Nuisance caused by young people in North Weald and Shelley, near Ongar, has been targeted by police in a new bid to cut disturbances. It has been one of the main issues tackled along with criminal damage and non-dwelling burglaries. The initiative will
Angry residents of High Ongar are protesting about road hogs who speed in the village. Residents living in King Street near the Wheatsheaf pub between the A414 and Blackmore are raising a petition calling for a 40mph speed limit. Their action follows
Harold Hill and Harold Wood have made a shocking entry into the top 20 TV licensing board league of shame. A staggering 1,566 TV licence evaders were caught out in the RM postcode area, which encompasses Harold, putting it in 18th place in a national
People power does have an effect on crime says the Metropolitan Police after figures released this week show that 1998 was a record-breaking year for the Crimestoppers line. The figures show a staggering 72 per cent hike in the number of arrests and clear-ups
Families in Southend have cause to celebrate today as the rise in their council tax bills looks set to be much lower than the rest of Essex. Homeowners across the town are facing a 5.2 per cent increase in the borough's slice of the overall bill. Meanwhile
Police have appealed for help in identifying a mugger injured after targeting an 81-year-old woman in Southend. An Essex Police spokesman said the pensioner had her purse stolen but managed to scratch the face of her assailant when she was attacked at
The life of a 22-year-old Brentwood man hung in the balance for several hours after he was punched and kicked to the ground in a savage assault. The victim is recovering from emergency surgery on a blood clot and broken jaw after being rushed to Oldchurch
Nearly one million pounds was raised in just two hours - through a radical sell-off of 26 Basildon Council homes. About 300 people flocked to the auction to try to pick up a bargain property as 15 homes went under the hammer. Originally 26 houses and
Thousands of pounds are to be sunk into a controversial Wickford psychiatric hospital even though it is just months from closure. Runwell Hospital closes its doors in 2001 after a chequered history during which it has been dogged by controversy. In 1995
Billericay Town FC is pleading with Basildon Council to reconsider plans which could send its rent bill soaring by as much as 500 per cent a year. The cash-strapped council, which owns the Blunts Wall Road site on which the club's New Lodge ground stands
Sheets of shimmering glass are giving a revolutionary £30million "office of the future" a futuristic look. Building work on BT's new Workstyle building, on the site of the old St Faith's Hospital at London Road, Brentwood, is on schedule with a May completion
Home-owners in the Walton area have been warned to be on their guard after a conman posing as a water authority worker visited two homes in the town. An Essex Police spokesman said the man, believed to be a burglar, had called on two homes in Walton during
Firefighters have rescued a 69-year-old woman from the bedroom of her burning Clacton home. The fire at the Kingwell Avenue house is believed to have started at about 9pm last night, and both police and firefighters quickly attended. The woman was taken
Sex monster Duncan Gurney was jailed yesterday for 14 years for raping two schoolgirls and being cruel to a young boy. Gurney, 49, stood emotionless in the dock at Basildon Crown Court as Judge Philip Clegg described attacks on the children as "sheer
Robbers wielding a shotgun and a baseball bat have escaped with a haul of cash after raiding a mid Essex post office. Police have appealed for witnesses to the theft, which happened at about 5.25pm on Wednesday night at the post office in Panfield Lane
German midfielder Lars Unger revealed that Euro 96 played a big part in his decision to join Southend United. Unger, who has joined Blues on loan from Fortuna Dusseldorf until the end of the season, was spellbound by the atmosphere when his country beat
A South Woodham fire officer has praised members of the public who saved the life of a young driver as he lay trapped in his blazing car. Sub-officer Stewart Cook said the swift action of bystanders was crucial in saving the life of 22-year-old Robert
Sixth form student Alison Kirkham has just joined Burnham-on-Crouch lifeboat station as the youngest female RNLI crew member in England. Alison, 17, who attends St Peter's High School, needed permission from her supportive parents, Ray and Anne, before
A £7 billion deal which saw the defence arm of GEC-Marconi sold to British Aerospace could be at risk, it was feared today. The deal between BAe and Marconi, which has bases in Witham and Chelmsford, could hit the rocks because of competition concerns
Billericay's Robert Smith is in celebratory mood after becoming the fastest U17 cross country runner in Essex. Robert, 16, who trains at Basildon AAC, gained the prestigious title after winning the Essex League U17 Championship, being the Essex County
Halifax Town's midfield hard man Peter Butler can't wait to get stuck in against his old Southend United team at The Shay tomorrow. The 32-year-old, who joined Blues for £75,000 in 1988 from Cambridge United before moving onto West Ham five years later
A £4 million countywide shake-up of rural policing will make for better policing all round, Frinton and Walton residents have been assured. Supt Mick Hicks, head of Tendring police, speaking at one of a series of public meetings into the changes, pointed
A driver had a lucky escape from serious injury after a collision with a Transit van. Police are looking for the van driver, who is said to have disappeared and left the vehicle at the scene. The 25-year-old driver of the red BMW was believed to have
Canvey is set to get a new post office, it was revealed today - after endless queues drove customers literally around the bend. Lines of customers were snaking around the newsagent in Furtherwick Road, through the shop and out of the door during peak
The only tenant in a Chelmsford terrace of Edwardian houses dozed in his flat as the derelict property next door became a roaring inferno. Market greengrocer Paul Matthams, 53, was roused from his sleep by the sound of crackling next door in Brockley
The Greater London Leopards, who play at the Brentwood Leisure Centre, are proving that they can mix it with the country's top basketball teams. They had a remarkable January by beating three of the top six Budweiser League teams,while taking another,
Matt Holland is struggling with a back injury ahead of Ipswich Town's trip to Bradford City. Holland has not missed a game since joining Town from Bournemouth for £800,000 in the summer of 1997 and while soon notch up 100 appearances. Holland felt sore
Porky Paul Catley has left table-topping Braintree on a month's loan to Chelmsford City. Catley, affectionately nicknamed Porky by fans and team mates, is unhappy at being displaced by former Colcheter United keeper John Cheesewright and could seek a
Chelmsford athlete Julie Pratt equalled her personal best time winning the 60m hurdles for the Great Britain Under 23 team against France The World Junior 100m hurdle champion matched her previous best of 8.37 seconds at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham
Paul Abrahams epitomises the new feeling within the U's as they prepare for tonight's clash with Wigan. Victory for Colchester United will hoist them up to 14th in the table and away from relegation danger. Abrahams has renewed determination to stay at
The next few weeks will see plenty of action involving some of the region's favourite boxers. First up will be Havering-atte-Bower cruiserweight Dominic Negus, who will battle it out with Kevin Mitchell for the vacant Southern Area title on Thursday,
Tennis lessons for children aged seven to 11 will be taking place at Colchester Garrison Officers' Club over half term. Sessions, which will be taken by the Essex LTA's area development officer Ashley Ford, are organised for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Saturday's fixtures surprisingly see only one league clash throughout the area, with several other clubs either resting or involved in friendly matches. So the spotlight again turns to Eastern Counties Four, where top-of-the-table Brightlingsea travel
Witham are a club on the up. On the field, both the men's 1st and 2nd XIs are sailing away at the top of their respective divisions in the East League having between them won 26 of their 28 games, losing only one. Off it there are ambitious plans for
Essex has a budding new world snooker champion in the making - thirty-two year-old June Mead from Danbury. In what has always been regarded as a male-dominated sport June has joined the growing ranks of the Women's World Snooker circuit. June, who only
Chelmsford Highway consolidated their position at the top of National League Division One with a comfortable home win over bottom-of-the-table Sunderland on Saturday. This was Chelmsford's first game back after a successful indoor campaign and the blustery
A cup semi-final, a capacity crowd, scores level with 14 seconds to play, this game had everything. Chelmsford Swifts played in their first ever National semi final when they took on Manchester Flames, the most important game in the club's three year
Chelmsford were victorious for yet another year in the Essex Winter Marathon Series but only by five points from Barking & Dagenham in second. Bishops Stortford were third with 44 points. The club trophy is always hotly contested each season but Chelmsford
A Duton Hill man plans to raise £2,000 for charity by running the London Marathon with his two daughters. For 63-year-old Michael Longman, of Little Cambridge, it will be his seventh run of 26 miles 385 yards along the streets of London -- and his daughters
Mid Essex Hospitals Trust has said it is still on course to reach March targets despite winter pressures pushing up national waiting lists, The Trust, which runs Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, has said despite added winter pressures causing a surge
Commuters were late for work today after a crossing guard overslept and failed to turn up for work on time. The 5.25am from Clacton to Liverpool Street was delayed for around half an hour when the guard - who works at the Burrs Road crossing in Great
Prodigy frontman Keith Flint has backed a millennium campaign to wipe out third world debt - literally. The self-styled wildman has shown his caring, sharing side by having his back tattooed with the slogan 'drop the debt' to show his support of a global
A Southend club owner today said he was amazed by a High Court writ banning him from playing music until his licence was brought up to date. A spokesman for Kevin Chinnery, owner of Chinnery's and Mr D's on Marine Parade, claimed he had no knowledge the
If you have been the victim of a burglary in the past few months, some of this property may belong to you. Basildon police are searching for the owners of several pieces of jewellery and other items recovered from four addresses raided in Laindon and
Where's it bin? This is the question on the lips of every Foulness Islander knee deep in old newspapers just waiting to be recycled. They pleaded in vain for a special paper bank to be installed next to their glass and textile recycling bins. Then they
A finger-licking challenge is to be put to sweet tooths in Essex - for a good cause. Basildon bakers Don Millers will be challenging customers to eat a doughnut without licking their lips to raise cash for children during National Doughnut Week. The week
Phone banking and mail order are essential tools of modern living, while e-mail and the internet give us what we want to know exactly when we need to know it. Now our precious health has entered this user-friendly world. TANIA COCKSEDGE reports... Essex
Three cases of skin cancer have been detected by Brentwood's Court House Clinic since it opened just three months ago. The patients were unaware there was a serious problem and were positively diagnosed after visiting the clinic about wrinkles. The blatant
England's football hopefuls may have been disappointed but soccer crazy Lewis Swift was certainly not - well, only slightly. The 11-year-old had the time of his life after being chosen to lead the England side out in front of the 74,000 crowd at Wembley's
A bitter war of words has broken out between council tenants and housing staff after a scathing attack on Castle Point's housing services. The row flared up after the borough's tenants' association openly criticised the way the housing department is run
A Billericay councillor has condemned the scrapping of a local commuter bus route as 'absolute madness'. First Thamesway decided to axe the 32/32a service, which ran every 10 minutes between Ramsden Heath and Billericay Railway Station, after research
Youngsters at Hadleigh County Juniors saw the age of the Romans come to life thanks to a visit by a travelling theatre group. The group, called Legion 14, used drama and their costumes to help give pupils a greater insight into life at the time. Some
More than a quarter of a million pounds has been earmarked to get the Triangle shopping parade back in business after a suspected arson. The parade in Great Berry, Langdon Hills, is now set to be better than before, with a new convenience store and possibly
The family of murderer John Piccolo will know by the end of the month whether a full independent inquiry into the psychiatric treatment he received for depression will take place. An inquest into the Piccolo's death this week heard how the gunman shot
A vicious attack on a Sunday league football referee left him bleeding and unconscious, just 10 minutes after kick off. The senior Spall Brentwood Sunday League game between Harold Wood-based Wood United and Elm Park had to be abandoned when referee Michael
Former radio operator for Monty John Uppard had something of an explosive career, as TIM STOUT discovers As a boy, John Uppard was a regular visitor to the Science Museum in London. Who would have thought, watching him turn handles and press knobs on
A 94-year-old woman is among 12 elderly people being turfed out of a residential hotel in Westcliff. Hettie Palester has lived in the New Redstone Hotel for 18 years - but she and the others, who are like a family together, have all been given notice
Emergency services have told how they raced against time and the elements to save the life of a disabled woman who fell between rocks at Walton's Naze. The drama started at 3pm on Wednesday when champion swimmer Kirsty Allinson-White was on the boulders
A masked man escaped with thousands of pounds in an armed raid at Barclays Bank, Writtle, on Tuesday afternoon. Armed police were alerted around 2.40pm and the Essex police helicopter was used in the search for the robber. Roads were sealed off as the
A police scheme which could mean officers being paid £34 an hour overtime by Braintree Council to patrol the district's crime hotspots has provoked concern among councillors. The patrols would be carried out at overtime rates to stop any weakening of
Young soldier Andrew Elliott died instantly in a tragic car crash after his girlfriend made a fatal "error of judgment". An inquest heard that driver Katie West cut a corner as she turned her Escort into a Wickford road, causing another car to plough
Police constables could be paid £34.50 an hour by councils to patrol "hot spots". The patrols would be carried out at overtime rates to avoid any weakening of normal policing. A report by Essex Police Chief Constable David Stevens to Monday's meeting
Romeo teacher Paul Davison proclaims his love in public for partner Linda Holmes every year on Valentine's Day. Each time he comes up with a classic stunt, ranging from decorating a double decker bus to plastering the streets with messages of love. But
A comfortable win for the men from Colchester I.B.C. who played Jack's Centre Latchingdon in the Essex League winning by 12 points to 1 and by 39 shots overall. This was a good team performance winning on all away rinks by 32 shots. Rink Details: Home
A new defender is to have talks with the U's as competition for places hots up. Colchester United boss Mick Wadsworth refused to name him until talks are further along the line as he looks to strengthen the squad to ensure Division Two survival. But it
Alex Birch, of Hutton, this week received confirmation that he has been selected for the Great Britain Youth Basketball team. Alex, 16, a pupil at the St Martin's School, Hutton is captain of the school team and also finds time to play for Essex, England
The seventh Cricket World Cup is being staged in England this summer and Essex is honoured to be hosting two of its group matches. Chelmsford will also be the venue for two warm-up games when the full Essex team will be playing against England and Bangladesh
The Queen may visit Southend seafront when she comes to town. Councillors were upset when the royal visit, scheduled for March 12, omitted a tour of the Golden Mile, but a spokesman for Buckingham Palace said no final decision has been made. A spokesman
Basildon's unemployed teenagers can look forward to a jobs boost. A ground-breaking scheme to be launched next month by New Basildon College will see the latest technology used to train the district's jobless. The project will target those youngsters
Victims of domestic violence in the Maldon area could be helped by a new mobile phone scheme. The phones will put sufferers in closer contact with the police by being pre-programmed with emergency numbers. "This is something I have been after for some
Friday saw the ladies of Regiment Way Golf Centre play at Maldon Golf Club in the first round of "The Mail on Sunday" National Golf Competition. The RWGC team, captained by Val Cook and made up by Lorraine Simmonds, Elaine Jewitt and Wendy Kirkby lost
A councillor is out to stop grass verge car racers endangering life and the environment at part of Chignal Estate, North Chelmsford. Cllr John Devane is calling for the borough council to insert bollards to prevent cars being driven on the public greenswards
The week started with the exciting news that the Springfield Striders mens team had won the Essex Cup. The Essex Cup is the trophy for the first Essex team to finish 12 runners in the South of England Cross country Championships. The trophy is usually
Chieftains ground out a hard-fought win at Invicta on Sunday to make it a four point weekend and move into fourth place in the Premier League with games in hand on most of the other teams. Chieftains took the lead, slightly against the run of play, when
Chelmsford Chieftains continued their superb run of form with Saturday's emphatic demolition of league leaders Solihull Blaze. at the Riverside Ice & Leisure Centre. Chieftains opened the scoring on 6.11 when Craig Metcalf tucked away an opportunist
Zoe Truscott, the club coach at the Brentwood Hard Court club, is holding an Adult tennis course at the club, starting on March 3. The six week course will be held every Wednesday evening, and for further details, telephone Zoe on 01277 623488. Before
Former Lithuanian international Lawrence Trumpauskas lifted the mens singles and mens doubles titles at the Finals Night of the M&G Chelmsford Closed tournament, but only after a superb struggle with Steve Dettmar which went all the way to 24-22 in
Two Brentwood Ursuline pupils excelled in the sport of basketball recently when they became the Girls NBA-2 Ball Basketball London Area Champions. Frances Hopkins (right), from Brentwood, and Grace Stimpson, from Collier Row, are both Year 11 students
Railway workers have been branded as "shocking and outrageous" after they bared their bottoms at nearby residents. Rivenhall villagers have lodged a catalogue of complaints with the parish council include claims that labourers have been urinating in broad
A pharmacist has been struck off after he exploited a "vulnerable" woman for a year. Shervin Nikjoo, of Connaught Avenue, Frinton, was struck off by the statutory committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on Thursday. He personally delivered kaolin
A pensioner was trapped in her bedroom after a blaze broke out in her home. The 69-year-old woman was rescued by firefighters as smoke billowed up the stairs. One crew tackled the blaze at the house while another put a ladder up to her open window and
Emergency services raced against time and the elements to save the life of a disabled champion swimmer who fell between rocks at Walton's Naze. The drama started at 3pm on Wednesday when Kirsty Allinson-White was on the boulders which form part of a new
Managers were called in to help cope with a high number of calls over the New Year period, says Essex Ambulance Service. Nine senior officers attended incidents to cope with the demand - the Trust received 25 per cent more calls than during the same time
Former workers at the Boulton and Paul factory in Maldon should hear early next month about details of an out-of-court cash settlement. Workers belonging to the Union of Construction and Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) are expected to receive a
A boy of 14 underwent four hours of surgery after a brutal attack by a 10-strong gang left his jaw broken in two places. It was just one of four violent incidents in Chelmsford being investigated by police this week. The victim was one of three 14-year-old
Teenagers queued up to pay tribute to everyone's best mate, Mitchell Kemp. He was, they said, the kid everyone wanted to be - a strong, accomplished sportsman, popular with everyone. He could be summed up in just one word. Special. The 14-year-old meningitis
History came alive when the Battle of Hastings relocated to Shoebury High School. The massed model armies of the Normans and Saxons delighted spectators and won gasps of admiration from pupils at the Caulfield Road school. It was all the handiwork of
A cat kidnapper could be on the prowl in Laindon, according to a concerned owner. Olga Daley, 49, today warned other owners in Lee Chapel North to be vigilant, after one of her cats went missing. Just days before this another one of her seven feline friends
SARAH OXLEY looks at the likely effects of the decision to axe police horses and motorbikes from the streets of Essex On the streets of Essex, police horses and motorbikes are to be a thing of the past. They are set to be axed as part of £7.1m cuts forced
A state-of-the-art cinema in Basildon is a step closer to becoming one of the biggest in the UK. The 12-screen UCI cinema on the town's Festival Leisure Park would be just the second in the country to have as many as 20 film screens. The venue, which
New for 1999 at the Harwich Sports Centre is the start of the singles and doubles badminton leagues, played on a box system. These commenced on February 1 and consist of participants playing four matches per month. The winner of each box will be promoted
Basildon Council's soccer schools are all set to kick-off again during next week's half-term break. The four-day course at Markhams Chase Leisure Centre, Markhams Chase, Laindon, is the first of 12 schools that have been organised this year as part of
Two Southend Junior League sides battled through to the semi-finals of the Essex Andrews Cup with sparkling performances. Canvey Orient overcame County Park on penalties, while Shoebury-based Blackgate Gunners beat fellow Junior League outfit Woodside
All seemed well in the first 20 minutes of Saturday's match with the home side producing some good passing movements and generally having the better of the play. Then in the 23rd minute things changed when Bowers brought their height and pace into play
Basildon celebrates its 50th anniversary with many events - including a marathon for the town's St Luke's Hospice. Here, Georgina Jupp, from the nearby Club Kingswood health centre, starts an advice column on how to get in shape for the ultimate run.
Billericay stretched their winning run to 20 matches with a comprehensive victory over second in the table Old Cooperians and it also saw them pass their 600th league point of the season. Without skipper Paul Daly, being rested before next Saturday's
New Rochford captain Richard Campbell-Carr was so nervous before stepping onto the tee for his driving in ceremony that he went for a lesson 15 minutes beforehand. However, that didn't stop him spanking a superb effort nearly 240 yards down the fairway
