In the Brentwood and District Table Tennis League, the handicap cup is reaching an exciting climax. The four semi finalists are New Post Inn, Mountnessing, South Weald D and South Weald A. In the quarter finals New Post Inn ran out easy winners in defeating
The memories came flooding back for 98-year-old Sidney Webb when he made a nostalgic visit to Clacton Fire Station. Mr Webb, who lives at the Cavendish Residential Care Home in Kings Road, was shown round the site and even got to wear a new tunic and
Nearly two inches of solid ice failed to deter the small contingent of hardy match anglers who turned out for Sunday's Gloucester Park Open. An hour and a half of ice breaking saw each competitor with their own 'Eskimo style' hole in the ice, and at the
You don't have to be mad to be a non-league soccer fan during this appalling British winter... but it certainly helps! Last night (Tuesday), as the heavens opened to lash rain across a village which has the reputation of being the driest spot in Britain
Robbie Elliott is the latest name being linked with Ipswich Town after Hassan Kachloul rejected a move to Portman Road. Blues boss George Burley tabled a bid for the Southampton midfielder two weeks ago after David Johnson was sold to Nottingham Forest
Southend United's supporters club trust have blasted Leyton Orient's accommodation arrangements at Brisbane Road on Saturday as "diabolical". Hundreds of Blues fans were left standing around to freeze in bitterly cold weather conditions on Saturday as
Chelmsford's Freddie Clough has struck gold at the start of the ski season. The win in the giant slalom race also gives him an invitation to represent Britain at the World Championship in Marileva Italy in February. Despite poor snow conditions in the
Micky Cook is banking on his years of giant-killing success with Colchester United to fire the U's kids to FA Youth Cup glory at Blackburn Rovers tonight and into the history books. The U's, victors over Ford United, Stevenage and Rushden and Diamonds
On January 20, 1892 Dr J .Naismith invented the sport of basketball, and last Saturday marked the game's 109th birthday. Over the years the tactics have changed, the peach baskets have been replaced, but the principle of preventing your opponent from
A community-minded 31-year-old woman who battled with cerebral palsy all her life has died of cancer. Nathalie Cooper, of Chequers Lane, Maldon, was determined to defy the boundaries of her wheelchair. She was well-known for her spirit, worked at Tolleshunt
A sex shop in Colchester should lose its licence, according some residents. They fear pornography leads to sexual violence. Colchester borough councillors will consider an application from Darker Enterprises Limited tonight (Wednesday) to renew its Sex
A woman shocked because her handbag had been stolen - then found her car had gone too. Sally Lazell, 26, had the double helping of bad luck when crooks took her handbag from the Iceland store where she works in High Street, Maldon. The assistant manager
Energy saving measures are being made available, free of charge, to the elderly in Harold Hill thanks to cash from the Single Regeneration Budget. The package will offer up to £1,000 towards the cost of cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and draught
A crackdown on teenage gangs that are costing Harold Hill businesses both customers and money has been launched by Harold MP Keith Darvill and the Hill's Community Action Team. There have been several complaints by shop owners of groups of young yobs
A sustained recruiting campaign -- with latest figures showing a two year high -- is seeing a gradual increase in Essex Police strength. A reduced eyesight standard is helping. A survey showed that some had been worried about the strict standard. Latest
A £1 million education complex is set to be built at Colchester Zoo. Three buildings are planned near the main entrance hall as part of the Maldon Road zoo's commitment to spreading conservation messages to young people. Two classrooms, each seating 45
Information about voluntary groups in the district was on display during an information day at Billericay Library. During the event, organised by Basildon, Billericay and Wickford Volunteer Bureau, advisors were on hand to give details about voluntary
Residents in Manningtree have won the latest battle against mobile phone masts in the town after councillors rejected an application for one. Campaigners successfully fought to have a mast removed from Mill Hill, Lawford, last year after it was deemed
Energy and enthusiasm has led to a cash injection by a Basildon charity. The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals has completed a hugely successful year by presenting a cheque for £10,000 to the charity's director of marketing, Hugh Thomas, and regional
Raising a glass of bubbly could earn cash for Southend's vital lifeboat service. Yates's Wine Lodge in London Road, Southend, is holding the charity lunch - complete with Bucks Fizz - on Sunday. The event is being organised by bar manager David Thomas
Parking chaos in Billericay looks set to intensify after police chiefs admitted they do not intend to replace one of the town's traffic wardens. The decision, which leaves streets manned by only one warden, has led to howls of protest from town councillors
Council rents in Basildon are set to rise by more than six per cent, after tenants reluctantly agreed to the increase. The planned increase, put forward by Basildon District Council in a bid to cover a £1.2million housing revenue deficit, was debated
Good ground for our concern It should not come as any great shock to hear that Southend council have put Blues plans to redevelop Fossets Farm on the back burner. The club has endured more false dawns than I care to remember when it has come to relocating
Thirty-one days and still no game - that's how long Colchester United's fans have been waiting to watch football at Layer Road. And now U's boss Steve Whitton is keeping his fingers crossed today's (Tuesday) rearranged Division Two home game with Swindon
A football manager has blasted Basildon Council for making his side pay for an unfit pitch. Norman McLeod of Wickhay, Basildon runs Saturday side Sparkbridge, who play their home Southend and District League games at Basildon's Gloucester Park. Since
Matt Holland is desperate to put one over on international team-mate Niall Quinn when Ipswich Town and Sunderland lock horns in the FA Cup. The Blues skipper and Quinn have become good friends since Holland forged his way into the Republic of Ireland
On Friday the Leopards take on Brighton Bears in a league match at the Brentwood Centre, with a tip-off time of 7.30pm. The Leopards will be looking to consolidate their second place in the BBL Southern Conference having already defeated the Bears twice
Billericay Town Football Club Supporters Club are giving fans the opportunity to travel to Histon for Saturday week's FA Umbro Trophy fourth round tie in comfort. The Supporters Club are looking to run a coach to Histon depending on demand for seats from
Well-known local angler, Andy Howard, Team Drenham, braved freezing conditions and struck gold in the recent Silver fish League match at the famous Gold Valley fishery. This is a League for 12 teams of six anglers, and despite having to break the ice
With only two Essex Senior League matches played on Saturday, Brentwood seized the opportunity to go five points clear at the top of the league table. The slightly warmer weather in East London meant that Eton Manor's pitch at Wadham Lodge, where they
Opportunist Essex wicket-keeper James Foster further enhanced his burgeoning reputation with an outstanding performance with both bat and gloves during the latest match on the England A tour to the West Indies. A disappointing display by Nottinghamshire's
Canvey A gave their Premier Division survival hopes a boost in the Southend & District Table Tennis League when they recorded a 5-4 away win over Rawreth B, thanks to a Paul Lucas hat-trick and a brace from Dad EV. Rayleigh A remain in contention
Sceptre Sunday League footballers can keep up to date with all the latest results and news by logging on to the internet. Gary Richardson, who plays in midfield for Second Division side Darby County in the Bukta-sponsored league, has set up an official
Almost a third of heavy lorries stopped by police in Basildon had mechanical defects. In a joint initiative with other agencies, 84 vehicles were examined at a makeshift checkpoint in the car park at Gloucester Park. The crackdown, codenamed Operation
One hundred angry retailers have hit out at roadworks claiming they were killing town centre trade. Part of High Street, Maldon, is closed for two months in the day time while pavements are upgraded and traders have launched a petition to get the works
Hopes for a north Billericay youth centre have come a step closer with proposals to set up a management committee to lead the way forward. The move is a welcome boost for the project. It brings closer hopes of establishing a youth facility in the Queens
Concord Rangers and Southend Manor saw their Essex Senior Cup third round tie, which had a deadline of early December last year, wiped out again last night (Tuesday) due to heavy rain. Now the two clubs have been told by the County to try again on Thursday
The popular Dial-a-Ride service in Castle Point is safe after councillors agreed to continue supporting the initiative. The scheme provides a door-to-door travel service across Castle Point, Rochford and Southend, for disabled people who cannot use public
High-powered lasers look like being ruled out as a replacement for Halstead's traditional Christmas lights - because of a potential threat to planes. The town had hoped to update the festive illuminations in High Street. But a spokesman for the chamber
Armed police were on stand-by when a pair of Rottweillers savaged eleven sheep. Officers from Chelmsford Police were called to a field next to Rosewarn House in Lodge Road, Bicknacre. Initially it was reported that two sheep had been killed but when officers
Oil giant BP has said it "deeply regretted" polluting a mid-Essex river. BP Oil UK Ltd was fined £10,000 by Witham magistrates for causing an oil slick in the River Brain at Braintree last year. The company, whose headquarters are in Milton Keynes, admitted
Brave supermarket staff have been praised for stopping a woman covered in lighter fuel from setting fire to herself. The mentally disturbed woman came into the busy Asda store at Turner Rise, Colchester, just before 8pm yesterday (Tuesday). Det Sgt Roger
A Southend dentist has been struck off after he admitted leading a secret double life as a crack cocaine addict. During the day Rajesh Amrit Parmar, 29, worked as an associate dentist at surgeries in Southend, south London, Kent, and Nottingham. But at
A headmaster has responded to parents' concerns by saying girls at his Colchester school will not be given the morning-after pill. Alan Whelan, head of St Benedict's RC Secondary School, was approached by worried mums and dads after they read reports
The Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Billericay, John Baron, has stepped into the debate on crime in Essex. Mr Baron commented on the recently released annual crime figures, which showed recorded crime in the county had risen by three
Doctors have warned of a GP recruitment "crisis" in north Essex. Pressures placed on general practitioners and changing work cultures are causing doctors to retire early, and putting off young doctors from joining practices. The situation is getting so
An urgent race is on to find someone to run a post office in a Colchester village - or the service will be lost for good. The existing office in Abberton is to close in March after post mistress Sally Cunningham and her husband Ian announced they would
When nurse Eileen Bell took care of a baby 26 years ago, little did she know that they would end up as work colleagues. But at Miss Bell's retirement party she will be joined by that same little girl - now a fellow special care baby unit (SCBU) nurse
Maldon people are being urged to have their say on the way they would like to see the town develop. The aim is to establish a framework for the future of the town. The report will be called the Maldon Town Design Statement. The project has been set up
A quad-biking project at Wix has stirred up a storm of protest from villagers. Opponents claim if the plan gets the go-ahead it will be a disaster for the quiet village and peaceful countryside. More than a dozen people voiced their fears at yesterday's
The Royal Mail is to review security at its drop-off points after we revealed sacks full of letters were being left in a garden. The mail was being left in a garden in Valleyview Close, High Woods, Colchester. They were collected by a postman as he did
A new £1 million hotel has opened in Tendring - signalling a growing economy. Whitbread officially opened its Travel Inn at Weeley on Monday. The 40-bed hotel is one of the first in the country to feature a brand new bedroom design and furnishings. The
Colchester United is counting the cost after their home clash with Swindon Town was called off just 90 minutes before kick-off. The U's have lost between £65,000 and £75,000 in the past month after the Nationwide League Second Division clash with the
A school teacher and university lecturer have teamed up to provide a valuable time-saving tool for the classroom. Lesley Sacre, of Holland Park Primary in Clacton, and Jackie Masterson, who lectures at Essex University, hope their spelling manual will
A part-time odd job man has been appointed by a housing association to look after 300 properties on a Colchester estate. Now Colne Housing Society has applied to Colchester Council for permission to convert a single garage adjoining 12 Arnold Drive, Greenstead
The legendary finishing skills of club record scorer Andy Jones enabled Canvey to amazingly stay on the trail of six pieces of silverware at wet and windy Park Lane. Jones, now in his tenth season with the Islanders, might not get so many chances to show
Misery for A12 motorists lasted for 11 hours after a double dose of lorry accidents. Police today appealed for witnesses to the first crash which left a lorry driver dead at Margaretting at 6.15am on Monday. The lorry jack-knifed as it was being driven
The death in California of a four-year-old girl, whose mother is from Southend, is being treated as murder. Lauren Key-Marer plunged 300ft down a cliff. Sheriff's Deputy Rick Martinez said detectives originally suspected the death was suspicious and now
A top college is to carry out a study of suspected cancer clusters on Mersea Island. Hundreds of worried people were told of the research at a packed public meeting about incineration plans at Bradwell Power Station. More than 300 people packed in to
Players from the Leopards basketball team will be bringing their high-flying skills to Wickford and Noak Bridge this weekend. They will be joining members of the Basildon Council sports development team for an activity morning at Noak Bridge on Saturday
Willingale villagers are celebrating the announcement that their village hall is to benefit from an £85,000 lottery-funded refit. The village hall committee received the news from the National Lottery charities board last week. The announcement followed
A young woman is to return to work just over a year after being run over by a bulldozer at a landfill site. It will be a major celebration for the Taylor family - father David Taylor is chairman of Aquatronic Group Management and his wife Dawn is to officially
Accusations of heavy handedness when dealing with a rat infestation in Ingrave have been rejected by Brentwood Council. James Potton, of Meadows Close, has claimed that environmental officers acted with unnecessary aggression when they executed a warrant
A volunteer street is needed for a trial run of a new scheme that Havering StreetCare hopes will help it realise its goal of giving Harold a good spring clean. The new plan involves homeowners in an entire road making the effort to move all cars away
Traffic police are appealing for witnesses to a Monday morning crash on the A12 in which a lorry driver died. The crash engulfed the area in an 11 hour traffic nightmare, causing jams for miles. It is believed the 56-year-old driver, from Barking, was
A resident unwittingly let a burglar into a block of flats to steal more than £200 of goods from a neighbour. The sneaky thief conned his way into the block in Old Southend Road, Southend, and broke into a flat. A Sony PlayStation and a safe containing
Women have been urged to be on their guard after a spate of handbag snatches in Southend. Opportunist thieves have struck twice in the past week. The women in both cases were unhurt but shaken by the ordeal. The first victim was getting into her car along
Residents on Canvey were without electricity for up to three hours after a loose connecting wire was spotted on a lamppost. Puddles of rainwater were boiling around the base of the pole just after midnight yesterday (Tuesday) and worried residents contacted
Communities across Essex woke up to a new year today (Wednesday) - the Chinese Year of the Snake. Spectacular celebrations kicked off with a lion dance at the Joy King Chinese restaurant in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff. The lion traditionally fends off
Southend United were one of the few Essex sides to survive the freezing conditions and play over the weekend. Ben Abbey's double strike saw the side take all three points against Leyton Orient. Colchester United's match against Millwall was called off
Billericay Town are in a fix over fixtures. The New Lodge side have turned down Cambridgeshire village side Histon's appeal to play their FA Umbro Trophy fourth round tie in two weeks time on the Sunday. And they are also calling on the Ryman management
Fixture secretaries across the country were left in despair over the weekend as an already mounting fixtures backlog got considerably worse. Freezing temperatures and snow flurries wiped out the weekend's sporting activities. Essex's Jewson League sides
When the basketball fixtures were published before the start of the season, the news that Leopards would play Edinburgh Rocks on a Friday night ensured that a number of Leopards fans would be denied the chance of seeing the team compete in Scotland. Not
A thief used his victim's garden axe to break into a house in Southend. The axe was used to smash a double-glazed window at the house in Woodgrange Drive causing £300 damage. A number of items, not yet detailed to police, were stolen. Converted for the
Sabres American football club have announced they are returning to their "spiritual home" in Southend for the new season. The gridiron outfit have decided to return to Southend Rugby Club's Warners Park home after packing their shoulder pads for Canvey's
Colchester traders plan to fight back against rival towns and shopping centres. Members of the Retailers' Association, who met council representatives last week, want to run events throughout the year to attract more shoppers to the town's streets. Chairman
A project manager to help spearhead an environmentalist's dream has been appointed. By the end of March, a pioneering environmental information centre will be up and running in the heart of Colchester, giving people advice and information about green
Tim Young's future as Labour's Colchester parliamentary candidate is expected to be decided at a crunch meeting tonight (Wednesday). Mr Young, leader of the Labour group on Colchester Council, is currently facing charges which include assaulting a police
Private security guards could soon be patrolling the streets of Billericay under radical new proposals. The initiative, suggested by High Street traders, comes after a further spate of vandalism in the town centre, including broken windows and graffiti
Parents are being urged not to panic after a suspected case of meningitis at a Witham school. The scare was sparked when a four-year-old girl at Powers Hall Infants School was taken ill. She is now said to be back at home. It has not been confirmed that
Ben Abbey wants to keep his place in Southend United's firing-line after shooting down Third Division promotion rivals Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road on Saturday. The 22-year-old hitman grabbed both goals in Blues' 2-0 victory, but only played because
A £750,000 scheme to build a new football ground and clubhouse is on the cards for a mid-Essex club. Members of Hatfield Peverel football club, which plays its senior games in the Essex Intermediate League, have set up a special committee to handle the
Bowlers are on the warpath with Basildon Council in a row over fees for the coming season. Members of Basildon and District Lawn Bowls Association claim they secured VAT exemption worth £4,000 on their season tickets after negotiations with Customs and
It's 33 days and counting for Colchester United fans, who are still waiting to see their side play a competitive match at Layer Road. It had been hoped the U's would get their chance last night (Tuesday) with a Division Two clash against Swindon. But
Billericay Town's weekend Ryman League Premier Division match at New Lodge against Hampton & Richmond Borough was a casualty of the weather as was Tuesday night's visit to Division One club Northwood in the League Cup. This coming Saturday (January
Frozen pitches are the latest episode in this season's fixture chaos and only seven of Saturday's scheduled games survived the freeze. SENIOR DIVISION TWO Barnston AFC entertained Herongate Athletic and the points were shared in a 2-2 draw. Harris and
The Essex boys will be in action at York Hall, Bethnal Green on Saturday evening. Mark McManus, Danny Hunt, John McDermott and Peter Haymer are all included on the undercard of WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson's title defence against Brazilian
Top Australian batting star and former Essex player Mark Waugh again finds his name spread across the headlines of the sporting pages as the subject of allegations of match fixing continues to rumble on. Requested to give evidence to the Australian Cricket
Chelmsford Chieftains kept their outside hopes of the Premier League title alive, but only just with Sunday's thrilling last gasp win at Gillingham. For the second time in two weeks, Chieftains let a two goal lead slip before coming from behind to snatch
Women footballers are going from tackling the opposition to tackling flames. The move is part of a drive to break down the men-only macho image of the fire service. The Essex fire service is sponsoring the girls' and women's football development programme
Campaigners have won a last-minute reprieve in their long battle to halt development on the site of Clacton's oldest house. And it is now set to be restored to its former glory. Norwich Union had been given planning permission to build 30 homes on land
The future of Colchester Council's supremo is set to be discussed by councillors on Monday. Chief executive and town clerk John Cobley had asked to take early retirement from his £80,000-a-year post but in November councillors voted against his request
A distraught daughter told of her shock at being presented with a £726 bill - 11 years after she thought she had paid for her mother's funeral. Jean Eden's mother Phyllis Curtis died at the end of December. She went to the Co-op Funeral Service in St
Staff have reacted angrily to news a NHS distribution depot in Witham will close. NHS Logistics Authority, a NHS run body which distributes medical supplies to hospitals and NHS trusts throughout England, told the 65 people who work at their Perry Road
An electricity pylon was brought down in a two-car crash today (Wednesday). The accident happened outside Archers shop at the junction of the B1027 and Station Road in Alresford. Emergency services were alerted just after 8.45am, but the occupants of
A man who had his leg amputated after developing bed sores in Southend Hospital has called for an urgent inquiry. Michael Brown also criticised Southend Hospital's hygiene standards, claiming the ward and a shower room were dirty and when the contents
Two men charged with the importation of heroin worth more than £1 million have again appeared before Colchester magistrates. Herman Vanherck, 37, and Patrecius Mulders, 43, both of Akerstraat Noord, Brunssum, Holland, were arrested on January 14 at Harwich
