Hadleigh reservoir has been the place for action this week with probably its heaviest-ever carp haul being banked by Matt Watts, of Hadleigh, and Adam Aldridge, of Thundersley. The dynamic duo fished the tricky reservoir's east bank to land an incredible
A time capsule is to be placed in the new town hall being built on Market Hill, Maldon. Items including a copy of the Essex Chronicle are being prepared for inclusion in the capsule, which will be hidden in a wall of the building. Town clerk Helen Vincent
A salon owner plans to celebrate her tenth year of charity fund-raising with a ball - to take her collecting total to more than £12,000. Mother-of-two Brenda Levoi, 36, who runs Hairclubbing in Eastwood Boulevard, Westcliff, hopes to attract up to 150
Insurance solicitors Silverbeck Rymer are celebrating their first anniversary in Chelmsford -- claiming a 100 per cent increase in business and a 100 per cent increase in staff employed over the year. Founded in Liverpool in 1946, the firm expanded its
A trans-national business network to secure European money for business training is to be led by Essex Training and Enterprise Council. It is the first time the European Network of Innovative Regional Educational Consortia (EUNIREC) has been managed by
Matt Holland is set to skipper Ipswich Town at Oxford United on Saturday. The 24-year-old was given the captain's armband in Town's 3-0 win over Bradford City last night after Tony Mowbray was forced off at half-time with a groin injury. It is unlikely
Braintree and Bocking Swimming Club have linked up with a prominent Essex business in a sponsorship deal. Silverdell Microbiology of Springwood Industrial Estate, Braintree, have agreed to support the club for the next year to the tune of £1,000 to assist
Colchester United manager Steve Wignall was singing his team's praises today after watching the U's complete a successful four-day journey to the north with a hard earned point at Wigan. "We made a very good side look ordinary," said the delighted U's
Franciso Bustamente, the Filipino pool ace, was in unstoppable form as he stormed to the 1998 Interplay World Masters Pool title at Lakeside Shopping Centre, Thurrock. Bustamente, 33, nicknamed Django, is based in Kiel, Germany, and at Thurrock he was
Perfume giant Yardley could be snapped up by eager buyers within days, the receivers today revealed. KPMG, which took over the stricken company last month, has been flooded with inquiries by international names thought to include Unilever, which has Elizabeth
Magistrates have jailed a Stanford-le-Hope man for 90 days for failing to pay council tax debts of more than £2,500. Graham Bettell, 37, of Boyce Road, is behind bars after years of dodging payments to Thurrock Council. In August this year he was summonsed
An angry mother has branded a bus company "irresponsible" after 30 schoolchildren were left stranded at a village bus stop today. On the second day of the school year, pupils of several Colchester schools waited in vain for the regular bus service to
A mother-of-two who saw a high-speed police crash that wrecked five cars and left two officers injured told today of the "bomb-like" devastation. Police today began an investigation after the patrol car turned on its side and smashed into four cars in
A lorry driver was thrown 60 feet to his death in a 25-vehicle smash on the M25, bringing traffic chaos to roads in South Essex. Long queues built up as police forced motorists to find other routes around Thurrock - and the delays continued for several
More women have come forward saying they had been attacked by a serial rapist who has struck twice in Essex and London in a six-year period. Detectives were today following up those allegations and a number of other leads after 300 calls were made to
A dangerous teenage psychopath was ordered to be detained indefinitely at Broadmoor high security hospital today for attempting to murder a young graduate on a train by plunging a knife into her head. Robert Buckland, 18, originally from Romford, carried
The Chelmsford office of driver recruitment agency People Direct is taking to the road as part of a national Drive of Your Life campaign to recruit 1,200 lorry drivers. Representatives of People Direct, in Wells Street, are visiting truckstops around
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobelaar may be playing in Essex on Saturday when Heybridge Swifts entertain Chesham. Grobbelaar could be playing for the visitors. Chesham have had an indifferent start to the season with one win and two draws at home
New Southend United striker Barry Conlon was sure he was denied a penalty last night in the bitterly disappointing goalless draw with Halifax. The 19-year-old, who made his debut after signing for £90,000 from Manchester City, was flattened in the box
The goals are coming thick and fast now. After going four league games on the bounce without scoring, Ipswich have cracked in six in the last two matches, with James Scowcroft netting half of them. The 22-year-old was in towering form as the Blues battered
Colchester United came within four minutes of achieving a magnificent Second Division northern double when they came away from Springfield Park with a hard-earned one-all draw with Wigan. Manager Steve Wignall wasdelighted with four points from two games
Police were today hunting a pervert who exposed himself to two teenage girls. The girls, aged 17, were walking home after a night out when they saw the man sitting on a low wall. As they walked past he exposed himself to them. The incident happened at
Security staff at a supermarket were determined to get their thief and chased him all the way from the store to a Rayleigh park. The staff from Somerfield, Rayleigh, followed the man to King George's playing fields after he made off from the store with
They wear the same uniform and have the same powers of arrest - but why do people want to be a police "special"? Special constables in Southend and Rayleigh are a rare breed. Police chiefs in both divisions do not hide the fact they are woefully short
When the first boys walked into Colchester Royal Grammar School almost 800 years ago, the idea of letting in girls, too, would have been unthinkable. But yesterday the Lexden Road school welcomed 20 girls for the first time. Headmaster Stewart Francis
The Prince's Trust Volunteer Scheme is running its 12-week training programme again this month, aimed at people aged between 16 and 25 in the Essex area. It is an action-packed personal development programme which includes: Spending five days away doing
Meadgate's new Chelmsford Star convenience store is to be opened by mayor Bill Lane on Thursday. The Co-op filled most jobs at a staff recruitment day at the church on the Meadgate Avenue parade. Purchases are rewarded for every £1 spent, on an electronic
A petition is being raised in a last-ditch attempt to keep homes in the London Road and White Court areas in Black Notley - rather than a new Great Notley parish. Fiona Dowding, of London Road, is opposed to Braintree District Council's recommendations
A discovery centre to be built at the country park in Great Notley Garden Village, near Braintree, looks set to be a showcase building with an environmentally-friendly design. Braintree councillors passed the architect's initial design for the building
Police chiefs have condemned drivers and motorcyclists who have been using a busy road as a speedtrack. Traffic police officers said they were shocked by numbers of vehicles travelling faster than 90 miles an hour along the A414 between Chelmsford and
A Witham mother whose 21-year-old daughter died in a car crash is launching an internet bereavement support group to help others cope with the deaths of loved ones. Rose Page, of Samphire Close, made her decision to launch the support group over the internet
Pensioner Alfred Fry is selling a book collection which will send hearts-a-flutter - more than 2,000 Mills and Boon titles. He is selling his wife Ellen's collection of romantic blockbusters, which include 2,080 individual titles from the stable which
Sportswear giant Nike could be pumping £120,000-worth of sponsorship into the Braintree football scene. The Ian Smith Soccer School and Braintree Council officers have come up with a three-year plan to foster grass roots footballing talent in the Braintree
It's happened again - Hornchurch middleweight Jason Ratcliff's scheduled contest at Bethnal Green was called off after he sustained an injury while sparring with Mark Delaney. Ratcliff must be wondering when he will actually manage to fight competitively
Campaigners battling to save a Braintree hospital from closure have learned it will definitely stay open into 1999. North Essex Health Authority had earmarked William Julien Courtauld Hospital for closure next month to save about £700,000 a year. Patients
A cutting-edge workshop has been opened in mid-Essex to help surgeons sharpen their skills. The Bioskills Workshop, which has been officially launched at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, is one of only eight across the country aimed at giving surgeons
Preparations are under way for a special millennium version of Colchester's Concerts in the Park event. Firm and individuals have been invited to submit plans for next year's open-air event and the chosen applicant will also run the Castle Park extravaganza
Britons injured in a grenade blast at a Dutch ferry port were due to return to Harwich today. The Britons, including a year-old baby, were waiting at Hoek van Holland for the Harwich-Hoek ferry Stena Discovery when a robber threw grenades at a bank inside
A computer instructor was today fighting for his life after being mown down on a work night out. Now colleagues of Kenneth Plumb, of Wickford, are desperately trying to trace his relatives. He was hit by a car thought to be travelling in the wrong direction
Fresh talks are being held over the future of a £16 million plan to build the Swine rollercoaster at the end of Southend Pier. Councillors have confirmed their backing - but stressed negotiations must continue to get the best deal for the town. At a secret
