At traditional Scottish shop is to open in Braintree town centre creating new jobs for the town. Up to ten jobs could be created when the Edinburgh Woollen Mill store moves into Bank Street. Bosses at the store are to recruit new staff. News of the move
A former Hedingham School student has been been awarded a Bafta for his work on a television documentary. Richard Dale, 32, was presented with accolade from the British Academy of Film and Televison Awards for his role as producer on the Human Body programme
Staff at a Colchester insurance company were yesterday told its parent company was shedding 2,000 jobs in the next two years. Guardian Direct staff in the town will be cut by 60 over the next two years as the Colchester operation becomes part of a "virtual
Layer Road wonder boy Lomana Tresor Lua Lua was the undisputed king of the Bloomfield Road sand castle. But the exciting French Zairos whizz-kid could not prevent a youthful-looking U's outfit - including six teenagers - from falling to an unlucky last-day
The family of a mother-of-three killed in a car crash paid tribute to a "perfect and special" person. Medical staff battled to save Joanne Mason but she died in hospital in the early hours of Friday morning after the accident in Mill Road, Colchester,
A health and fitness centre is to open in Billericay creating 20 new jobs. The £1million LA Fitness club in Radford Way will open its new swimming pool, gym, sauna and cafe bar centre this summer. An estimated 20 staff will be recruited locally. Vacancies
A safety probe was underway yesterday after two passenger jets came within seconds of a mid-air collision over south Essex. Disaster was narrowly averted as the two packed planes - a Boeing 737 and a 757 - passed close to each other 8,000ft above Brentwood
A customs officer was today celebrating after he received the Latvian equivalent of an OBE. John Hallis, of Knollcroft, Shoebury, used to work in this country but was asked to go to Latvia for three years to help modernise the country's customs department
The family of a mother-of-three killed in a car crash paid tribute to a "perfect and special" person. Medical staff battled to save Joanne Mason but she died in hospital in the early hours of Friday morning after the accident in Mill Road, Colchester,
"Kill your speed!" That was the message today at the launch of a new blitz on speeding drivers. A mobile covert camera will monitor the county's accident blackspots in a bid to snare motorists who breach speed limits - particularly in 30 and 40mph zones
Thugs have attacked a group of French students living in Colchester. Windows were also smashed at their landlady's house in Wilson Marriage Road. The worried landlady said the four art and design students - all male and at Colchester Institute - had been
A pilot who parachuted from his crashing aircraft into icy waters might have survived if he had worn a life-jacket, an accident report said today. Father-of-two Nigel Paterson died after the Christmas Eve crash of his former RAF Jet Provost trainer aircraft
The first set of Southern Counties Long Course Championships at the Crystal Palace 50-metre competition pool presents a fresh set of challenges for swimmers following the short course county championship events. Colchester swimmers rose well to the occasion
Workers had a fright when they found an inch-long scorpion hiding inside a packing case. The black emperor scorpion - whose sting is six times stronger than a wasp - originates from the Far East. It was discovered by staff at ball valve firm Flow Control
Five-man Ipswich Witches put up a battling performance at Hull Vikings before going down 50-39. Ipswich used the rider replacement facility for Tomasz Gollob who was absent because of food poisoning. And in heat two, Jason Bunyan sustained a wrist injury
Southend United eased their way through to the final of the Thames-side Trophy after winning a bruising battle against the competition's holders. After watching his side beat off a spirited challenge from newly crowned Ryman Division One champions Canvey
Southend Athletics Club's senior men's A team got off to a flying start when they opened their track and field season with a win over four other teams. New coach Roger Smith was delighted with his team's performance as they beat athletes from Braintree
Nasser Hussain must surely play in England's World Cup opener at Lord's on Friday. If the Essex skipper fails to make the side to face Sri Lanka, he and the 5,000 spectators who saw him in action at Chelmsford yesterday will demand to know why. Hussain
Jamie Moralee today became Colchester United manager Mick Wadsworth's first new signing for next season. And 28-year-old Moralee was quickly followed into Layer Road by West Ham teenager Joey Keith. Former Crystal Palace, Millwall, Watford and Crewe Alexandra
A Southend firm of architects has walked away with a coveted design award for an innovative car showroom. The Veritas Audi showroom, designed by Moss, Prime and Coombes, incorporates state-of-the-art environmental and energy-saving features and was built
A relentless stalker frightened a city worker so much she was forced to flee her Billericay home, a court heard. Marie Natusch claimed businessman Stephen Darby had stalked her after their relationship had ended. He bombarded her with telephone calls
Labour councillors are celebrating maintaining control of Braintree District Council in last week's elections. Despite gains by the Conservatives and the Green Party in some seats, 31 out of 60 seats on the district council are Labour controlled, compared
The future of topless table dancing club Cheeks could be decided tomorrow at a crunch meeting of bosses. Directors of the nightspot on Southchurch Road were "very, very doubtful" it would continue as a place to watch scantily-clad women dancing. The meeting
John Kendall's 25-year association with Billericay Town appears to be over . . . at least for the time being. For he was told at a committee meeting last night that he was not being re-engaged as manager. Chairman Rod Moore broke the news - less than
Jamie Moralee today became Colchester United manager Mick Wadsworth's first new signing for next season. And 28-year-old Moralee was quickly followed into Layer Road by West Ham teenager Joey Keith. Former Crystal Palace, Millwall, Watford and Crewe Alexandra
Southend United failed to round off the season with some silverware as they crashed to non-league Ford United in the Thames-side Trophy final. A scrambled second-half goal from midfielder Ben Willis wrapped up the competition for the Motormen last night
Ipswich chairman David Sheepshanks is today expected to confirm he will stand for the Football Association chairmanship. If he is successful it is believed he will remain chairman at Portman Road but a chief executive will be appointed to run Town affairs
Linford Wanderers have celebrated 100 years of Southend District League football in style by winning the first ever Centenary Cup. At the Burroughs Park home of the District's most successful ever club, Great Wakering Rovers, who are about to gain entry
After the disappointment of losing their first League game the previous week, Rayne were eager to kickstart their season on Saturday. Having won the toss they elected to bat and made steady progress against a tight bowling attack. Mick Richardson (37)
Trustees of a charitable ferry service have vowed it will continue after thieves made off with the boat's outboard motor. Chairman of the Wivenhoe Ferry Trust Bill Hignell said the £900 engine had been on the boat for seven years without any problems
The last time Alexandra Gould saw her two daughters they were kicking and screaming and wanting their mum. That was five months ago in Ibiza. Now Kaili, nine, and Jasmine, three, are 3,000 miles away in Florida, USA, and their mum is fighting from her
Part-time disc jockey Richard Baker was today due back in court after he pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting four women including a 35-year-old in Westcliff. Appearing in the dock at the start of his Old Bailey trial, Baker, 34, admitted indecently
Angry mothers will march on Southend Council offices on Thursday to protest over staff cuts at a popular family resource centre. Up to 150 placard-waving parents, many with their children in tow, will descend on the Civic Centre in Victoria Avenue at
A hospital trust has been attacked for failing to meet its promised waiting list targets. Chelmsford West MP Simon Burns has hit out after Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust revealed it had 9,967 people waiting for operations at the end of March this year.
A popular former Castle Point housing chief, who retired to Menorca, died just three days after his sister's funeral, it has been revealed. John Collisson, a well-known figure on Canvey, had only returned to this country to bury his sister when he suffered
Calls have again been made for action to prevent lorries getting stuck in the narrow streets of Colchester's Dutch Quarter. The plea comes after a cab and trailer were stuck for almost four hours at the junction of East Stockwell Street and St Helen's
Angry village commuters have hit out at a decision to axe a morning train service. Rail users say the new times introduced by Great Eastern to improve the service to London will leave the village commuters with no means of getting into work on time at
Fed-up Vange families are to clear up their own backyard in a crime-busting crackdown. Concerned families are to spearhead the drive to improve quality of life on the troubled estate following two murders in the space of a year. Vange Community Housing
A congregation of nearly five thousand saw John and Marie Everitt's marriage blessed on the pitch of Roots Hall. The couple walked out through the players tunnel to the centre circle at half-time during the last game of the season between Southend United
Colchester United teenager Andy Walker cannot wait for next season to come around after after becoming the youngest goalkeeper in the club's history to make his Football League debut. Walker, 17, was one of six youth teamers pitched into the U's final
The son of a former Harwich mayor has been found dead at his home. David Brand, 38, of King George's Avenue, Dovercourt, was found by his wife Michelle just before midday yesterday, a police spokesman said. The father-of-two was the son of town and district
Commando David Howarth is on standby to help out in the world's worst trouble spots. David 26, from Canvey, is a member of X-Ray Company of 45 Commando, an elite Royal Marines Unit which is part of the UK's joint rapid reaction force. In the last year
An engineer is recovering after his fingertips were lopped off by machinery at a Laindon firm. Trevor Windsor was believed to have been trying to repair the equipment when the ends of his ring and little fingers on his left hand were sliced off. Fellow
Chelmsford Swifts Senior Womens National League basketball team are holding open trials to find more players to take part in their National League campaign for next season. Swifts have just completed their third season in the National League and during
The difficulty of trying to replace broken collarbone victim Troy Pratt was exposed last Friday when Arena so nearly suffered a home defeat by Newport as the Welsh side almost repeated last season's victory at the Purfleet Raceway. Tommy Palmer was the
"There's daddy!" the blonde, pigtailed toddler squealed at the top of her tiny voice. "Where?" shouted her playmate, equally as loudly. "There, there, there. He's the one with the hat on." Before them, streams of soldiers - all in identical berets - lined
No more could have been done on the day by a goal-happy Ipswich side. They did their bit in the bid to reach automatic Premiership promotion with goals from Jim Magilton, James Scowcroft, Kieron Dyer and Richard Naylor. But 150 miles away at Wolves, Bradford
A gang of thieves disabled an alarm system and cut through locks to steal a £750,000 haul of designer clothes from a Basildon firm. The burglars broke into Barrymores on the Herongate industrial park, in Paycocke Road, through an office ceiling. They
An all-out campaign to turn Witham into an award-winning floral town went into gear this week. Every business in the town's main street is being urged to join in and turn the town into a riot of colour. Organisers are also appealing for residents to show
An embarrassed teenage boy was rescued from a tree after becoming too frightened to climb down. It took the youngster's friends an hour to realise he really was stuck before calling out firemen to Chalkwell Park. A blue watch spokesman for Leigh fire
Tennis legend Roy Emerson will top the bill at Frinton Tennis Club's annual exhibition event in July. Emerson, who holds the record for Grand Slam singles wins with 12, will appear as part of the Dudley Stationery veterans tournament. He will be joined
Saturday saw a group of Braintree & Bocking Swimming Club members compete in the first round of the Southern Counties Age Group Championships. All the competition was for 11/12 year olds and Women's Open categories. Clare Carter had an excellent weekend
The partner of a car crash victim whose body lay undiscovered in a 10ft-deep ditch for 33 hours told today how the police said he probably wandered off in shock from the scene. Young mum Kayleigh Brown, 21, of The Street, Little Totham, and boyfriend
Help is at hand from Wickford Citizen's Advice Bureau for people facing the shock of sudden redundancy. The organisation has put together a new step-by-step guide to offer advice on the issues people are most likely to be worried about. They include redundancy
How would you say no to an incinerator in an eye catching way? Members of Rayleigh Civic Society want to know and have organised a competition for people to make up a short, catchy phrase in order to draw people's attention to the campaign against the
A heartbroken biker was today offering a reward for the return of his prized off-road bike stolen from a garage in Swan Close in Laindon on Sunday night. The Honda 125cc motorbike was taken by thieves who smashed the underside of the garage door and cut
Shoppers enjoyed a sweet jazz sound as they browsed around a new Canvey store during its official opening. Alldays, in Linden Way, staged its launch day on Saturday and invited Big Al's jazz band to keep people entertained. Also on hand at the supermarket
Firefighters from Dovercourt and Colchester were called to a ferry blaze at Harwich International Port. An electrical fault started the fire in the engine room of the Stena Seatrader which was docked at the port. The crew was evacuated and the engine
Colchester's Matthew Street just missed out in the Strachan English Open Snooker Championship, losing to Leicester's Eddie Manning 8-7 on the final black. Manning made nine breaks of 40 plus in the match, Street five. Eight of the breaks came in the first
A concerned parent is urging "mindless" drivers to sit up and take notice of advice before a child is mown down and killed. The father fears it is only a matter of time before there is a fatal accident outside Eversley Primary School, in Crest Avenue.
The parents of a woman killed in a car accident on Canvey told today how she touched the hearts of everyone she met. Jane Hyams, of Laburnum Grove, died on Friday after her car came into collision with a 16-ton lorry as she drove along Canvey Way. The
Determined Dunmow football players have vowed to keep playing despite ending the soccer season with an embarrassing minus two points. Dunmow FC dropped to the bottom of the division after player-manager, Simon Gypps, scored 16 own goals in 16 fixtures
A congretation of nearly five thousand saw John and Marie Everitt's marriage blessed on the pitch of Roots Hall. The couple walked out through the players tunnel to the centre circle at half-time during the last game of the season between Southend United
Tennis legend Roy Emerson will top the bill at Frinton Tennis Club's annual exhibition event in July. Emerson, who holds the record for Grand Slam singles wins with 12, will appear as part of the Dudley Stationery veterans tournament. He will be joined
What a feast! Members of Leigh Air Training Corps had their taste buds tickled when they sat down at the Pipasha Indian restaurant for a charity curry night. The Pipasha allowed the cadets to use the restaurant in Eastwood Road North, Leigh, to raise
Six weeks of glorious cricket action get underway on Friday when England start the World Cup ball rolling with the opening match of the tournament at Lord's. Essex captain Nasser Hussain, who has boosted his hopes of a place in the starting line-up after
Southend United failed to round off the season with some silverware as they crashed to non-league Ford United in the Thames-side Trophy final. A scrambled second-half goal from midfielder Ben Willis wrapped up the competition for the Motormen last night
Coaches from the area scooped some of the top accolades at the Essex Sports Coach of the Year awards. The ceremony, which took place at County Hall, Chelmsford, included a posthumous award for one of the county's leading figures in gymnastics, Frank Stevens
LOUGHTON 195-7 OLD SOUTHENDIAN 192-9 (MATCH DRAWN) A storming ninth-wicket partnership salvaged a draw for Old Southendian. Loughton opener Greenhill had provided the perfect base for the visitors by hitting 87, with Bayney (32) and Taiani (25) raising
There was sheer delight at Burnham Rugby Club when it was confirmed that Burnham third XV under their captain and manager Jim Kelly had not only won their League, the BL League Division Five, but had managed to do so with an impressive 100 per cent record
The owner of a listed cottage in St Osyth today told how vandals had smashed up the property - just after the builders had moved in to carry out repairs. George Beckwith has been unable to live in his home in Church Square since a blaze broke out at the
Health bosses are refusing to rubber stamp "unachievable" budget and operation targets. Figures due to be submitted to the regional health authority from Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust for 1999/2000 forecast: A target deficit of £2.6 million 9,300 people
Police are seeking a motorist who punched a bus driver during rush hour in Chelmsford. Officers are also anxious to trace witnesses to the road rage incident which happened at about 6.30pm on April 19. An Eastern National bus driver received facial injuries
Brightening up the town centre is the task being set students from Basildon College. They are painting the boards covering the building work on the new shopping centre at Fodderwick. Their work involves designing and painting a mural with the theme of
