You can support Southend RFC by backing a player next season, when they embark on their first National League campaign of the 21st century. The Warners Park club are offering the chance for local businesses, or rugby fans, to be a part of the club during
The clean-up of an oil spill at a picturesque village pond has hit taxpayers in the wallet for more than £15,000. Environment Agency officers are renewing their plea for anyone who witnessed how the spill at Panners Farm hamlet, Great Notley, took place
Police are appealing for information after motocross bikes and equipment were stolen from an industrial park in Coggeshall. The burglary happened on Tuesday night and was discovered at about 5am yesterday by a man turning up for work at the industrial
Grandmother Sylvia Elliot was proud as punch yesterday when she spent the afternoon taking tea with the Queen. The multiple sclerosis sufferer from Con Way, Benfleet, was invited to Buckingham Palace where she officially accepted the keys to a new Ford
A charity which provides essential transport for Tendring's elderly, frail and disabled is preparing to axe its service to hospitals due to a lack of cash. All trips for hospital appointments laid on by Tendring Community Transport will finish at the
Police are calling for motorists to be extra vigilant following a spate of car thefts and break-ins. The warning follows incidents yesterday when at least three cars were broken into and one stolen from Benfleet. Three of the cars were parked in the School
Couch potatoes watching Wimbledon over the next fortnight will have a reason to get off the sofa and into their whites when an inflatable court comes to town. Basildon Tennis Club will be in Basildon town centre with a court with inflatable sides and
A group of Hadleigh trainees are celebrating the completion of a year's NVQ course. The trainees from Rethink, the largest UK mental health charity, were presented with their certificates and T-shirts at their training centre at the Mr Pringles Pet Supplies
A major week-long clean-up of Walton has been hailed a success. Walton Community Project, formed to rejuvenate the town, organised a large-scale scheme to get the resort ready before the holiday season gets into full swing. The idea, paid for by Tendring
Police are appealing for help in finding a man believed to have taken part in a vicious assault at Basildon's Festival Leisure Park. The victim suffered three fractures to his face during the attack, at around 12.30am on Monday, March 17, 2003. The offence
A civic celebration to mark the the safe return of 3,000 troops home to Colchester has been put on hold. Former serviceman and councillor Terry Sutton said: "We were looking to do something like a simple church service to celebrate their return. "Of course
Thorpe Hall Ladies June medal Silver winner was Sue Knowles with a net 70. Second on countback with a net 74 was Beryl Barber. In the Bronze Division Isobel Johnson won with a net 68 on countback from Jackie Wilkinson. When Anna Leslie held her Lady Captain's
Canvey angler Richard Martin weighed in 25lb 7oz to take the top weight in Tony Cheeseman's Colmic-sponsored Northlands Park Evening match for the second week running. And with two more matches still to go he is now at the top of the league. At the latest
Southend United have tabled a £20,000 bid for Barnet's star midfielder Mark Gower, the Conference League club claimed today. But the Underhill outfit have knocked back Blues' opening gambit and are believed to be holding out for a fee in the region of
Victorious residents are celebrating after plans to put floodlights on a nearby hockey pitch were thrown out. Successful protest - residents lobbied councillors yesterday before they refused plans for adding floodlights to a hockey pitch at St Thomas
Jon Dakin goes into action against Kent at Chelmsford tomorrow for his first Championship match as a capped Essex player. The 31-year-old all-rounder was awarded his cap soon after the four-day battle against Middlesex in which he took a career best 5
South-East Essex said farewell to another well-known name on the local scene on Tuesday at the funeral of Jim Harvey. The 93-year-old was a member of Old Southendians Tennis Club for 40 years and went on to become secretary of Southend & District
The region's first Masters Degree in Medical Law for healthcare professionals and solicitors is to be launched by Anglia Polytechnic University (APU) in September this year. The aim is to help healthcare professionals to understand the system they work
Southend United boss Steve Wignall was pleased to land a home draw against Swindon Town in the first round of the newly named Carling Cup. And the Shrimpers chief is looking forward to locking horns with an old pal --Robins chief Andy King -- when the
Castle Point Council offices were plunged into chaos for an hour following a power cut in Thundersley. Traffic lights in Kiln Road, just outside the office buildings went down and council employees were unable to use their computers for an hour yesterday
A collectors item has been stolen from a car. The seven inch high Michelin man, worth £100, was taken from a red and black Citroen in London Road Hadleigh. Police are now appealing for anyone who knows the whereabouts of the tiny black and white plastic
Rochford Hundred's director of youth rugby, Darrell Edwards, is leaving the club after a sudden withdrawal of sponsorship. Edwards leaves his three-year post 12 months early at the end of July, but is pleased with what he has done in the time he was given
Action will be taken to protect a town recreation ground under continuous attack by vandals. Windows were smashed and boards ripped from the outside of a changing room on the sports area off Roydon Way, Frinton, at the weekend. It is the second time police
Mid Essex looks set to win its bid to house a vital cancer centre for patients from the region. A unanimous vote by the Mid Anglia Cancer Network (MACN) has recommended a £500,000 bid made by Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital to become the site for the
Dean Macey today revealed he will not compete in the decathlon at this year's IAAF World Championships in Paris. The 25-year-old Canvey Island athlete has, on medical advice, decided he is not fit enough to try to add to the silver and bronze medals he
Hammers past and present will be racing to help raise funds for Essex Air Ambulance next month. Arena Essex old boy Shaun Tacey will be up against current young gun Joonas Kylmakorpi at a two-day grasstrack event at High Easter. They are among a host
Campaigners today hailed a "brilliant decision" to press ahead with residents' only parking schemes in central Southend. Results of Southend Council's parking survey showed 67 per cent of residents in the Milton and Hartington Road area support the creation
These are the faces of Colchester soldiers gunned down in Iraq. And the incident which sparked the killings of the six Royal Military Police was today blamed on a "misunderstanding". Corporal Russell Aston Former Colchester-based 16 Air Assault Brigade
A businesswoman is hoping to give a charity a cash boost by cycling through Brazil in 11 days. Joanne Bull, of Shalford Road, Rayne, is taking on the cycling challenge in aid of Mencap for the second year in a row. Last year she raised £2,400 from a ten
The headteacher and a governor of a special needs' school have described a radical shake up of Southend's education system as a gamble - but a great opportunity. Lancaster School in Westcliff faces the biggest risk of all the borough's five special schools
A hard-nosed Army officer was close to tears as he paid tribute to his six colleagues killed in Iraq. Commanding Officer of 156 Provost Company Royal Military Police, Major Bryn Parry-Jones spoke to a huddle of Press and national television crews outside
A former Royal Military Police (RMP) staff sergeant who was severely maimed by an IRA bomb in Colchester says the RMP are a low-profile unit which is often forgotten about. Andy Mudd, whose legs were blown off by an IRA car bomb outside his Colchester
Police swooped after two men threatened schoolchildren with a knife, baseball bat and a martial arts weapon. Officers reacted swiftly after being bombarded by calls from horrified residents who saw the two men walking along Pantile Avenue and Cluny Square
One-hundred-and-twenty-four members and many helpers, enabled Thorpe Hall's Terry Cooper to experience a Captain's Day to remember. The event managed to defy the weather forecast by remaining warm and rain free. The course was well prepared and members
Give us more information! That was the demand from Harwich residents who last night postponed a referendum into the planned Bathside Bay development. More than 80 people were at Long Meadows Community Centre in Dovercourt to discuss plans for a parish
Ben Wathen proved the all-round star of Prittlewell's Active Southend Evening Cricket League Cup final success over Trinity at Garon Park last night. It's ours at last - Prittlewell won the Active Southend Cricket League Cup for the first time in the
A special 'blitz on litter' was held in Ingatestone on Saturday to launch a new campaign to clean up the village. Around 45 volunteers wearing bright lemon vests spent about three hours removing litter from the parish, using litter pickers and black sacks
Shadow health minister Simon Burns, who is MP for West Chelmsford, has called on the government to take urgent action to contend with a dramatic increase in the level of sexually transmitted diseases. Mr Burns is a member of the Commons Health Select
Students are getting massages and alternative therapies to help cope with exam stress. Tendring Technology College has been offering help to sixth form students taking their A-levels. The school, in Rochford Way, Frinton, received free help from trained
Springfield Striders were out in force at two multi-terrain races at the weekend and took the senior men's prize in both events Paul Dobson got back to winning ways with a comfortable victory in the "Round The Island Race" at Mersea on Sunday. Dobson
A handy guide for mental health sufferers has been launched. Handiwork - Katherine Kirk, from Southend Primary Care Trust, Sally Hartle of Trust Links and Alison Westney of KeyMed hold up the new edition of the guide Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL Celebrations
A Braintree councillor has called on the county council to progress with the reopening of a Braintree primary school. David Mann (Lab, Bocking North) made the point at last night's Braintree Council scrutiny panel meeting as councillors reviewed information
Police today appealed for help in finding two stolen 12-tonne cement mixers. Intruders broke into a yard at Bardon Concrete, in Robert Way, Wickford Business Park, by removing a padlock off the gates. They then made off in the two blue and white eight-wheel
A lack of trees in the High Street was Billericay's major shortcoming 111 years ago, according to a distinguished visitor from the United States. A newspaper article uncovered by a historian in Billericay's twin town of Billerica, Massachusetts, has been
Clacton golfer Stuart Locke strengthened his vice-like grip on his club championships by topping the field for no less than the sixth time. Locke was the one the rest of the players knew they had to fear in Sunday's event - and he proved them right. He
The South East Essex Green Party today demanded a congestion charge is introduced for drivers on Canvey. It is worried development plans for the island will lead to more congestion and pollution. They say a toll could put a stop to the problem, but Castle
It's like a scene from 101 Dalmatians. Three dobermans and 11 puppies are living in harmony and their owner could not be happier Theresa Marks was devastated when her pet doberman Zina disappeared three months ago. Today she is back home - and with 11
Kennel bosses today hit out at pet owners who neglect and dump their dogs after having to put three down in a matter of weeks. Eunice Reece and Michael Knight at Gemini Kennels in Wickford say they do everything possible to put dogs back on the road to
Westcliff Hardcourts lost out in their bid to win the Essex County LTA Senior Cup on Sunday. The team of Richard Barham, Mark Bertola, Simon Chesher and Lance Owen lost 3.5-.5 to Woodford Wells in the final at Connaught. Hard's veteran ladies team of
Dozens of unneccessary yellow lines around Southend may be removed creating more parking spaces for residents. A review of yellow lines around the borough by consultants concluded that many of the single yellow lines were superfluous. Peter Wexham, Lib
A bumper £11,000 was raised at the annual NSPCC charity golf day at Rochford Hundred. Southend solicitors Tolhurst and Fisher double what is raised on the day from their charitable trusts to help make the event the biggest fund raiser for the children's
A woman had her bag snatched as she walked down a road in broad daylight by a robber on a bike. The robbery happened as the victim, who was in her early 20s, was walking down Priory Road, Clacton, at 12.40pm yesterday. Insp Paul Morton, of Clacton police
Youngsters were left in a spin after a clay sculptor visited their school. That's good - John Doubleday checks Aimee Nicholls' hedgehog Picture: MAXINE CLARKE Pupils at Buttsbury Junior School, in Norsey View Drive, Billericay, got their hands dirty when
A furious motorist is ready to have his day in court if a superstore giant fails to pay out the cash he claims he is owed. Mark Berry, 22, was one of many drivers left in difficulties - and offered compensation - after a tanker driver at Safeway on Canvey
A damning Government report has slammed Rochford District Council's housing services as only fair and with "poor prospects for improvements". The Audit Commission carried out a study of the council's housing operation and awarded it only one star out
Teenager Sophie Harrison, whose yacht racing hopes have been curtailed in recent years because of a back injury, failed narrowly to win Crouch Yacht Club's first-ever match-racing event on Saturday. Sailing her father's boat, Jiminy Cricket, she lost
A comprehensive survey on the incomes and personal spending of churchgoers has confirmed that the streets of Brentwood really are paved with gold. The study to determine how much should be paid into central church coffers has revealed the accuracy of
A former soldier who lost his busby after a recycling firm mistakenly took it has spoken of his surprise. The 39-year-old man, who asked not to be named, said he had been moving out from a friend's house in Willow Way, Dovercourt, when the incident happened
