglars took £5,000 of jewellery from a pensioner while she watched television. The pair called at the 75-year-old's home in Field Way, Wivenhoe, and found the front door unlocked. They sneaked inside at about 4pm on Wednesday and raided the woman's
Pig farmers in Essex are facing mounting bills for feeding livestock which has not been sold on yet because of bans on moving pigs after the outbreak of swine fever at five farms in East Anglia. Nigel Rowe, the chairman of the Colchester branch of the
Residents are living in fear of boy racers terrorising their Colchester estate. It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed by speeding drivers tearing up and down the narrow streets, according to community leaders. David
A window fitter who started his own business only six months ago has had his shop window smashed for the second time. Dickie Bird , 44, who owns Sunrise Windows and Doors in Old Road, Clacton, arrived to find a 7ft by 4ft laminated window at the front
Detectives today released more details of the gunman they are hunting for the cold-blooded shooting of Ron Fuller. His killer sped away on a moped or scramble bike bearing L-plates. A postmortem, carried out late on Tuesday, found that the bullets used
A disabled man, two women in their 80s and another in her 90s were targeted by conmen who stole from four homes in the space of an hour. Police today issued an urgent warning to the vulnerable and elderly living alone. Four victims in Clacton, Thorpe,
Temporary housing has begun to arrive on Billericay's Queens Park estate as residents prepare for a £2million repair programme. Mobile homes are being set up as day rooms while builders work on the estate where excessive ground movement has led to cracked
Spiralling rent bills are forcing retailers out of Billericay High Street, a disenchanted trader has claimed. Brin McPherson's secondhand book shop, the Book Nook, has been forced to close after just two years in the town centre. He said rising overheads
Wembley's twin towers will soon be just a fond memory, but football fans may yet be able to get their hands on a piece of the hallowed turf before the bulldozers move in. Colchester Youth Enquiry Service (YES) is one of a number of charities across the
Use of crack cocaine and other drugs in Wivenhoe are being investigated by police. Officers have already stepped up patrols since it was revealed residents were concerned there had been an increase in incidents of vandalism and reports of drug taking
Opinion was divided among councillors after hearing a new McDonald's would no longer be coming to Canvey. Labour leader Dave Wells, said: "I am always disappointed to see any form of investment that could come to our area not being carried out. "We seem
A major scheme which could create around 200 jobs and provide a shot in the arm for Clacton's holiday trade has been put on hold. Equitan - owned by Billy Peak and Frankie Bailey, two of the town's most prominent faces in the amusement industry - wants
A couple who were involved in a collision with a 7.5-tonne bread lorry while taking part in a bicycle time trial race were recovering in hospital today. Fred and Anna Muskett had completed the 25-mile time trial on their tandem on Monday morning. They
Ambitious plans to restore a historic Prittlewell bakery to its pre-Tudor glory have been delayed. Southend Council has not yet agreed to award a grant to refurbish the Carlton Bakery on Victoria Avenue which was gutted by fire in 1998. It is currently
A generous bequest from a Leigh yachtsman will form a significant chunk of the £500,000 bill for a new lifeboat station on Southend Pier. RNLI bosses have revealed the cost of the project was being largely met by the generous donation of Peter Royal.
Murdered bouncer Ron Fuller had a contract put on his life after a fatal nightclub stabbing. Police were so concerned at the threat to 30-year-old Mr Fuller that they held him in protective custody for his own safety. He had been charged with violent
Questions remain unanswered for the family of a man who lay down on a woodpile and set fire to himself. Eric Reading, a 56-year-old tree surgeon, doused himself in petrol at his timber yard in Small Gains Lane, Stock, on July 5, an inquest heard. A petrol
A man was today fighting for his life after suffering 90 per cent burns after setting himself alight in Maldon. Ambulance crews were first to the scene, at Cherry Gardens, at 9.50am, followed by police and firefighters. Martin Cable, station officer at
A gas engineer turned on the heat to become a national watersports champion. Danny Rylett took the intermediate title in wakeboarding, a sport described as snowboarding on water. Mr Rylett, 27, won at the JMC Wakeboard Nationals in Middlesex. He has been
Cricketer Khalid Ishmail has been banned for five years after physically assaulting an opponent. Ishmail, who plays for Hainault and Clayhall, saw red during a Shepherd Neame Essex League match with Fives and Heronians. The league's disciplinary committee
STANFORD ... 208-8 dec, BENFLEET 164-3 (Match drawn) Benfleet came away satisfied with the draw as they ran out of time to stand a chance of winning this clash. The Woodside Park team won the toss and put their visitors in to bat. Peter Gray was the dominant
Teacher training in Essex is among the worst in the country, it was claimed today. A new league table of teacher training centres ranks departments on their students' entry qualifications, employment record and Ofsted inspection grades. But the table
Promising youngster Titus Bramble is on the move after being sold for £6,000. No, it's not the 19-year-old Ipswich Town defender who is in the England under-21 squad after making a big impact so far this season, but a racehorse of the same name. The other
Sun lovers were showered in white powder when wind carried chalk spray from a nearby farmer's field over their country club. The Health and Safety Executive was called to the scene when the cloud of agricultural lime swept through the Courtlands Country
Preliminary investigations into a freak accident where a competition official was hit on the head during an athletics meeting have found no fault. Norman Stang, 58, of Stane Fields, Marks Tey, today remained in a critical but stable condition at the Royal
A powerlifter from Wivenhoe faces a race against time to raise enough funds to travel to the World Junior Championships in Taiwan next month. Andy Kearton needs to find £400 in the next fortnight so he can compete in the under-23 international tournament
A self-confessed gangster has told of his lucky escape from an underworld killing which took the lives of his friends in a snowy country lane in Rettendon. Man mountain Carlton Leach, known as "The Muscle," has revealed how he should have been in the
Ambitious plans to rejuvenate Basildon town centre and turn it into a bustling mecca for shoppers have been unveiled. Crimebusting CCTV cameras will be expanded and an Amsterdam style flower market will be created on Sundays under the new proposals. Car
Three forlorn birds are all that remain in an aviary at a centre for adults with learning difficulties after burglars took the other 30. The birds had been presented to the Red House centre, School Road, Messing, at its summer fete just a week before
A business plan aimed at boosting Basildon town centre has been backed by councillors. A synchronised and improved CCTV system, street entertainment, an Amsterdam-style flower market and reduced car park charges are just some of the changes now set to
More than 400 patients needing operations at Basildon Hospital don't appear on the official waiting list, it has been revealed. They don't figure on the list because they are unable to undergo surgery straight away, officials have admitted. But the hospital
Chelmsford Athletic Club's Don Cox gained a marvellous second place in the British Ultra Distance Championships, which were held in Newmarket, Suffolk. Cox, 53, from Ipswich, racing in a world class 24 hour race, surprised many people (including himself
Canvey Island followed up the midweek hammering of St Albans by comprehensively outplaying a Sutton United side who are desperate to regain the Nationwide Conference status they lost at the end of last term. For long spells this was an almost embarrassingly
QUEENS PARK RANGERS ... 2, SOUTHEND UNITED ... 1 A last-gasp mistake by Southend United goalkeeper Mel Capleton handed Queens Park Rangers victory in yesterday's Avon Insurance Combination League clash at Loftus Road. Blues' second-string had comfortably
Parents shopping in the busy Basildon town centre are being urged by police to keep a tight rein on their youngsters. Officers in the division's town centre police station are becoming increasingly concerned at the number of young children losing their
Colchester United boss Steve Whitton stressed today he has not yet received a single enquiry yet for his teenage superstar Lomana Tresor Lua Lua. Whitton said: "Contrary to all the rumours flying about linking the boy with clubs like Newcastle, Spurs
Two men have died in separate road accidents over the Bank Holiday weekend. Teenage pedestrian Chukwuma Bryan died after he was involved in a collision with a truck on the A12 Kelvedon bypass at about 4am on Saturday. Mr Bryan, 19, of Oaklands Avenue,
A Maldon councillor has called for action over what he says is the growing problem of rubbish being dumped in the countryside. Independent Brian Mead, who represents the Maldon North West area, is urging people to report anyone seen dumping rubbish in
Churches in south Essex may soon have to share their vicars with neighbouring parishes because of an impending cash crisis, it was revealed today. Funds available for vicars' wages have now dropped by almost £750,000 in the county according to the Bishop
