It's the end of an era for Clacton Cricket Club with the shock retirement of John Stuck. The left-hand opener and wicketkeeper has played for the Vista Road outfit since 1963 and during that time has scored more than 43,000 runs for the first team in
Today is D-Day for Southend United supremo John Main who faces the sack in a crunch vote. Blues' joint owners, Delancey Estates and Martin Dawn plc, are expected to use their 76 per cent majority to force disputed club chairman, Mr Main, off the board
Urgent action is needed to stop areas of St Anne's, Colchester, being an eyesore for the majority of residents. Dumped rubbish, abandoned furniture and cars, overgrown gardens, rubbish fires and noise are a constant problem around Frank Clater Close,
Police have appealed for help to trace two young men who stole a pensioner's wallet in broad daylight in Clacton town centre. The 74-year-old man -- who walks with a frame -- was in the High Street area when the incident took place at about 2.30pm last
Bogus water officials conned their way into an elderly woman's home. Two men called at the 87-year-old pensioner's house in Rectory Close, Mile End, Colchester, at about 5.15pm last Thursday. They claimed to be from the water board and said they wanted
A teenager has told of her terror as a family and friends were rescued from a sinking boat. Kirsty Mehta, 14, of Steeple, near Maldon, was left clinging to the side of the motor cruiser after it ran aground then listed violently. Jason Taylor, 36, a chicken
An athletics official fighting for his life in hospital after being hit by a throwing hammer was today in a stable condition. Norman Stang, 58, of Stane Fields, Marks Tey, was injured when a hammer, thrown by a woman competitor, bounced off the side of
A mother crushed her teenage son when she accidentally reversed her car into him at a shopping complex. The 37-year-old woman had been backing into a parking space having arrived at Clacton Factory Shopping Village on the Gorse Lane industrial estate
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
Changes to key bus routes in Chelmsford are about to come into force. Buses running along New London Road away from the town centre will now go straight across Parkway instead of having to loop round the Odeon roundabout. A new stop has been put in on
Police are hunting burglars who struck six times at shops within yards of each other in Braintree. The raiders targeted premises in the main shopping area during the Bank Holiday weekend spree. They stole cash from Bernard Chapman Florists in Bank Street
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
Danny Law led Essex to a sensational one-wicket victory over National League rivals Durham at Chester-le-Street. They came to the final over needing 12 to win after rain interuptions had left them with a target of 167 from 33 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis
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
A £2.1 million overhaul of Colchester Council's IT system has been dubbed one of the most important moves the organisation has ever made. Colchester Council's five-man cabinet has decided to refer a new IT strategy to the full 60-strong council. The new
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
Southend Athletic Club will certainly be catering for all ages when they stage their big event of the year on Sunday October 8. For the 2000 Southend 10K Classic will, for the first time in many years, include a children's 3K fun run. The main event is
Part of the maternity unit at St Peter's Hospital will be temporarily closed because of midwifery staff shortages - the second closure in a year. Mothers can still have their babies delivered at the hospital but postnatal service has been suspended from
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
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
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
A railway company has refused to change the name of a train station which has caused confusion for a town's visitors. A request was put forward to change the name of Braintree station after many people got off at the Freeport Shopping Village - signposted
A campaigner has called for traffic-calming measures on a busy road after a teenager died in an accident. David Conway, of Ashingdon Road, Ashingdon, says new safety measures are needed. Bradley Rayner, 15, of Barry-more Walk, Rayleigh, was walking along
Detectives today arrested a man and a woman 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. The
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
A former gun shop worker who shot dead an armed robber is now working as a firearms officer with Essex Police, it has been confirmed. Peter Lamb, 49, shot Colin Budd, 19, nine years ago after the teenager burst into the former Ward and Co gunshop, in
Junior anglers have been taking some superb fish at Basildon's Gloucester Park lake, but few could have had as good a tale to tell as ten-year-old Clive Harris. Young Clive was talking to fishery manager Mick Toomer by the Gloucester Park incoming sluice
Colchester United boss Steve Whitton has shrugged off the latest speculation that the U's are ready to sell man-of-the-moment Lomana Tresor Lua Lua. "Lomana's not for sale at any price right now," said Whitton. "He's our player and that's how I want it
Benfleet showjumper Ricki Hill is gearing up for the Young Riders competition at Wembley after capping his season with a European gold medal. The 16-year-old was the youngest member of the five-man British team which took top honours at the European Junior
Bomb disposal experts blew up a World War Two shell found at low tide off the Thorpe Bay coast. Police say they were first contacted on Sunday when a member of the public noticed the object while out walking during low tide. The shell was safely blown
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
House prices in Southend have rocketed in the past year and those in fashionable Leigh have increased by as much as 20 per cent, it has been revealed. Leading estate agent Dedman property services revealed the average price of a home across the Southend
The radio group which has taken over Breeze AM and Essex FM will have to sell off some of its other stations if the move is approved by the Radio Authority, it has been revealed. GWR will break the authority's rules by having too large a percentage share
A hero neighbour has told how she rescued an elderly grandmother from her burning home. The woman, who didn't want to be named, managed to persuade her 88-year-old neighbour to leave her smokelogged house despite her being frozen with shock. Firefighters
A man survived a snake attack as he walked his dog on Danbury Common last week. Fifty-three-year-old David Barnes, of Main Road, collapsed in agony 10 minutes after he was bitten on the foot by an adder. He was driven by his son, Simon, to the accident
Detectives have launched a hunt for a "cowardly" gang armed with a metal bar who terrified three teenagers in a late-night attack. The gang struck on Thursday night in Pitsea and ordered the victims to hand over their jewellery, watches - and even their
Thieves stole all the birds from an aviary at a training centre for people with learning disabilities. About 25 to 30 birds were taken from the centre's garden at School Road, Messing, on Saturday night. Anyone with any information is asked to contact
The award winning radio show hosted by ousted Essex FM dance DJ John Leech has been replaced by a Top 30 compilation show. And the new man at the helm is the former late night show presenter Chris Brooks, new station bosses GWR have announced. Mr Leech
A couple were seriously injured after their tandem was in a collision with a 7.5 tonne bread lorry on the A12. Fred and Anna Muskett were today recovering in Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, after the accident on Monday morning. They had just completed
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
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 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
Southend United's youth team are celebrating a brand new £25,000 sponsorship deal courtesy of Essex Ford. The car dealer group hope that their input will help young, talented players at the club to develop their skills by using the very best coaching
Health bosses in mid-Essex are launching a major recruitment drive to boost the number of nurses and midwives. Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust hopes to tempt qualified nursing and midwifery staff back to work and give people who may be interested in
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
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
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
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
A crackdown on doorstep conmen has been intensified after a recent spate of bogus callers at pensioners' homes. Chelmsford Doorstep Initiative is having a publicity drive to again alert the elderly to tricksters who pose as policemen, roofers and utility
An unconscious woman was rescued by firefighters from her smoke-logged flat after a blaze started in the kitchen. The 27-year-old woman was found hanging from a window when crews arrived at the home in Hayes Road, Clacton, at 8pm Tuesday night. Sub officer
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
The brutal slaying of a decorator outside his south Essex home was today being linked to a double shooting at a nightclub. Detectives say they haven't ruled out the possibility that Ron Fuller was gunned down because of a feud which erupted at the Epping
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
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
