The dreams of a Maldon couple have finally come true after years of heartbreak. Melanie and Dean Farmer, who have featured on Anglia TV's Maybe Baby series, were followed by cameras as they experienced the highs and lows of IVF treatment. In the final
Chelmsford City Football Club's move to a temporary stadium has been abandoned. The much-heralded and controversial proposal to move back into the town to a temporary site at Melbourne Park has been given the red card. Now the club will continue to play
Controversial plans to build nine flats in the centre of Billericay are to go before the Secretary of State. The move follows an appeal by the developers against councillors' decision to refuse planning permission. Whyteleigh Developments has appealed
British Airways and other Heathrow-based airlines will fight "every inch of the way" to prevent Stansted Airport expansion, it has been revealed. BA said it would even resort to legal action to prevent "the expansion nobody wants" happening at Stansted
Safety officials have praised 99 per cent of motorists using the A12 Witham bypass for obeying the 40 mph limit during the road works. Statistics released this week from the 17 speed cameras which have patrolled the A12 resurfacing work, which began on
Healthy schools have been given awards for helping their students. Runner Danny Crates, the Variety Club of Great Britain Disabled Sportsman of the Year, presented the National Healthy Schools Advanced Awards to 17 Essex schools. He also gave 65 schools
'12 Memories' is a gloomy album that unfortunately will not live in the memory. Since the band's classic album 'The Man Who' Travis have been unable to produce music of similar quality. Listening to '12 Memories' seems to confirm the widely held belief
'12 Memories' is a gloomy album that unfortunately will not live in the memory. Since the band's classic album 'The Man Who' the band have been unable to produce music of similar quality. Listening to '12 Memories' seems to confirm the widely held belief
Despite the whole island being gripped by FA Cup frenzy, Canvey soccer boss Jeff King has ordered his troops to "forget about Southend" tomorrow afternoon. Just the ticket - Marie McDermott made certain of her place at Park Lane next Wednesday when Canvey
Bomb disposal experts blew up a bomb two miles off Holland Haven. The 2,000lb Second World War mine was dredged up by a fisherman last month who immediately dropped his nets for experts to examine it. Royal Navy Divers went the scene about a mile off
The Victim Support scheme was playing host to both of the district's MPs today to explain how they help people cope with the effects of crime. Angela Smith, MP for Basildon and East Thurrock, and John Baron, MP for Billericay and District, were visiting
More than £500million will have been invested in Southend after the latest town centre blueprint is delivered, town clerk George Krawiec said today. He said this would be both public money, especially from Government and European sources and also private
No prizes for guessing what will be manager Colin McBride's toughest job when he leads his Thurrock troops into action at Aylesbury tomorrow. For it will be difficult for the players to keep their minds off Tuesday night's massive FA Cup first round replay
'12 Memories' is a gloomy album that unfortunately will not live in the memory. Since the band's classic album 'The Man Who' Travis have been unable to produce music of similar quality. Listening to '12 Memories' seems to confirm the widely held belief
A new street crime fad today prompted police to warn people about using their mobile phones on the streets of Canvey. Two people lost their phones in grab-and-run style thefts within an hour of each other on the island on Wednesday. These followed a snatch
A teenager was stabbed in the back by robbers who stole just 70p. The terrified 15-year-old paperboy was pushed and shoved before suffering the wound to his lower back, which needed three stitches. He also had to have an injury to his ear glued. He was
A man was injured after two slabs of marble fell on him. The man, who is in his 20s, had been working at a village firm when he overbalanced knocking into the garden slabs which fell back on him. The man, who is thought to have suffered a broken ankle
'12 Memories' is a gloomy album that unfortunately will not live in the memory. Since the band's classic album 'The Man Who' Travis have been unable to produce music of similar quality. Listening to '12 Memories' seems to confirm the widely held belief
Bosses of a Canvey business today gave a disabled club around-the-clock protection for its two mini-buses which are constantly targeted by destructive thugs. Thanks - Eddie Stacey gets the cheque from the park's Melanie Woolf Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL
A leading restaurateur fears he could be forced out of business by £60million plans to revitalise Southend town centre. Stephen Jones has run the Pipe of Port, in Tylers Avenue, for more than 22 years. However, he is worried if pedestrianisation is increased
A Colchester school is celebrating today after being brought out of special measures after three years. St Anne's primary school in Barnardiston Road was given the good news after an HMI inspector's latest monitoring visit. Chairman of the board of governors
Dunmow's perennial flooding problem is likely to be solved next year by the building of river defences on land alongside the Chelmer. The work will be backed up by a resident who has offered, at his own cost, to fill a gap in the £20,000 earth bund with
There shouldn't be any danger of Grays Athletic suffering an FA Cup hangover tomorrow. Mark Stimson's side ended their run in the greatest domestic knockout competition in the world last weekend when Conference side Aldershot Town edged their first round
A mayor on wheels provided meals on wheels as part of a week celebrating the vital work of the special delivery organisation. Special delivery - mayor Charles Latham helps volunteer Sandy Smith take meals to a Southend pensioner Picture: MAXINE CLARKE
After consulting local sports clubs, pitch inspections on grounds run by Basildon Council will be carried out on Fridays instead of Thursdays from this weekend. Once the inspections have been completed, the "pitch cancellation hotline" will be updated
'12 Memories' is a gloomy album that unfortunately will not live in the memory. Since the band's classic album 'The Man Who' Travis have been unable to produce music of similar quality. Listening to '12 Memories' seems to confirm the widely held belief
Canvey pupils were spellbound when their school was turned into a movie set when a special effects expert gave away some of his secrets. "The Magic of Chemistry" performance led by Malcolm Armstrong was put on for year seven and eight pupils at Castle
A man was left unconscious and a woman had some teeth knocked out by a robber who stole their car keys. Police have called the incident in Fronks Road, Dovercourt, last night a "vicious and unprovoked attack". The attacker knocked on the door of their
Multi-million pound plans for improved healthcare facilities - including a primary care centre in Colchester - are set for lift-off. Designs for the centre have been unveiled following the selection of private sector partner, the Mill Group. The new Colchester
A car salesman who went over the top in trying to woo his former girlfriend back has been banned from having any contact at all with her for two years. A restraining order was put on Darren Crane, 35, of Glendale Gardens, Leigh, which prevents him from
A Braintree action group claims it is being ignored by its council. The Notley Admissions Action Group (NAAG) says Braintree Council is ignoring its protests against a new school admissions policy on its doorstep, proposed by Essex County Council. The
Water regulator Ofwat has provisionally blocked plans for Anglian Water to raise water bills from next April. The sewerage service company sought to increase bills to tackle higher construction costs and improve water quality, but Ofwat suggested there
The wife of a Frinton rector, who spent her life working with children, has died. Pat Rose, who was married to the Rev Andrew Rose, rector of Frinton Parish Church, has lost her four-year battle with cancer. She was 59. A trained teacher, Mrs Rose did
A woman was robbed at knife-point in the latest in a string of attacks. The woman was walking through Colchester's lower Castle Park when two males pulled a knife on her and ran off with her handbag. She was injured in the attack and was left shaken by
Two firefighters who live in Braintree are looking for sponsorship to scale Everest in a bid to combat racism. Tim Hersey, of Aetheric Road, and Pete Nowakiwskyj, 47, of York Gardens, who work at Grays and Chelmsford fire stations respectively, will be
Frustrated commuters forced open train doors after they were left stranded between stations for more than one hour. Stranded - axed train services forced commuters to take buses which were also delayed because they were sent to the wrong station last
Teenager Michael Watson has had help from Angels to beat 12,000 other young hopefuls in a national talent competition. Michael, 15, has just sung his heart out with the Robbie Williams classic to reach the final nine of A Star is Born competition. The
Jimmy McIntyre has been named the new Stanway Rovers manager. McIntyre, 37, pipped three other candidates for the Hawthorns job, including Kevin Reakes, who had been acting as caretaker-boss. Rovers secretary Alan Brierley said: "We had four excellent
'12 Memories' is a gloomy album that unfortunately will not live in the memory. Since the band's classic album 'The Man Who' the band have been unable to produce music of similar quality. Listening to '12 Memories' seems to confirm the widely held belief
The sudden improvement of bottom club Barking and East Ham will have Great Wakering Rovers looking anxiously over their shoulders in Ryman Division One North. The basement side picked up their first win of the season on Tuesday night while winning at
A Good Samaritan who offered sanctuary to a teenager who had been beaten up ended up having a brick hurled at him. A 14-year-old was attacked and had a brick thrown at him in Old Heath Road, at about 6pm last night. He ran to a nearby house to seek help
Crouch boats fishing the river have been taking plenty of whiting with a few codling and dabs also thrown in. Vessels getting offshore are still finding some good roker, with whiting, codling and dogfish also showing. Whiting are also dominating the hauls
Swimming sensation James Gibson had a lucky escape when he was involved in a car crash on the way to receive a sports award. This year James, who grew up in Witham, became the first British man for 27 years to win a world championship gold medal in the
David Lloyd's mens squash first team were led to an emphatic 4-1 away victory by their hard fighting number two Damien Stone against local rivals Woodham this week. But the match was marked by a bizarre outburst from a Woodham player who stormed off court
A group of plucky youngsters were today hailed as heroes after they went to the aid of a frail old woman who had her bag snatched. Two of the quick-thinking group gave chase on their bikes and another on foot after a thief snatched the pensioner's holdall
Young people in Frinton will soon have a major new youth centre. Frinton Free Church has unveiled plans for refurbishment of its church-owned buildings along Connaught Avenue to open a new centre for youngsters in the community. Youth minister Phil Brown
Taxpayers' money will not be spent on a major concert for Maldon. Instead, the district council will invite an outside company to hold a similar event in the town and will offer main tourist attraction Promenade Park as the venue free of charge. At a
Castle Point headteachers today supported claims children are over-examined. Dr Carey Bennet, new head of Essex schools services, said she believed the examination process should be reviewed and said she "has doubts" about standard assessment tests (SATs
Children have been showing their Christmas spirit by giving presents for others. Heathlands Primary School in West Bergholt is on course to fill 200 shoeboxes with presents to be shipped off around the world. They are taking part in the Samaritan's Purse
Dean Gerken will take his place on the Colchester United substitutes' bench tomorrow knowing that England's goalkeeper coach Ray Clemence is watching him closely. The promising teenage keeper is Simon Brown's deputy for the near sell-out, all-ticket Second
'12 Memories' is a gloomy album that unfortunately will not live in the memory. Since the band's classic album 'The Man Who' the band have been unable to produce music of similar quality. Listening to '12 Memories' seems to confirm the widely held belief
Distraught wildlife sanctuary owners today offered a £1,000 reward in the hope of finding a pair of stolen parrots. Way out - animal care team member Jeam Mallott surveys the damage to the parrots' cage Picture: MAXINE CLARKE The much-loved birds were
'12 Memories' is a gloomy album that unfortunately will not live in the memory. Since the band's classic album 'The Man Who' Travis have been unable to produce music of similar quality. Listening to '12 Memories' seems to confirm the widely held belief
The annual "Doing Business in Essex" debate took place last night at Waterfront Place Chelmsford. Theo Steel speaking at last night's event The debate was co-hosted by the Essex Economic Partnership and attended by representatives of many local businesses
Formal requests have been made for a crackdown on open-air sex sessions outside Witham. Witham Town Council has written to several statutory bodies calling for action over claims the lay-by at the A12 Witham south junction has become a hotspot for "dogging
Southend are looking to secure their mid-table position when they travel to Kent-based Old Colfeians tomorrow. Their opponents are one place and two points behind the Seasiders going into the match, and a victory would open up a significant gap between
Thieves are targeting motorists in the Maldon district by stealing licence plates to avoid London congestion charges. Police say that a number of car licence plates have been stolen from the area and motorists wanting to avoid the £5 per day charge are
Pupils at a Witham school have benefited from the experience of their own artist-in-residence. Ceramic artist Sally Whelton has spent this week in the art department of Rickstones School, in Conrad Road, working with clay with the pupils. Year 7 pupils
The challenge of reviving a new-look Southend squad is the key factor behind caretaker manager Dave Webb's desire to come back to the club on a full-time basis. Excited - caretaker manager Dave Webb believes a brighter future is on the way Picture: NICK
Teams from the police, fire service, DVLA and Thurrock Council descended on Corringham in an effort to clean up the area. Towed away - a car is removed for further checks Picture: ANDY LEVER Roads around Gardner Avenue were being targeted in the second
A schizophrenic who sparked a massive police hunt after he escaped from a mental health unit has been found. Christopher Fowler, pictured, was spotted begging in a south London train station after he absconded from Clare House, in Pound Lane, Bowers Gifford
Postmen encounter numerous problems when they do their rounds - ravenous dogs, huge mail sacks and angry customers frustrated because the only letters dropping through their doors are bills, bills and more bills. But now one south Essex postman has found
A dock company must pay £30,500 for failing to spot hazards which resulted in a man needing to have his leg amputated. Magistrates yesterday found the Harwich Dock Company guilty of failing to ensure the safety of its employees under the Health and Safety
Essex Eels stars Adam Butterworth and Stuart Hogg took to the field against some of the most famous names in rugby league. They were part of a combined London side taking on the touring Australian Kangaroo Legends side led by Mal Meninga. Alongside the
A pub boss fears two mobile phone masts to go up on its roof next week will be bad for business. The temporary manager of the Drury Arms, in Layer Road, Colchester, says customers have already reacted angrily to the news. Parents of children who attend
Braintree Town fans have no qualms about David Culverhouse and Dean Parratt becoming the Iron's new full-time management team. The playing duo, who have taken temporary control following Gary Bellamy's dismissal, have no managerial experience. But they
Top politicians, special advisors and civil servants working on the air transport White Paper will be getting a reminder of what will be destroyed if Stansted is allocated extra runways. A copy of Stop Stansted Expansion's (SSE) 2004 calendar will be
With all Southend fans lucky enough to have tickets for next Wednesday's game at Canvey being warned not to park on the Island, the supporters trust is arranging coach travel to the game. Police are urging all 700 ticket-holders to use official transport
Runnymede Swim Club had some excellent results at Fulwell Cross on both opening days of the first County Championship session. Splash hits - Runnymede swimmers from the Essex Championships Picture: ROB BROWNE There were plenty of top class swimmers taking
