Angry traders have been drawing up petitions in a bid to overturn a decision to introduce parking charges in Richmond Hall car park in Benfleet. Castle Point Council officers want to charge shoppers 20p an hour to park their cars in the area just next
Great Wakering Rovers will go into Saturday's home game with Corinthian Casuals knowing that victory will gain them first time promotion from the Ryman League Third Division. Injury-hit Rovers, who seemed odds-on favourites for the title a few weeks ago
A big question mark hangs over Southchurch Park's future as a venue to stage first-class cricket. The threat to the traditional week of county cricket in Southend was revealed by Essex chairman David Acfield as his team prepare to embark upon a new season
Stanway's promotion hopes from Jewson League division one took a major dent as they went down 2-1 at Ely. It was an unfortunate result for Phil Bloss's team who conceded two late goals after being in the ascendency for 80 minutes of the match. Andy Sapey
Efe Sodje has returned on time to Colchester United after making his international debut for Nigeria. The U's defender, who played a full game in Sunday's 0-0 draw against soccer minnows Eritrea, touched down yesterday. It came as a big relief to U's
Around 65,000 hi-tech hot water bottles, similar to the one which killed a grandmother, are still being used by members of the public. The alarming numbers emerged at the inquest of Florence Sutton, who died last November after her micro-warmer exploded
A kind-hearted couple decided to celebrate 40 years of a first class marriage - by raising cash for the post office. When Peter and Hazel Ward, of Witham Road, White Notley, wanted to mark their ruby wedding anniversary they decided to give the village's
Essex schools have received a major cash jackpot with the Government pledging an extra £15 million for replacement classrooms and repairs. Only Kent is getting more money from the Government in the latest round of its New Deal for Schools. Education Secretary
A young man who was killed when hit by a train may have been copying a scene from the sci-fi film The Matrix, an inquest heard. Martin Nutt, 29, of York Road, Southend, died from multiple injuries after being hit by a train near to Southend Central station
A police investigation is under way after the death of a mental patient who was involved in a struggle with staff at a south Essex hospital. Three members of nursing staff have been suspended from Runwell Hospital, Wickford. Michael Goldwater, from Southend
A multi-million pound leisure complex is on the cards for Maldon. Plans have been submitted to create a £2.5 million tenpin bowling and snooker centre in the town. The scheme would also include a restaurant and three bars. More than 50 full and part-time
The mother of a primary school pupil attacked by a knife-wielding 12-year-old in Colchester has thanked the passers-by who came to his aid. Nine-year-old Luke Wakefield,was waiting for his mother, Jackie, with his brother and a friend in St John's Wynd
Thief Michael Healy was jailed for two years after his neighbour was brutally beaten and robbed. Healy, 36, maintained he did not lay a finger on helpless Brian Ripp, but he admitted stealing his furniture. The attacker was Stephen McCauliffe who went
Bikers saddled up and collected Easter eggs for needy children around south Essex. The members of the Estuary motorcycle club stopped of at various points on their Easter Egg run which went from Hullbridge to Canvey, then Great Wakering, and finished
A young boy has been assaulted and robbed - for the sake of one Pokemon card. Jonathan Weedon was left winded and upset after the attack outside shops close to his Wickford home. The assault has shocked his mother, Lisa, who now fears the craze is getting
Snooker's greatest natural talent Ronnie O'Sullivan could be in line for his first world title - and is likely to have fans flocking to the Evening Echo's big date next month. On Sunday O'Sullivan won the final ranking event before the Embassy World Championship
A disabled woman today criticised a Basildon taxi firm for allegedly leaving her stranded in the town centre late at night. Amanda Smithson, 43, slammed Ace Taxi Group who she claims discriminated against her crippling disability. She hit out at the company
A Laindon park is having a spring clean. Basildon District Council has sprung into action after a range of household items and garden waste were dumped in the car park of Victoria Park, Laindon. Items included a sofa, wardrobe, washing machine and tree
The big top comes to town! The Great British Circus has set up in Gloucester Park, Basildon, for a run which lasts until Sunday. Acts include stars from the Mongolian State Circus, international musical clowns, and British juggler Carl Ramwell, as well
Celebration time - from Catholic United 3rd after they had won the Southend Borough Combination's Chautard Cup last night with a 3-1 success over Leigh Ramblers 3rd in the final at Eastwoodbury Lane Picture: MIKE BELLENIE Converted for the new archive
Athletes from around the country converged on Canvey for a fun run in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital. More than 260 runners took part in the sixth annual five-mile road race along Canvey seafront, held in memory of Nicola Kemp, who was born 12 weeks
Gloucester Park regular Mark Acton enjoyed an action packed session when he included fifteen carp in a 70lb plus mixed bag. Mark fished the Gloucester Park cockle bank where he used feeder tactics and his own special homemade groundbait. The majority
There was mixed news for Southend Manor last night in their bid to win the Schweppes Essex Senior League. Leaders Saffron Walden suffered a shock 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Leyton, but Burnham drew level with the second-placed Southchurch Park club
A young couple today thanked the paramedic who saved their baby's life after she was born on their toilet floor. Lisa and Rawdon Etchells, of Branksome Road, Southend, have given their daughter the second name Shauna in honour of the lifesaving medic,
Campaigning parents are celebrating their first victory in the battle to get a new secondary school built in Langdon Hills. Education officials have finally agreed to present figures compiled by action group the Campaign for a Local Area Secondary School
A loyal worker has said a sad goodbye to the Colchester butchers' shop she has worked at for 61 years. Joyce Pyman , 75, of Mile End, Colchester, has retired from Allen and Son Butchers in St Botolph's Street, and her colleagues thanked her for all her
The future of the derelict St Mary's Hospital site will be decided as quickly as possible, site owners assured residents. In the wake of last month's devastating fire, concerned members of St Mary's Residents Association had a chance to voice their fears
Water bosses have admitted a river could silt up by ten centimetres a month when a controversial scheme gets under way. The Environment Agency has given Essex and Suffolk Water the go-ahead to discharge treated sewage effluent into the River Chelmer.
A raider wielding a kitchen chopper escaped with £30 of chicken meat from a Chinese takeaway in Chelmsford. The teenager got in through the back of the restaurant in Kings Road on Sunday night at around 6.45pm. Once inside the kitchen he grabbed a chopper
A have-a-go hero fought off a masked robber who threatened him with a handgun. Police praised the efforts of the cashier, who is in his 60s, at Braiswick Service Station, Bergholt Road, in north Colchester. The retired Royal Navy man was working alone
Detectives were today hunting two men who brutally attacked a pair of Kosovan refugees at their Southend home. The two victims, both in their 30s, were beaten with a tyre lever and a hammer and were left needing stitches in head wounds. Two men and a
Car giants Nissan have dealt a blow to a family-run firm after it decided to pull its dealership franchise after almost 30 years. Lynfield Motors, of London Road, Witham, was told its contract was to be terminated by the Japanese company as part of a
A mother has vowed to fight a decision to expel her 11-year-old son from school after he lashed out at a headteacher. The decision to exclude the boy came after he injured two teachers in a struggle at the Robert Drake Primary School in Church Road, Thundersley
Bus lanes can cause more traffic jams than they solve, a motoring organisation has claimed. The RAC said that lanes similar to those planned for Southend had to be strictly enforced - otherwise chaos would be caused by them, instead of them easing problems
The performance was not important - it's results that count at this stage of the season. That's the general view of the pundits at this point of another fraught campaign and it's a theory which the vast majority of the Ipswich Town faithful will subscribe
Big boys revved their throttles and got down to some serious racing at a meeting of Scalextric enthusiasts in Rayleigh. In a scene every little boy dreams of, drivers pushed their cars to the limits on the 120ft long, six lane scale track. More than 45
Essex County Council has hit back at a league table which claims it has the second worst delivery of services in the country. Based on Audit Commission findings, the table ranks the council 33rd out of 34. Spokeswoman Lin Alexander-Pye complained it was
A sponsored head shave will be among the events taking place to raise money for the paralysed victim of a tragic accident. Chances Snooker Club in Dovercourt is staging several fundraising events on Saturday to aid David Pells, the chef paralysed in a
Airport bosses plans to expand Stansted will be met with stiff opposition. Essex County Council has said the capacity of Stansted Airport should stop at 15 million passengers a year. The announcement came after plans to increase the airport to 25 million
A son has been given probation for stabbing his father as he lay sleeping after a plea from the victim for leniency. Dennis Edwards woke up at his home in Chestnut Way, Brightlingsea, to find superficial wounds to his neck and chest. And a court heard
A high-profile crackdown on street beggars is to become a regular feature in Colchester. The fortnight-long operation targeted aggressive beggars in particular, but also tried to reduce other problems caused by the homeless. Street people were talked
The Greene King brewery has announced it will close its Rayleigh storage depot because it needs a bigger and better distribution centre. Up to 21 workers will be affected by the closure of the depot in Stadium Way. The Suffolk-based brewery is opening
Watton United's sudden withdrawal from the Jewson League premier division may have thrown Harwich and Parkeston a relegation lifeline. The Shrimpers, and fellow strugglers Felixstowe Port and Town, are propping up the division, but the battle to avoid
Billericay racer Matt Davies was forced to retire from his Formula 3 foray at Croft after making good progress. Matt qualified 14th but made his way up to eighth at the two-mile circuit before an engine misfire halted his progress on the 17th lap. "I
Houses had to be evacuated and a road closed after a gas cylinder caught in a blaze was just minutes from exploding. Firefighters called to the fire in London Road, Wickford, said the propane cylinder would have exploded within 15 minutes of them arriving
"Essex boy" Danny Hunt is to appear in the world's first-ever televised boxing promotion on the worldwide web. The Frank Maloney-promoted event tomorrow is headlined by the IBO world title fight between South Africa's Zolille Mbityl and Argentinian challenger
Fire brigade staff have been left red-faced after they accidentally set fire to their own property. They left a bonfire unattended in a training area at the back of the service's workshops in London Road, Lexden. Just after midnight yesterday the bonfire
Billericay Town continue to hold an Indian sign over former manager John Kendall's current club Chesham. Having beaten the Bucking-hamshire outfit on their two previous meetings this season, Town earned a point from last night's Ryman League Premier Division
Villagers are celebrating after plans for a controversial housing development were withdrawn at the 11th hour. Residents in Silver End were jubilant that plans to build 40 homes on land at Magdalene Crescent were pulled by the applicants. A petition was
Shoebury Boys under-15s and under-16s are hunting for new players as they bid to bounce back from a difficult season. The club are rebuilding again after folding around Christmas time. Call Tony on 01702 298663. Converted for the new archive on 19 November
Young chess champion Alex O'Toole proved a real knockout in his latest competition - he missed out on a prestigious national championship with concussion! Eight-year-old Alex knocked himself out when he ran into a steel handguard just minutes before he
Echo journalist Theresa Gains has been nominated for a prestigious national award. Theresa, 30, has been shortlisted in the BT Daily News Journalist of the Year category for London and the Northern Home Counties. She was nominated for a series of in-depth
Canvey Island became the latest victims of the Abbott goal habit last night as they took their run of Ryman League Premier Division games without a win to five. Gary Abbott, undoubtedly the most lethal striker in the League, struck after 16 and 37 minutes
A lucky woman has been celebrating after scooping almost £11,000 from a £1 stake on the horses. The Thundersley woman won the huge sum after placing her meagre stake at H&K Commissions Bookmakers in the town's Hart Road. Bosses from the firm will
Detectives have launched an investigation after a man fell under the wheels of a bus. The victim was dragged under a green Mercedes minibus at the junction of St Michael's Lane and High Street in Braintree. He had been walking along the High Street with
