Jubilant Conservatives are celebrating a stunning election victory having snatched control of Southend Council after six years in opposition. Labour lost control of Basildon, leaving it a hung council. Conservatives made gains in Rochford but there is
Rebel butcher and UK Independence Party candidate Dave Stephens was lampooned for his anti-metric stance. Mr Stephens, co-owner of Mandy's Chop Shop, Leigh Road, Leigh, has said he would rather go to jail than sell meat by the kilogram. However, as he
Tories were today toasting a Rochford victory which has seen them rocket from two council seats to 19 in the space of three elections. In stark contrast, the Labour Party was left clinging on to only one of the nine seats it contested, held by leader
It's party time at Tiptree on Saturday as they celebrate clinching the Jewson League division one title - and they could do local rivals Stanway a big favour too. Tiptree take on second-placed Downham, with the visitors knowing a win would make it impossible
Ronnie Irani and Tim Mason shared the bowling honours as Essex ended the second day of their championship battle against Notts locked in a fight for a first innings lead. The visitors were due to resume this morning on 240-6 in reply to an Essex total
Graham Napier is poised to make his first appearance of the season when Essex meet Nottinghamshire in a National League duel at Chelmsford on Sunday. The 20-year-old all-rounder may get the nod to take over from Paul Prichard, who was injured in the current
Colchester United manager Steve Whitton had a simple message as he prepared his U's squad for Saturday's final game of the season against Brentford at Griffin Park: "I want winners". He added: "Nothing less than a win will do for me because we still need
George Burley has settled for a game of cat and mouse to win promotion to the Premiership. The Ipswich Town chief is ready to pounce if Manchester City slip up at Blackburn and the Blues beat Walsall on Sunday. With so much riding on events at Ewood Park
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
Ambulance crews across Essex could take industrial action if plans are implemented to close 12 of the county's 31 ambulance stations. At a meeting in Chelmsford on Tuesday UNISON representatives from all of the Essex ambulance stations agreed to launch
Controversial plans for new bus lanes in Southend will be ditched by the new Tory administration, it has been confirmed. The Echo has highlighted the grave concerns of shopkeepers along Southchurch and London Roads, in its "No to Bus Lanes" campaign.
Long-eared eagle owl, Wonga, who has been frightening pets in Stebbing, has finally landed -- because he has found love. He has been roaming the village for the past eight weeks, until villager, Robert Spalding, discovered that Wonga was attracted to
The great Southend casino debate took a celebrity turn yesterday when TV football pundit Jimmy Hill was called into the witness box. Mr Hill, who hosted BBC1's Match of the Day for two decades before moving to BSkyB two years ago, was giving evidence
Southend United's forgotten winger Adrian Clarke could revive his flagging career with Football League new boys Kidderminster Harriers next season. The former Arsenal flankman impressed the Conference champions' coaching staff during a recent trial match
Boozy brawlers and intoxicated yobs will find themselves out in the cold with the launch of a joint initiative involving Rochford landlords and police. The Rochford District Pubwatch aims to keep the bars in the town safe and secure for social drinkers
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
A headteacher has called for double yellow lines to protect children outside her school if parking charges are brought in at a nearby car park. Linda Obersteller, headteacher at Thundersley Infants in Dark Lane, said children risk serious injury if parents
A pensioner's bungalow complex hit by burglaries before Christmas is now the constant target of vandals, claims the warden. Several shed burglaries at Darlington Gardens, Harold Hill prompted residents to petition Havering Council for security improvements
Shocked cabbie Dave Theobald was handed a gold ring to foot a £25 fare - and found it was worth £1,500. The unsuspecting father-of-six accepted the ring after a passenger told him he was penniless and could not pay the fare. But when the lucky taxi driver
A doorstep caller, this time posing as a water worker, has again tricked an elderly woman in mid-Essex. This time, the victim was a 90-year-old and the bogus official escaped with £145. Pensioners are now regularly becoming victims of con men. In the
This is the police e-fit picture of a woman who last week pretended to be an Essex social worker when she attempted to see a sick baby at a house in Churchill Rise, North Springfield, Chelmsford. The child's mother refused her entry and, when asked for
Southend Council was not made aware of the disposal of radioactive explosives at the New Ranges testing base in Shoebury, it has been stressed. A spokesman for the Defence, Evaluation and Research Agency said it was not part of the official process to
All eyes were on the Langdon Hills ward as the first indicator of which way the election would swing. The former Labour-held seat had been the centre of political focus after parents launched a campaign to get a new secondary school built in the area.
Jubilant Conservatives are celebrating a stunning election victory having snatched control of Southend Council after six years in opposition. Labour lost control of Basildon, leaving it a hung council. Conservatives made gains in Rochford but there is
Sixteen new jobs were today on the cards for Canvey as a major store announced plans to open on the island. Peacocks, which sells clothing and household goods, is to open a store in the Knightswick Centre in September. Around 16 full and part-time staff
A former Felsted School pupil has definitely gone up in the world, with one of his company's airships on display in the Millennium Dome since it opened. William Ives, 22, left the school in 1996 to start his own business Skyships Productions Lid, as a
A restaurant blaze ripped through roof spaces in Chelmsford's Baddow Road Conservation Area early on Monday. It happened in the same part of the town centre as the blaze which wrecked a wine bar last month. Firefighters arrived to find staff from the
Computer business buffs have little affection for an e-mail virus proclaiming "I love you". The mystery virus has disabled network systems throughout Britain in the past 24 hours (Thursday-Friday) -- including Essex. The virus caused widespread disruption
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
Rayleigh driver Paul Hughes turned in a magnificent performance to regain lost ground in the latest round of the MGF Cup series at Oulton Park. Paul suffered an early setback when he was forced to start from the back of the grid following a mechanical
Braintree's business leaders this week called for a stronger police presence in the town centre. Members of Braintree Town Centre Strategy Group, on Wednesday, expressed their concerns about an apparent decline in patrolling police officers in recent
Great Wakering look like having to content themselves with filling runners-up spot behind East Thurrock United as they celebrate promotion at the first attempt from the Ryman League Third Division. Rocks won 1-0 at Clapton on Thursday night and will definitely
Braintree Town recorded their first win under new manager Ben Embery with Saturday's Ryman League Division One 1-0 win over Uxbridge at Cressing Road. The first half saw both sides having chances to take the lead, Bradley Quinton's excellent long range
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
The reward to find the culprits of an arson attack which killed a pet pony has been doubled to £1,000. An anonymous donor has put up another £500 to find those responsible for the death of pony Flair. The sum matches the amount offered by the Daniells
Great Baddow and Grove were both runners-up when the finals of the Essex Junior League were held at Southend on Saturday. Great Baddow boys team reached the final stages after winning through from their round robin group. In Saturday's semi-final they
Blues players will walk around the perimeter of the pitch and mingle with supporters on all sides of Roots Hall immediately after the final whistle tomorrow. All Southend fans have been asked to keep off the pitch and stay in their seats as it is against
Burglars silenced an alarm in a water-filled bin and smashed their way through a steel plated door- all for nothing. Joseph Cassidy, owner of the Newstrend store in Ardleigh, believes he may have disturbed the burglars when he went to open the shop at
Southend's new council leader has unveiled a package of measures to take the town well into the 21st century. Councillor Charles Latham, who is due to be elected council leader next week, vowed to tackle a range of issues when his administration is appointed
Armed police swooped in Great Leighs after a man was seen brandishing a gun in the street. A police helicopter was also used to scour the Main Road area at about 7pm on Thursday . The search covered an area which includes the Essex Showground and record-breaking
Conservatives have been celebrating huge gains across Essex in the wake of Thursday's local elections. In Southend Tories were celebrating a stunning election victory, having snatched control of Southend Council after six years in opposition. Labour also
A dedicated campaigner for pensioners' rights will be taking his fight into people's living rooms when he appears on prime time television. Alan Mumford, 78, of Beverley Avenue, Canvey, who has been fighting to improve the lot of pensioners for over nine
Witham police have come up with a bold new project to win over the town's youngsters. They hope the plan will help keep children on the straight and narrow and make the town more youth friendly. The man behind the scheme is the town's police chief, Insp
A leading Labour candidate slammed her Tory rivals for playing the race card in the local election campaign. Ruth Jarvis launched a blistering attack on the Conservatives after they claimed the town was being used as a dumping ground for asylum seekers
Gutted Labour and Liberal Democrats were left nursing their wounds today and vowed to regain power in 12 months time. All three of Labour's candidates failed to hold their seats last night as the party dropped to just five councillors. The Lib Dems faired
Who was he? Political complications are delaying the formal identification of a Kosovan Albanian man murdered in a Southend street a week ago, it has been revealed. The man died from a single stab wound to the heart after an argument on the corner of
City traders are hanging up the traditional multi-coloured jackets of the London trading floors to work closer to home. With new technology sweeping the industry, the hustle and bustle of the City markets is set to become a thing of the past as more and
A bid to build the world's first cardboard classroom has been backed by councillors. Westborough Primary School in MacDonald Avenue, Westcliff, can now press ahead with its pioneering building, made solely of recycled cardboard and paper with a waterproof
Most of the main roads in Chelmsford town centre will be affected by changes to road numbers now being put into operation. Essex County Council's highways department says the changes take account of the major roads which have opened over the past decade
Colchester Liberal Democrats are licking their election wounds after council leader Colin Sykes and millennium mayor Martin Hunt were ousted by the Tories. In last night's Colchester borough elections, the Conservatives made the most gains -- at the expense
Wannabe glamour model Carla Sherman showed plenty of front when she revealed her charms - next to a busy main road. Bus passengers and motorists looked on in amazement as the 36E credit card worker revealed all to a photographer from a national newspaper
Great Totham's sub-post office is back at its historic location after closing three years ago and transferring to another part of the village. Jackie and Terry Jenkins have successfully taken it back to their Village Stores, in the south of the village
A Braintree pensioner who worked for the equivalent of a solid week creating a tapestry for an art competition, has had her entry rejected. Stella Richards, 74, spent more than 166 hours on her Laurel and Hardy tapestry for an over-60s art competition
A big-hearted youngster was so moved by the suffering of Down's Syndrome children in a Russian orphanage that she vowed to help - by pounding Southend Pier in a ten-mile fundraising walk. Victoria Chapman, 12, of Coniston in Eastwood, raised £600 for
'Baffling' is one of the few words to describe City's hugely contrasting performance on Monday when they meekly surrendered the points to a fairly ordinary Dartford side. Not unlike Fleet Town a couple of weeks ago, what the opposition lacked in class
New look taxis Cabbies in Chelmsford are driving specially marked cars in a bid to crack down on charlatan chauffeurs. The move has been launched by the Chelmsford Taxi Drivers' Association to make cabs in the town more identifiable. It is hoped it will
It was blue murder for Basildon's ruling Labour party on Thursday night as rampant Tories made sweeping gains to leave a hung council. Labour's loss of control in the Basildon district came in a night of woe for Tony Blair. Nationally, the Tories took
Detectives have appealed for witnesses to a road rage attack which left a man with a fractured skull. The incident started at the traffic lights at Progress Road, Eastwood, and ended with a vicious assault on the roundabout by Tesco on the A127 in Southend
Colchester Liberal Democrats are licking their election wounds after council leader Colin Sykes and millennium mayor Martin Hunt were ousted by the Tories. In last night's Colchester borough elections, the Conservatives made the most gains -- at the expense
Basildon's leading Labour group was reeling after Tory rivals celebrated their best election night in years. Conservative candidates and supporters were jubilant after wiping out Labour's overall majority, making Basildon a hung council. But it was a
Jubilant Conservatives are celebrating a stunning election victory as they snatched control of Southend Council after six years in opposition. Party leaders could hardly believe their eyes as the true extent of the Tory fightback emerged. Across Britain
'Let's go out on a winning note' is the call from Chelmsford City manager Gary Bellamy as the club complete their Dr Marten's League Eastern Division campaign. Burnham suffered a 2-0 loss to Ashford Town on Tuesday, and Bellamy is hoping that his players
Southend United boss Alan Little has ordered his players to bring down the final curtain of yet another miserable campaign by salvaging some self-esteem against Cheltenham Town The Robins need all three points from their first ever league visit to Southend
While most four-year-olds are still singing nursery rhymes, this talented youngster has just cut his first CD. Rising star Ben Franklin spent the day in the famous Abbey Road Studios in London recording the first-ever Toddle Song. Ben was chosen from
A mum-of-three has declared war on a mobile phone giant which wants to put up a mast just two minutes walk from schools and her home. Alison Hubbard, 31, is terrified ofthe health risk from the mast proposed for near Boyce Hill Golf Club in High Road,
Daredeveils Billy Murray from The Bill, and Essex FM's Martin Day dropped into the local Sainsbury's store to promote their plucky wing-walking campaign. The celebrity duo are raising funds in stores across south Essex to boost air ambulance appeal funds
Plans to tackle domestic violence and youth issues in rural areas will be unveiled at a major crime conference -- a first for the Uttlesford area. Around 400 people from various community organisations have been invited to attend the event at Stansted
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
Both Billericay Town and Canvey Island could have their ambitions of finishing third in the Ryman League Premier Division table thwarted by another Essex rival. For Purfleet pulled off a great 2-0 win at Aldershot - already certain of runners-up spot
Shoppers are to have more choice with more major Colchester stores planning to trade this Sunday. Around 20 stores on Lion Walk Shopping Centre, including Marks and Spencer, British Home Stores, Boots, River Island and Top Shop, will be open for business
Hammers need to start pulling out something a bit special if they are to reach the knockout stages of the Premier Trophy. Arena went down by 52-38 to the Isle of Wight in midweek - a score which allowed the Islanders to take the bonus point. But all is
