No, it's not Henry the escaped Burmese python on the loose again - but another member of the same scaly species. This handsome Burmese python - just like hungry Henry, who sparked a major alert when he escaped from his Leigh home last week - was one of
A call for a green commuter policy for staff and councillors of Maldon District Council has been rejected. Under the scheme a survey would have been carried out into the journeys made by council staff to discover if they could be made by public transport
Charity shop volunteers have condemned a thief who stole £270 in cancer research money. The man, aged around 18, walked into the Cancer Research Shop in Bank Street, Braintree, before grabbing cash out of a storeroom and running away. There were two staff
Forty guides and scouts from Southend will be among 700 performing at London's Albert Hall on Saturday.SALLY KINGreveals their excitement . . . Scouts, Guides, Venture Scouts, Rangers, young leaders and leaders from Southend are stepping into the spotlight
Two men wrestled with a moving chainsaw in a row over smoke from a bonfire. Owen Martin was left with cuts to his thighs after Robert Sansom, 51, of Coggeshall, grabbed for the "lethal weapon", Chelmsford Crown Court heard. Matthew Owens, prosecuting,
A motorist with five drink-drive convictions has been jailed for mowing down a father while three times over the limit. John Lee, who also had six offences of driving while disqualified, was serving a ten-year driving ban when he killed Tony Stevens.
A school has been saved from the threat of closure after it was taken off a hit-list by education watchdogs. Elm Hall Primary School in Witham was told to do better or face closure after a scathing 1997 Ofsted report criticised it for failing pupils.
James Pullen, Heybridge Swifts' talented 16-year-old goalkeeper, will be joining Division One high flyers Ipswich Town in the next few weeks. Following outstanding displays this season for the Swifts' first team against high class opposition including
An ice hockey team has gone from skates to Skodas in its bid for glory. Kind-hearted staff at Thrifty Car Rental in East Mayne, Basildon, helped turn out a n-ice deal for Chelmsford Chieftains ice hockey team. The young blades were given three cars to
Council must back United Blues' chief executive Peter Storrie is to be commended in his efforts to get some of the missing thousands back to Roots Hall, but I fear he faces a huge job. Initiatives like the new family enclosure where a dad and son can
Southend racing driver Bill Stilwell is looking forward to next weekend's final round of the MGFCup at Silverstone knowing that he has built a solid foundation for next year's championship. The 36-year-old came into the championship as a rear-wheel drive
Colchester United's Wembley FA Trophy-winning hero Steve McGavin was due to be back in U's colours yesterday. And there was a return to action for record signing Neil Gregory - transfer-listed by Whitton several weeks ago - who is back in the Layer Road
Building on a new "millennium pavilion" for Rochford Bowls Club begins this week - with memories of an outstanding season still fresh. Rochford's clubhouse is being demolished and the new National Lottery-funded pavilion should be ready for the 2000 term
Who is the real Sammy the Shrimp? TV star Darren Posnack, 26, of Gordon Road, Southend, who featured in an ITV programme on football mascots last night, claims he is the real Sammy the Shrimp. But schoolboy Ben Duncan, of Lavender Grove, Westcliff, says
Young duo Chanelle Moore and Matt Richardson helped South Woodham Ferrers & Wickford Rollerspeed Skating Club round the season off in style by hitting top form in an outdoor meeting hosted by Southend-based Team Belotti. Moore came first in both category
Colchester Harrier Paul McHugh was first across the line in the open five-kilometre race around Maldon's Promenade Park. The event, organised to raise funds for the town's SWANS charity, also included a race over one kilometre for under 15s and a wheelchair
A Stansted Airport worker has died after falling from the balcony of a holiday apartment. The man is believed to have been on a business trip for Stansted Airport's maintenance company FLS when he had the fatal fall in Majorca on Friday. An investigation
A woman out browsing at Battlesbridge antiques centre spotted her own stolen gems up for sale, a jury heard. The wife's surprise discovery later helped police investigating jewel thefts from 70 homes in Wickford, Rayleigh and Hockley, dating back to 1992
Two men died in a seven vehicle pile-up after an exhausted lorry driver fell asleep at the wheel, an Old Bailey court heard. The lorry driver and three of his bosses now stand accused of causing the smash on the M25 in South Ockendon. The Old Bailey heard
A Leigh pub has celebrated its centenary by returning to its former glory as a hotel. The Grand Hotel in Leigh is once again operating as a hotel - 50 years after it last put up paying guests. Leigh firefighters were on hand with bolt-croppers to cut
Plans for a new post office on Canvey got the final stamp of approval - after more than 1,300 shoppers signed a petition in its favour. Hundreds of islanders lent their support to proposals for the post office to open inside Nearbuys Convenience Store
Steve Whitton will make a decision on trialist Steve McGavin after a board meeting tomorrow. The Colchester United boss was impressed with the former U's favourite's form when he played for the reserves against Ipswich at Layer Road yesterday. He scored
Colchester and East Essex have withdrawn from the Jaygate Home Two Counties Cricket Championship. The decision was forced on the Castle Park-based club because they want to remain members of the Shepherd Neame Essex League. Guidelines from the English
A dramatic day on the non-league scene has left Jewson League clubs Harwich and Brightlingsea managerless. This morning Phil Boyland was sacked as boss of premier division strugglers Harwich, while Gary Harvey quit as manager of Brightlingsea. The news
Heybridge Swifts have swooped to sign highly-rated central defender Gary Waters from Canvey Island. But Swifts manager Robbie Nihill has released assistant manager Tony English and midfielder Mitchell Springett, who has joined Clacton Town. Waters signed
The mother of Southall rail crash victim Peter Kavanagh yesterday felt she had been "punched in the stomach" at the tragic news of the Paddington rail crash. Maureen Kavanagh, of Somerset Road, Laindon, has just marked the second anniversary of her son's
Basildon College leaders today defended their record after official figures ranked it as one of the worst of its kind in England. Just over a third of students successfully completed their course in 1997-98 - the joint second worst figure in the country
A Horndon-on-the-Hill man is spearheading a move to forge links with one of the poorest countries in the world. Andrew Sentance is organising a meeting to encourage his church to improve relations with the famine-hit regions of Zambia. St Cedd's Church
Eco-warriors have claimed victory after charges against them were dropped - but say they are disappointed not to have had their day in court. The six men and one woman were accused of criminal damage and burgling two houses in Rettendon. The two properties
Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford was put on red alert to help with casualties from yesterday's horrific Paddington rail crash. Areas to accomodate distraught relatives were set up while staff were put on stand-by after the crash involving hundreds of
The glitz and glamour of Hollywood movie premieres was nowhere to be seen at Basildon's UCI cinema - as invited celebrities shunned a worthy cause. Stars of the big screen, football players, pop groups and soap characters were all asked along to help
Ford bosses and unions were today due to talk after more than a thousand workers at the Dagenham plant staged an unofficial strike. It followed claims of racism and bullying at the plant. Production of the top-selling Fiesta was hit as 1,200 workers deserted
Jubilant families have welcomed back Colchester soldiers after a three-month tour in war-torn Kosovo. One hundred soldiers from First Battalion the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment have returned to barracks. They were sent to the
Chris Wilson, a year ten pupil at The Deanes School, Thundersley, has been chosen to join Wimbledon Football Club's soccer academy. He will be training at the Premiership club two evenings a week and at weekends will take part in tournaments against other
Parents today praised their disabled son after he helped save his three-year-old sister when fire ripped through their home. Richard Haywood, of Goose Green, Tendring, said he and his wife, Michelle, could have lost both children had it not been for 13
Ipswich boss George Burley was left deflated after watching his side concede two "horrendous" goals at Grimsby. Kevin Donovan evaded his marker to head Grimsby into the lead before Lee Ashcroft capitalised on a hapless backpass from John McGreal to stab
Commuters are claiming victory against bus chiefs who had decided to cut the number of coaches going to London. Members of the Southend bus users group have met with Arriva bosses and persuaded them to add six extra buses to popular routes at peak travel
A player called Ollie got Great Wakering Rovers out of a fine mess at Barkingside last night as the village side took their run of games without defeat into double figures. Rovers looked set to crash out of the Essex Senior Cup at hosts who have dropped
Wedding bells will soon be ringing for a couple thanks to This Is Essex partner paper the Echo. Cheryl James, 45, will marry Gary Raynham, 43, on October 21 - after meeting through Matchmakers in January last year. The couple, who now live together at
Basildon's swimming starlets dominated the Runnymede Open by winning 69 trophies. Coach Steve Ham, who is just starting the third year of his five-year development plan for the club, enthused: "It was a wonderful day for us. The squad is improving much
Hadleigh reservoir continues to throw up big surprises by producing a fantastic 30lb 8oz grass carp - only 2lb less than the British record! Local angler Malcolm Read has been targeting this big fish since the start of the current season in June. During
Castle Point Council is working hard to stop dumping its rubbish in landfill sites. It has set aside £2,609 to go towards employing environmental consultants Ecologika to produce a report on how it can move towards recycling. Experts at Ecologika are
Cash is being injected into new schemes to develop markets for recycled materials. Castle Point Council has agreed to give £4,798 to the Essex Market Development Project. The project is a joint initiative between Essex County Council, district and borough
The Palace Theatre is getting ready to reopen. SALLY KING talks to the new manager Nic Shaw about his latest exciting challenge Nic Shaw ("I am a Nicolas, a Greek Nicolas - without an h") is the new manager of the Palace Theatre, Westcliff. "Unreasonably
There are three chances to enjoy some music and help worthy causes in Southend in the near future. The first involves a singer who knows he is going blind. John Joseph has a young family and sings at the string of Jumping Jaks clubs. He is appearing at
Wickford-based Carousel Gym Club started the new season with Essex success when the County in and out of age levels championships were held at Basildon's South Essex Club. The competition was also a qualifier for the regional finals of the out of age
Rugby-mad Gladys Laughton enjoyed a special 100th birthday treat - beefcake with a side portion of cauliflower ears. For helping her notch up her century were players from Basildon Rugby Club, who arrived to help her celebrate.Not only did she get a birthday
If your surname is Crackling, Gozzett, Gazzard or Godsave then your roots are deeply embedded in Essex soil. Historical Essex surnames are the focus of new research at Essex University, based on information taken from the 1881 census for England, Wales
A pilot and his passenger had a lucky escape when their light aircraft crashed and smashed into a tree as it was coming in to land at Clacton. A police spokesman has identified the two accident victims as Nick Bennett, 47, of Wimbledon, London, and John
A Basildon school has been earmarked to pilot a pioneering health initiative from Ohio in America. Heart rate monitors would be used by secondary school pupils to learn about their own bodies and stop them smoking, drinking or taking drugs in the future
An investigation into the Hamelin House respite home in Billericay has shown no evidence of abuse. Meetings with parents are thought to have indicated that administrative errors may have given the impression of abuse or neglect. Parents have been nervously
Relatives of commuters who failed to return home last night faced an agonising wait today as firefighters began the grim task of searching for more victims of the Paddington rail tragedy. The official death toll - updated this morning to 27 - could more
Rochford went into their league campaign at home to Havering Seconds and after early chances at both ends, it was Havering who opened the scoring. The lead was short-lived, however, as Rose Grover soon equalised.As the game progressed, Havering found
Colchester United chairman Peter Heard has warned the board of directors cannot go on running the club at an annual loss of £450,000. The millionaire U's chief has urged U's fans to rally behind the club and help the Layer Road bigwigs achieve their vision
People power is set to revive a housing estate's community spirit after residents packed a meeting to start their own association. More than 60 people packed out a school hall last night to discuss ways to transform Witham's Humber Road estate by setting
FA CUP (sponsored by Axa) Third qualifying round: Wembley Town 0, Canvey Island 3. SCHWEPPES ESSEX SENIOR LEAGUE Concord Rangers 1, Burnham Ramblers 1; Ilford 6, Woodford 1; Leyton 1, Basildon United 2; Saffron Walden 3, Eton Manor 1; Sawbridgeworth 3
A Colchester toy store had a special visitor when Barbie dropped in for the day. The blonde bombshell signed autographs and gave away yo-yos at Toymaster Kingdom in Culver Street West. Youngsters who went to the store on Saturday could also enter a wordsearch
A policewoman is furious after an estate agents told her she had to get a mortgage through them before an offer on a house would be accepted. Nicola Kerr is about to join Southend police and move out of her mum and dad's Chelmsford home into a new house
A 71-year-old man was punched in the face in an alleged road-rage attack in Colchester. Tempers flared when a younger man was pushing a broken down white Renault car. Police said a near-miss occurred with another car, driven by the pensioner, and an argument
Plans to build large numbers of new houses in Colchester have been revealed - and it could be the biggest development since High Woods. The scheme centres on the Severalls Hospital site and land next to it in north Colchester. Developer Beazer Homes Colchester
Businesses on an industrial estate who have suffered £183,000 of thefts and vandalism this year alone are getting tough on crime. The Burnt Mills Industrial Watch scheme will be launched tomorrow by Supt Denis Sheppard of Basildon Police. As part of the
Caring youngsters from a Thundersley school showed they were all heart when they met with a group of pensioners to celebrate the International Year of the Elderly. Year 11 pupils from the Deanes School, penned a link with the residents of Godden Lodge
