Hospitals in north east Essex are short of 13 consultants due to newly-created positions and a national shortage of specialists in certain medical fields. Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust has not been able to find two new accident and emergency consultants
Forty-two Colchester jobs are to be axed with the closure of the Co-op's milk processing business. The announcement was made today by the Colchester and East Essex Co-operative Society. Bosses said it was part of a cost-cutting restructuring of the company's
A doting dad who shook his ten-week-old baby to death is starting a five-year jail sentence. Terry Sobey, 33, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of son Samuel after a charge of murder was dropped. Sobey, who suffered from clinical depression, said he
Bless him, he's only four-years-old and can hardly be expected to know any better. When young Manchester City fan Michael Wrathall and his parents moved to Colchester they didn't realise they would have a bearing on the First Division promotion race.
Nigerian international defender Efe Sodje, booted out of Colchester United this week, is facing up to life in soccer's wilderness. Sodje, 27, quickly became a cult figure with the Layer Road crowd because of the colour-coded head scarves he wore to match
Mercedes dealership SMAC Continental, based in Eastwood, sold more new cars in March than any other outlet in London and the South East. A boom in the popularity of Mercedes vehicles brought the dealership its best-ever March sales figures. The dealership
Poppy the pig is looking for a new home after her pongy pen proved too much for neighbours at her home in Shoebury. But the eight-month-old Chinese Yakaton cross pot-bellied pig is in limbo after zoos and petting farms in the area refused to take her.
East Thurrock United's goalless draw at Egham last night just about keeps the Ryman League Division Three title door ajar for Great Wakering Rovers. Rocks took over top spot from Wakering, who have won promotion at the first attempt, on goal difference
City traders are using new technology to establish a piece of London's Square Mile financial centre in the heart of Southend. Mariner Screen Traders, based in the High Street, was created by city employees who recently traded life in the big smoke for
Police are appealing for help after they recovered a £10,000 haul of items recovered after a spate of burglaries in the Woodside Estate area north of London Road, Benfleet. They are now trying to reunite the stolen goods with their rightful owners. Det
A leading councillor has called for an independent inquiry after it was revealed that low-level radioactive waste had been dumped at Shoebury. Jean Sibley, the Southend councillor with responsibility for Environmental Services said that the council had
A musician, paralysed in a freak electrical accident, and his family are gaining invaluable new information about his condition while in the USA. Justin Lunnissis currently at a conference in Tennessee organised by an organisation called Lightning Strike
Parents' mammoth struggle to talk to their teenagers leaves many thinking their children are "violent, abusive and blackmailing", according to a new campaign launched in south Essex. Saying the Unsayable is based on a new study of calls taken from more
The high seas await a first-time sailor embarking on the challenge of a lifetime. Jane Tolaini, 31, of Hill House Close, Billericay, has been living with progressive multiple sclerosis for five years, but that is not going to stop her taking to the water
A top Government minister has intervened in the Kevin Chambers rape case and vowed that lessons will be learned. Paul Boateng, the Minister for the Prison and Probation Service, said he would be examining the results of a review by the Essex Probation
Campaigners have backed demands for a full independent inquiry after defence chiefs admitted disposing of low-level radioactive waste at New Ranges in Shoebury. Mike Assenheim, Shoebury Residents' Association chairman, called for the top-level investigation
A controversial car salvage yard has won the backing of council chiefs but it must now wait for a final Government decision, it has emerged. HBC, which stores and auctions damaged cars, caused uproar when it announced plans to move its operation from
A Second World War army camp could be under threat if a Canvey holiday park is developed, it has been claimed. Army expert Gary Foulger hoped the original buildings on the site of the Thorney Bay Beach Camp would be preserved as a war museum. However,
A mother has condemned the people who shot her family's cat. The attackers left the puss with two pellets close to its spine after shooting it with what was thought to be an air rifle. Lyn Hewes, of Salary Close, Colchester, noticed her six-year-old tabby
Southend United manager Alan Little promised his old team Torquay United no favours as their last gasp Third Division promotion quest hit Roots Hall last night. The Gulls needed to take at least a point from this evening's match, kick-off 7.45pm, and
Organisers have hit back following public criticism of plans to stage a Millennium festival in Wickford. The festival - to be held in the High Street and Nevendon Road Park on May 29 - was lambasted by some residents in letters and comments to the Echo
Up to 48 trees could face the axe at Never Never Land if councillors give approval at a meeting tonight. An application has been submitted to Southend Council to chop down 48 trees and carry out work on 15 others in the conservation area by Southend seafront
Chelmsford City have sold 19-year-old unsettled striker Tesfaye Bramble to Dr Martens Premier Division Cambridge City for a "small fee" but with a value added on clause should he move on to a bigger club giving City more money. Bramble, who last season
Confrontations between planners and eco-warriors could become a thing of the past if top level talks take off, it has emerged. Officials from Rochford District Council are meeting members of leading wildlife trust English Nature today in a bid to stave
Another £800,000 is being ploughed into Runwell Hospital despite the fact it is only three years away from closure. This latest cash boost comes only months after £1.7million worth of work was carried out by the NHS Trust which used to run the hospital
A call for CCTV in the Boarded Barns and Melbourne areas of Chelmsford was made by Labour councillor Bill Horslen at last week's borough council meeting. Cllr Horslen said that he wanted to raise the issues of crime and problems associated with crime
Intrepid Wickford mum Jackie Snape is planning a daring trek across Peru to raise cash for disabled people. Jackie, 39, of Kingsley Close, has appealed for help from individuals and businesses in the area as she tries to raise the £2,500 necessary by
Brentwood completed their season with a 1-0 win that guaranteed them fifth place in the Essex Senior League. They only managed 21 points last season in finishing tenth and this result gave them a final total of 53 league points for the season, a great
Long-awaited repairs to a dangerous school roof are now going ahead with a £2.4 million grant. The cash - the biggest pay-out to a school in Essex under the Government's New Deal for Schools - is being used to pay for work at Rickstones School, Witham
A mutli-million pound shopping complex in Braintree is to be sold. The George Yard centre is being offloaded by owners P&O Properties but assurances have been given that the future of the shops is secure and the position of the centre manager is safe
Police have appealed for witnesses after a schoolgirl was followed by a man and then assaulted. The man approached the 16-year-old girl on the corner of Jackson Road and Pier Avenue, Clacton. He started to walk with her and spoke to her and, despite protests
Wickford's millennium celebrations at the end of May have been given a boost by Basildon District Council's promise that it will do all it can to help clean up the town for the big day. Some residents and traders had raised worries over the state of the
A childminder has accused Braintree Council of incompetence saying she is still waiting for repairs to her home more than three months after reporting them. She claims she has phoned the council at least eight times and on two occasions, workmen have
Essex has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the eastern region. A new report claims that one in five tourists who take trips to the region settle on Essex as the preferred destination. Essex's popularity with both oversees and British
Two teenage sweethearts who went missing from their Chelmsford homes have been found safe and well. Stephen Moore, of Roland Close, and Samantha Davidson, of Thames Avenue, both aged 14, disappeared at lunchtime on Monday. Police refused to say exactly
Custom-car cruisers have claimed they should be given their own venue to hold mass rallies. More than 1,000 cars were cleared from Basildon's Mayflower retail park by police after an impromptu rally spiralled out of control. Word of the rally spread within
A controversial GM crops trial at St Osyth is off - but there may be a further attempt later in the year. SCIMAC - the cross-industry body responsible for providing sufficient sites to meet the scientific criteria for the Government's research programme
A pensioner has hit out at the way countryside near her home has been turned into a dumping ground for "every sort of rubbish imaginable". Valentine Richardson, who has lived in the same house in Witham for more than 60 years, has reported four burnt-out
Thousands of pounds worth of road safety improvements in the Braintree district look set to get the go-ahead. A mixture of speed reduction schemes, new footways and cycling projects have been earmarked for the next year and councillors are being urged
Work is continuing to solve flooding problems in gardens from Porters Brook in Colchester. The borough council is to create a manhole cover so it can put cameras down along the piped section of the watercourse just off St Andrew's Avenue. Originally the
MP Bernard Jenkin is to take up the plight of disabled people forced to wait months for new wheelchairs. The move comes after it was revealed two people from Tiptree with cerebral palsy have been waiting a year to see a hospital specialist for new electric
The Recoil Trampoline Club, who train at the Brentwood Centre, Markhams Chase Sports Centre in Laindon and the Shenfield Sports Centre returned some fine results at a competition in Harlow. Members as young as five were entered in the competition. The
The latest in a long line of lacklustre Southend United displays helped Torquay keep their last gasp Third Division promotion dream alive at Roots Hall last night. A second-half brace from Gulls captain Brian Healy kept the Devon outfit on the edge of
In Division Two of the Brentwood and District Table Tennis League, barring a catastrophe, Stock TTC will be champions. With two matches in hand they are two points behind South Weald A.Warley Stars C and Selo are relegated. In recent matches South Weald
A mother and toddler were almost killed as a speeding motorist ignored a red traffic light in Pitsea. Police are now desperate to get in touch with the woman who had to tug her young child out of the path of the van. The near tragedy happened as the pair
Colchester MP Bob Russell has condemned the actions of rioters who defaced the Cenotaph and a statue of Winston Churchill. Mr Russell is one of three parliamentary advisers to the Royal British Legion. And he said the vandalism, caused by anti-capitalist
Champion fundraiser Joyce Long is always in tune with what customers at her charity shops will snap up. These two mandolins, which belonged to the father of an elderly supporter, are sure to be plucked from all the other bargains when Joyce opens for
Visitors to Barleylands farm enjoyed all the fun of the fair during the farm's bank holiday open day. The sunny weather for the May day event helped pulled in the crowds to the farm in Barleylands Road, Billericay. The day included a bit of an old fashion
Quick-thinking firemen showed their initiative when they helped revive a dog with breathing difficulties. The worried owner - a tourist to Southend from Hertfordshire - took his elderly dog to the Sutton Road fire station on Monday when the breathing
Southend United boss Alan Little lashed out angrily at the Roots Hall boo-boys following last night's latest Third Division setback at the hands of promotion play-off chasing Torquay United. The Shrimpers chief blasted his terrace critics who again called
Employment minister Tessa Jowell was drafted in by the Government to press the flesh in Laindon as election fever hots up. Just hours before Theresa May hit the campaign trail, the Labour MP was out meeting residents in the key marginal ward. The Tories
The trial of 25 men accused of conspiring to murder a Chinese chef in Colchester has finally found a home. The two prefered locations of Chelmsford Crown Court and the Old Bailey in London have been ruled out because they are both too small. There were
High Street traders in Wickford are to be given special training to combat shoplifters operating in the town. Wickford town centre is regularly targeted by criminals, but police hope they can make it as unattractive as possible to shoplifters by helping
Stanway kept alive their dream of promotion from Jewson League division one with a 2-1 win at a much improved Norwich United. It was a good comeback from Rovers, who are now relying on Ely and Downham to slip up in their last games of the season to achieve
Every household in the Braintree district is being given the opportunity to learn more about Jesus, through a free video called the Man Behind the Millennium. This is part of a nationwide operation currently involving more than 1,000 churches throughout
A church has been forced to close to the public for the first time because yobs have targeted the historic building. For years, All Saints' Church in Maldon High Street has left its doors unlocked so visitors could come and go as they liked. But after
A strike at an award-winning Basildon firm was averted after workers and bosses agreed a new pay deal. More than 250 shopfloor workers at York International had threatened to down tools for four days from Friday as part of a wage dispute. Union bosses
Up to 20 interpreters are working with police investigating the murder of a Kosovan Albanian in Southend, it has been revealed. An update on the progress of the painstaking inquiries is expected soon. Language difficulties have hampered the identification
Hopes are fading for a sailor who disappeared after setting out to spend the night on his boat. Michael Lister, 60, was reported missing after failing to show up at his mooring off Paglesham Boat Yard in Waterside Lane, Paglesham. He was last seen at
Thieves made off with a broken Venetian lady statue - leaving her perfectly intact sister behind. A pair of matching female statues and two cherub statues were cemented into the ground outside the Baby Shop, in Elmstead Market, as part of a revamp at
A grief-stricken widow has been awarded £115,000 agreed damages after the death of her husband. But she said no amount of money could compensate for her family's loss. Mother-of-four May Seymour, 44, of Coppins Road, Clacton, said: "No amount of money
Sam Pedder from Cranston Park won two singles titles when the 'Wilson' Whitehall Junior Open tournament was played in Chingford. Sam captured the boys 18 singles title last week with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Peter French from Billericay. He added the 16 singles
Police are hunting three men who stole hundreds of pounds from the till of a DIY superstore in Benfleet. The trio, who are all in their late teens and early 20s, walked into the Do It All shop in Church Road, at around 5pm on Monday. Two of the men distracted
This is the sad picture of youngsters asking why vandals have driven their school to the brink of closure. As a last-ditch effort, Nicky Brewerton, chairman of Stepping Stones Pre-School, Wickford, is thinking of enlisting a private security firm to stop
Fed-up residents living on part of a housing estate plagued with building problems are due to meet their landlords tonight to discuss a long-term maintenance plan. The 84 properties are on part of Billericay's Queens Park estate and were built about ten
Thinking of sending an Essex Girl joke by e-mail? Think again. The joke may be on you. An increasing number of companies are clamping down on the age old jokes in a bid to stop workers e-mailing offensive material. Computer consultants have listed the
Heybridge deservedly secured their Ryman League premier division status with a magnificent 3-0 triumph over Essex rivals Canvey. Things started well when Sean Caton was brought down in the box and Colin Wall converted the spot kick. Swifts dominated and
Heavy rain forced the Premier Trophy match between Arena Essex and Newport to be abandoned after only two heats. The score stood at six points each when the drizzle at the Purfleet Raceway turned heavier and conditions worsened during heat three. Referee
David Greene has hinted he could still be a Colchester United player next season. Greene, handed a free transfer by the U's earlier this year after failing to agree a new contract, is planning fresh talks with manager Steve Whitton this week. Whitton
Ronnie Irani wants a fighting performance from his Essex troops as he leads them into action against Nottinghamshire today. "There is plenty of quality in the ranks but I want the players to display the hunger and desire to go with it," he said. "That
Youngsters got the chance to see how their parents earn their salary when HSBC opened its doors to employees' children. As part of the Let's Open Doors Initiative, the bank in Victoria Plaza, Southend, invited 26 children to see their parents hard at
Proud residents have called for the style of their historic "garden city" housing estate to be preserved. Janet Lamb, from Canvey Road on the Chapmanslord Estate in Leigh, says the area was one of the first 1920s estates to be built. The innovative garden
An angry Colchester resident has called for action over parking problems in the road where he lives. Paul Newbery has been living in Plume Avenue, Prettygate, for about two years and said he has had constant problems with parking. His latest concern comes
Last Wednesday saw Harold Hill clinch the League Championship with a 2 - 0 victory over King Harold, both of the goals scored by leading goal scorer Lee Smith and the cup victory sealed the league and cup double. The match started on a soggy pitch on
WALTON & HERSHAM 0 BILLERICAY TOWN 1 (Ryman League Premier Division) Town turned executioners on Bank Holiday Monday as their win consigned hosts Walton to relegation. They left the blow until late though, with only time added on remaining when the
Parts of Basildon are at risk of becoming ghettos because of youth crime and neighbours from hell. That was the stark warning from would-be Basildon MP Dominic Schofield today. Some estates are being overrun by gangs of youths hellbent on making misery
Marine experts have launched a study to assess the long-term future of a wartime US Navy ship packed full of explosives off the Southend coast. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has carried out its annual sonar survey of the SS Richard Montgomery and
The Prince of Wales has been in Colchester - to have his tie reknotted. A portrait of Prince Charles, by West Bergholt artist Richard Stone, hit the headlines after its regimental neckwear was revealed as incorrectly tied. The painting shows the former
Southend's newest casino would be more of a downmarket club than a plush venue if it were to open, it has been claimed. London Clubs International (LCI) wants to turn the second floor of the Kursaal into an upmarket gaming club with the same style, ambience
History was brought to life as knights battled for honour and chivalry. Thousands of visitors went to Hedingham Castle over the Bank Holiday weekend to be transported back in time. The castle provided a spectacular backdrop to heroic knights dressed in
