A headmistress has said money that could be spent on her pupils is having to be used for repairs after break-ins. Would-be burglars struck again over the weekend, entering a shed at Oakwood Infants School, Windsor Avenue, Clacton. Despite nothing being
Gloucester Park regular Cedric Hammond had a battle on his hands when a superb 21lb 8oz carp picked up his luncheon meat bait. Cedric had particularly targeted the Gloucester Park carp, choosing the noted swim just past the eastern end of the island.
Firefighters braved collapsed ceilings as they tackled a house blaze early yesterday. Leigh and Southend crews were called to the empty terraced house in Beedell Avenue, Westcliff, at around 3.15am. Building firm boss Austin Whitehouse had only just completed
Perrys garages are not so much local landmarks as institutions - but news that they have lost the Ford franchise has put their future in the balance. GERALDINE O'CONNOR looks at the history of the company. Harold Perry started the ball rolling in 1908
People are finding it more difficult to get on to the housing ladder says the head of a Heybridge based housing association. Now Plume Housing Association is supporting a national campaign to put housing on the agenda. Our Homes - Our Future was launched
The impact of the closure of Bradwell Power Station will be under the spotlight next week. Maldon MP John Whittingdale and Maldon District Council chief executive, Tony Plumridge have been invited to the Burnham Strategy Group Forum meeting on February
Millions of pounds worth of goods are stolen from lorries every year in modern-day highway robberies. And the hit can take just a couple of minutes. Essex Police staged a reconstruction in Chelmsford to highlight the problem. The "thieves" broke into
A grieving widow has lodged a formal complaint to health bosses following the death of her husband. Stephen Halls, 50, was first taken to Colchester General Hospital after collapsing in Fiveways supermarket, Stanway, where he had gone to buy his wife
Grass snakes, slow worms and crested newts could soon be flourishing in a new nature reserve at Hockley. A meeting of Rochford Councillors will tonight consider the creation of the reserve and the handover of management of the 3.25 hectare area of land
Sports minister Kate Hoey has reaffirmed the promise she made to This Is Essex partner the Gazette by pledging to consider legislation concerning the safety of mobile goalposts. Miss Hoey was speaking during a House of Commons debate in which Braintree
Customers at Colchester's Leisure World were plunged into darkness after a power cut wiped out electricity to hundreds of homes. At least 1,500 customers of Eastern Electricity were affected by the teatime blackout including firemen at Colchester fire
An unemployed gardener had not taken his animal to the vet for five years because he was scared of the cost of treatment. Richard Dale, 35, of Broadway, Silver End, was banned from keeping animals for two years after admitting causing unnecessary suffering
Perhaps it was the Colin Todd factor which did much to undermine Ipswich Town's Premiership ambitions last season. Under Todd's reign at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton had not conceded a goal against their old play-off rivals in two matches. Last season's
If ever a footballer merited the tag of "super sub" Lomano Lua Lua is the man. Priceless, late strikes are fast becoming the trademark of the jewel in the U's crown. And the vogue continued against Bournemouth when the teenager proved the difference between
A Colchester church has been vandalised again - just a day after youths were warned their attacks were endangering children. The United Reformed Church in Plume Avenue, Prettygate, appeared in yesterday's This Is Essex news upload following a spate of
It was a case of renewing old acquaintances for Billericay Town last night when they bid for a place in the semi-finals of the Ryman League Cup. For their hosts Chesham United are managed by John Kendall, who was boss at New Lodge for over a decade before
A controversial plan banning dogs from Mersea beaches is due to be discussed by town councillors tomorrow. The Colchester Council bylaws include, alongside a summertime ban on dogs, no begging and no fires on the seashore. But mayor Sylvia Wargent said
Manningtree's oldest resident, Alice Good, died in Foundry Court, on Friday. She was 105. Originally from Newcastle, Mrs Good was the third in a family of ten children. She left school at 14 and first worked in a wool shop, earning 3s (15p) a week. In
Maldon's famous sea salt company is expanding its business premises. Plans to build a new processing, packaging and storage plant on the outskirts of the town have been submitted to the district council for approval - but it has nothing to do with TV
A former top policeman who excelled on the race walking circuit has died. John Hedgethorne, 68, went upstairs at his home in Halstead Road, Colchester, and suffered a stroke when he reached the top. He fell backwards, fracturing his skull when his head
A call has been made to make hunt organisers pay for any police needed to oversee the controversial pastime. Anti-hunting Liberal Democrat MP Bob Russell says it is not fair for organisers of carnivals and football clubs to fork out for police officers
A boy who wanted to buy an Action Man dressing gown with some of his fifth birthday money lost the cash when he went shopping. Mitchell Kerridge, of Finchingfield Way, Colchester, had £45 folded into his new red, yellow and green Velcro fastening wallet
The views of young people in Southend will be taken into account when the borough's quality of life plan is drawn up. A special evening is being held on Tuesday February 8 where young people aged 11 to 19 will be involved in various workshops and talks
Castle Point and Rochford councils are joining forces in a major project aimed at unearthing new sporting talent in south-east Essex. Spurred on by the success of Canvey decathlete Dean Macey, the councils have enlisted the support of the Deanes Sports
Tiptree United are currently celebrating after picking up two Jewson League monthly awards. The first division leaders were named as club of the month and also collected a cheque for £100 for winning the league's Good Behaviour Award for December. The
Southend United boss Alan Little paid tribute to youngster Garry Cross' inspirational reserve team performance last night - then urged his senior stars to take note of the rookie right-back's display. Cross was a revelation as Blues' second-string bounced
Unlucky Billericay Rugby Club have suffered a further blow to their morale after being ordered by the Essex County RFU to replay Sunday's Essex Cup quarter-final against Maldon. The game at Drapers Farm ended in a 19-19 tie, but confusion reigned when
Union bosses today urged Ford workers to back them and vote for strike action in this week's crunch ballot. Up to 2,000 south Essex workers are deciding whether or not to support union bosses in a dispute over pensions. Work to rule, overtime bans and
Tiptree's bike shop is up for sale. M E Dale Cycles in Church Road will be closing down at the end of the month, but its owner hopes to sell the business as a going concern. Mike Dale, a Colchester borough councillor, is selling up after being offered
A children's home is set to close after years of complaints. It follows the final all-clear for an alternative site at Little Clacton. Neighbours have welcomed the news that Lane Cottage in Walton will shut. Town district councillor Mick Page said residents
An elderly fisherman told today how he and his brother-in-law were dramatically rescued after their boat capsized. Derek Ling, 72, and Ivan Beckett, 61, were rescued by a passing tug boat after they spent nearly an hour in freezing water. Eventually they
Colchester United boss Steve Whitton is ready to take a chance on disgraced Ipswich defender Adam Tanner. The U's boss was offered the 26-year-old on loan by Ipswich Town manager George Burley before details of his drink-drive conviction emerged. Whitton
Shoebury has been dealt a double blow with uncertainty surrounding two of its social clubs. The Maplin Club in Vanguard Way has closed down while the Eagle Working Men's Club in Seaview Road could be demolished to make way for sheltered homes. Southend
A south Essex youngster seriously brain damaged after being starved of oxygen at birth has been awarded £750,000 damages. The five-year-old boy was promised the cash at London's High Court after he sued the Basildon and Thurrock Hospitals NHS Trust. On
Colchester United fans are aiming to speak with a single voice after a meeting at Colchester Institute. More than 70 U's supporters met last night to discuss ways of promoting fundraising initiatives and improving the club's public relations. The supporters
A developer has been chosen to transform the 187-acre Shoebury Garrison - but site owners the Ministry of Defence are refusing to reveal who it is yet. They are also staying tight-lipped on the exact plans for the site until negotiations over contracts
The family of a Wickford woman who died after undergoing cosmetic surgery are considering taking legal action, it has been revealed. Mum-of-three Lorraine Batt of Dobshill Drive, The Wick, had saved long and hard for the tummy tuck operation to get rid
So how do you keep a £38 million lottery win a secret? That's the question on the lips of telly addicts as ITV's new six-part series, At Home with the Braithwaites, hits the screen. Avid viewers watched last week as Mrs Braithwaite (Amanda Redman) won
The bravery of a Southend lifeboat crew has been recognised by the RNLI after a daring rescue at sea. Helmsman John Foster and crewmen Michael Whistler and Ian Rees have all been approved for accolades from the institution. The crew was responsible for
A young man has been cleared of raping a teenage mum in the grounds of the old Rochford Hospital. Barrie Hierons, 21, was unanimously found not guilty by a jury of ten women and two men at Basildon Crown Court. The jury took less than an hour to reach
Campaigners are calling for monitoring of the Korean Air crash site at Stansted to check for the long-term effects of depleted uranium on the environment. Members of the Eastern Region Green Party say they want "the truth" about any potential health threat
A war hero is set to have his final wish for his late wife come true -- thanks to This Is Essex partner the Gazette. After Pip Pagani died earlier this month her husband Roy had one desire for her funeral. He wanted to find a song which drifted through
A man was treated in hospital after a vicious attack in a Kelvedon bar. The young man, who has yet to be identified, suffered what police described as "severe facial injuries" during the assault, at the Angel Hotel. He was attacked by two men. The incident
A tribute has been paid to a popular coach driver who died tragically in a road accident. The coach firm boss also laid flowers at the crash scene at Weeley Heath where David Newall, 58, died on Friday. Robert MacGregor, managing director of Hedingham
Bold plans to move Braintree Town Football Club to a new home have been scuppered. Club bosses have been looking at an alternative site, but talks came to an end after chairman George Rosling discovered a mystery buyer had snapped up the vacant site -
Vandals are risking their lives to scrawl graffiti on Rochford's tallest landmark. They are shinning up to the top of the 100 ft boiler house and a ladder to daub paint on the side of the disused hospital's chimney. The latest message is a happy birthday
Colchester United players had to borrow boots for Saturday's match against Bournemouth after a series of burglaries at the club. Players' boots, footballs and physiotherapy equipment were among items taken from the Layer Road club in the break-ins on
If ever there was a perfect example of that sports clich 'a game of two halves' then this was it. With the senior side taking a much needed break to regroup their forces for the relegation battle ahead, it was left to Chris McCann and his men to fly the
Parents of children at Friars Grove infant and junior schools have called for assurances from education bosses that any changes to their schools would bring improvements. A packed infants school hall heard the proposal for the Friars Grove schools would
Billericay Town may only be sitting in 11th place in the Ryman League Premier Division, but there is currently no stopping them in knockout competitions. Last night they went to former manager John Kendall's Chesham for a League Cup quarter-final and
Brian Launders' legal action against Colchester United could cost the club more than £250,000, it has emerged. The 23-year old midfielder and his agent Barry Silkman both have separate actions pending against the U's. Launders, who was sacked by the U's
Newsquest, one of the two publishers behind This Is Essex, today announced its investment in the UK's leading internet business, Freeserve. Freeserve Auctions Ltd will issue approximately 9.9 per cent of its shares to Newsquest in return for £10 million
Canvey Island hosted Schweppes Essex Senior League Burnham Ramblers last night in the Eastern Floodlight Competition. In the same event Hullbridge hosted Maldon Town, from the Jewson League, while Great Wakering Rovers took on old rivals Southend Manor
Residents are on target to transform their housing estate by getting youngsters to let off steam in a five-a-side football festival. The Humber Road Residents Association, in Witham, is hoping to score a success with the festival for young football fans
Plans to build a £2.75 million state-of-the-art health club have been thrown out. The proposals would have transformed Witham's Benton Hall Golf Club by doubling the size of the existing clubhouse and creating a gymnasium, aerobics studio, sauna and 20
