A teacher at Clacton's biggest secondary school has been suspended over an allegation of professional misconduct, it has been revealed. The member of staff at Colbayns High School in Pathfields Road has not been named. The matter is now to be investigated
Brave Aaron Soanes has died - after spending almost half his life battling against leukaemia. The eight-year-old finally lost his fight for life at home on Saturday evening. The youngster from Brightlingsea - who defied the doctors and lived weeks longer
A senior police officer told a court he expected allegedly cruel training methods of police dogs to stop once an internal investigation had been launched. Chelmsford Magistrates' Court heard that Chief Inspector Ian Learmonth was appointed to investigate
Police said today they had not charged a teenager arrested in connection with an arson attack which killed two people. A 16-year-old was arrested and quizzed over the fire at a house in Church Crescent, Clacton, on July 27 which claimed the lives of five-year-old
Pupils at an Essex school were today leading the way with a proposal for a revolutionary revamp of their term times. If agreed, the major shake-up will make the Greensward School, Hockley, the first secondary school nationally to have its academic year
Enterprising Colchester mayor David Cannon has come up with a new money-making scheme for his worthy charities. The success of his Colchester Castle badges has surpassed all expectations and many hundreds of pounds looks set to be raised from their sale
Heads will turn when this superb little car goes on show at the British International Motor Show, at Birmingham, from tomorrow to November 1. The West-Mersea-made Dare DZ comes in two equally startling designs - the gullwing coupe and the convertible.
Harold Hill youngsters who were squeezed out of speaking at last week's community area forum are determined to have their say. More than 200 people turned up at the new format meeting, including a party of 10 students from Harold Hill Community School
County councillors claimed more than £600,000 in allowances last year - just 39p for each Essex resident. Essex's 98 county councillors claimed almost £632,000 for carrying out their duties in 1997/98, an average of nearly £6,500 each. The figures have
Police were called to break up a drunken street brawl outside a Southend nightspot. People were punched and butted during the fight outside Bakers Bar, Alexandra Street, early on Saturday. A woman, aged 23, and three men, aged 28, 29 and 30, were arrested
Are they a communication from a strange undersea civilisation or the bored ramblings of a frustrated mathematician? Whatever, these strange sums and equations written in sand on a jetty near Chalkwell Station in Southend had a few people foxed. They were
Possessive boyfriend Alan Royall cuddled his girlfriend only minutes after he allegedly strangled and suffocated her at their Harwich flat, a court heard. A murder trial jury also heard how Royall, 50, told a nurse he "wanted to finish the job" and join
A digger driver escaped with his life when his vehicle overturned after the ground gave way. He said there could have been a much bigger tragedy if it had been raining at the time. The accident happened yesterday on the cliffs off Western Esplanade, Southend
An air of expectancy hangs over a town's Mothercare shop - where nearly half the workforce is pregnant. Sitting in the chair in the staff room has jokingly been blamed for the baby boom at the Colchester store. Staff discount sales are set to boom as
The noise nightmare for people living next to the busy A12 road is over. The Highways Agency said today that the notoriously noisy stretch of the A12 between Lexden and Stanway in Colchester is scheduled to be resurfaced in the next financial year. The
An enterprising south Essex company is leading the way in trying to protect mobile phone users from possible radiation. Enterprise Europe of Battlesbridge has sponsored biologist Roger Coghill, who has been prominent in researching the effect of regular
The holiday on cheaper goodies is over. With the abolition of duty-free shopping next year, holiday-makers are set to pay a high price. They will not simply pay more for alcohol, tobacco and perfumes; they will pay more for their trips abroad. The real
Police are hunting thieves who stole more than £15,000 of children's play equipment from a garage in naford Road, Aveley, near Grays. The haul included a 40-ft bungee run, bouncy castles and a ball pond, all marked "Clarke's Castles". Information to police
Braintree Library has won an award as the best public building in East Anglia. The £1.5 million building won its category at the biennial East Anglian Building Awards. Judges described the building in Fairfield Road as outstanding, and said it blended
A dairy firm has acted immediately after a mother claimed her two-year-old almost choked on a fingernail in a yoghurt. Mum Donna Walkerdine today spoke of the horror of seeing toddler Thomas splutter on the fingernail as he ate his pudding. Now manufacturers
The newly-revived yo-yo craze had more than its ups and downs at one school after a pupil got her hand stuck in a fence trying to reach one. The 11-year-old from Nabbotts County Junior School in Forsythia Close, North Springfield near Chelmsford, was
Stardom has been a long time coming for Southend trance dance trio Taste Xperience, and they still haven't quite reached it. But the patron saints of never-give-up have never come closer than now. Their latest tune Summersault is due for release as a
A schoolboy has died suddenly on a playing field while taking part in a games lesson. Darren Bruce, 15, was playing hockey at independent school Colchester Boys High when he collapsed on Monday afternoon. The tragedy has devastated the school's close
A chance look at an old photograph has led Rivenhall villager Bill Prime on a quest to rebuild a picture of a lost community. "I was shown a picture of a house I didn't recognise because although it is still standing it has changed so much,'' he said.
Road safety campaigners fighting for a pedestrian crossing in Maldon Road, Witham, have been given a ray of hope. Witham Town Council is ready to pay towards it if this will speed up the process. Councillors have been told by Essex County Council that
Braintree district has the second highest number of under-age mums in Essex. Health chiefs have revealed the Braintree area has the second highest figures for teenage pregnancies of girls aged between 11 and 15. According to figures issued by the North
A controversial block of toilets has been closed amid claims the site was used by men for illegal activities. Several police operations followed complaints about the site in Thundersley. The decision to shut the men's loos for at least six months was
A post mortem examination has showed that schoolboy Darren Bruce, 15, died from natural causes. Colchester coroner's office has confirmed an inquest will not be held into his death. It is believed his heart failed. Darren, who lived with his family in
Proposals to develop a major traffic management scheme to cut congestion in Maldon town centre are to be forwarded to Essex County Council. Maldon councillors were unanimously in favour of adopting the strategy on a trial basis, at a meeting of Maldon
Police officers who sent out letters to 1,700 Audi car owners have traced a woman who witnessed a fatal smash on the M25 in Essex. The woman, from Bedfordshire, came forward after receiving a letter from Essex Police asking drivers if they had seen the
Teenage student Sammy Loudon swapped the grease of the chip pan for the glamour of the catwalk as she strutted her stuff during London Fashion Week. Sammy, 16, of Oakleigh Road, Great Clacton, can usually be found behind the counter of the Lemon Wedge
A citizens' panel of up to 1,500 locals looks set to be launched by Colchester Council. Selected randomly - but reflecting the borough's population - it would be used to put forward a "grassroots" view of council proposals and services. The most recent
Stena Line's Harwich to Hook of Holland service was cancelled this morning due to bad weather. News of the cancellation follows announcements the HSS Discovery will be out of action for a month while essential repair work is carried out. It was originally
Brave Essex-based sports presenter Helen Rollason, who is fighting cancer, has told of her fears about how her death might affect her daughter. Helen, 42, of Kelvedon Hatch, Brentwood, who began her broadcasting career with Essex Radio, was told in March
THE public's views on crime are to be sought as Maldon gets to grips with the Government's new Crime and Disorder Bill. Questionnaires are to be sent out to selected areas in the district to ascertain people's concerns and views. The information will
Whether you are an entertainer, a cook or a simply a good listener, Maldon Volunteer Development Agency wants to hear from you. The agency has launched a recruitment drive for volunteers after hitting a shortage of helpers for specific jobs. Drivers are
Council chiefs in Southend have finally given the thumbs-up to Midland Bank moving into units beside the Odeon multiplex cinema. Planners at Southend Council had expressed concern about the prime High Street spot being turned into offices because it could
Two furry television stars have been given a new home by a family from Cressing, near Braintree. Sue Turner, of Bulford Close, adopted gerbils Pinky and Perky for her daughter Kayleigh's ninth birthday after they were featured on Channel 4's Pet Rescue
Carp anglers have had a reasonable week at Doggetts, with junior Clayton Barbour, of Rochford, landing a 17lb 5oz mirror carp from the South Bank, his best-ever fish. Melvin Shaw fished a short senior on the short arm and landed a 11ln 5oz mirror, while
Detectives today stepped up their hunt for a woman they believe tried to snatch a toddler from a busy supermarket. Members of the public who saw the woman have been urged to come forward. The horrified mother of the three-year-old girl was shopping in
A terrified woman was sexually assaulted by a motorcyclist after her car broke down in a quiet Essex lane. The woman, aged 31, was looking under her bonnet in Terling Road, Witham, at 7.30pm last night when the rider pulled up and asked if she needed
