A woman was recovering in hospital yesterday (Monday) after she plunged from a bridge over the A12. The 41-year-old woman was seen by passing motorists falling from a footbridge over the road at Marks Tey. She fell 20 feet on to the road and landed on
Ian Flanagan and Andrew McGarry, who have only three Championship outings between them this season, are included in the Essex team to face Middlesex at Lord's tomorrow. Flanagan, a 20-year-old left-handed batsman, is given another opportunity because
Essex Ladies have won the LTA Grass Court Inter County Championship at Eastbourne. Last week's triumph was their first win since they held the title for four years between 1993 and 1996. Promoted back to Group 1 last year it was a great triumph for captain
Community radio station Estuary FM could transform into a training school for would-be broadcasters when it comes off air at the end of next week. Bosses at the station, which has been running trial broadcasts since July 15, want to put their studio in
Plans to build a 20-bedroom hotel on green belt land have been firmly backed by councillors as a boost to tourism in Southend. But further permission is now needed because the proposed building, at the corner of Bournes Green and Wakering Road, would
The mother of a 12-year-old boy expelled for supplying drugs at school has appealed for her son to be returned to classes. The boy was expelled from Clacton County High School earlier this month after he was discovered with cannabis in April. He has not
Thousands of superferry passengers were delayed after a legal challenge by the family of a fisherman swept overboard by its bow wake "arrested" the vessel. A Marine Accident Investigation Bureau report recently confirmed Marilyn Sibley's claim that her
A popular pub and restaurant looks set to have a facelift after five years of wear and tear. The Five Bells Harvester, in London Road, Vange, is next on the list to be revamped in the routine spruce up around the country. Basildon Council will decide
A policeman has decided to throw himself off a car park roof to raise money for charity. PC Steve Smith will be attached to an abseil rope throughout his fundraising feat and is trying to persuade others to join him and raise several thousand pounds for
Store staff in Witham will need some extra sun protection after shaving off their hair for charity in front of a large crowd of shoppers. Woolworths workers Daniel Rankin, Marc Church, Robert Longman, Nathan Rowe and Wayne Tearle had their heads shaved
Families who have set up their home in a designated guest house are breaching regulations, it has been claimed. Neighbours of the property in Chelsea Avenue, Southend, have complained that the occupants' cars are blocking parking spaces, and presented
Angry residents say they could lose a wildlife haven of hedgerows, bushes and grasses to developers before being able to start a campaign to save it. Residents of Warley Close and Beatty Gardens, Braintree, claim a small wooded area near their homes which
Little Clacton's millennium carnival could well be its last. Despite crowds turning out in force to line the streets and the weather holding fine for this year's event on Saturday, organisers fear the cost of setting it up could scupper its future. Since
Villagers say access to two footpaths in Hatfield Peverel has been severely restricted after a new stile and gate were installed. The lines of the paths were moved and a new signpost put up when the Scout hut in Church Road was built in 1969. But after
An intrepid Braintree nursery nurse has raised enough money to book her place on an adventure trek of a lifetime raising funds for a cerebral palsy charity. Lisa Beasley, 28, of Croft Close, Braintree, is a senior nursery nurse at Moulsham Grange Children's
Worcs win tops week What a great result for us against league leaders Worcestershire. I always felt the wicket was getting better and we could chase any target, despite Worcester's big first innings lead. But even I thought that 280 might have been slightly
A free 24-hour hotline is in place to offer counselling to staff at Royal London following the firm's decision to cut 758 jobs. The Colchester-based insurance giant is shifting its operational base to Cheshire as part of a bid to boost its competitiveness
Basildon's Northlands Park came up trumps for local anglers Joe Cleavely and Rob Grant - rewarding them both with 20lb common carp. The first of the two big fish fell to Joe, who fished an evening session from the caf lake. The carp fell to a homemade
Members of the Rotary and Lions clubs have got together for a very special festival to be held this weekend. On Sunday Festival 2000 for Disabled People will be run at Waterside Sports Centre, Canvey. There will be a whole range of events that disabled
Trouble-making children as young as ten could be banned from parts of Castle Point as the council gets tough with yobs and hooligans, it has emerged. The council is set to use the full weight of Government legislation to impose anti-social behaviour orders
It's action stations down at Thorpe Hall School now that the long summer break has arrived. For the regular Sport Action courses, which have become a popular feature of the holiday scene in recent years, are back on track - with a variety of new attractions
HUTTON I........................240-6 dec WALTHAMSTOW I........155 all out (Hutton won by 85 runs) (Shepherd Neame Essex League Division Two) Hutton's topsy turvy season took an upward turn on Saturday, as they beat Walthamstow by 85 runs at the Polo
Colchester's selection as a place to house a share of 1,000 asylum seekers is testament to the town's facilities, it has been claimed. The Home Office has chosen the town as one of eight areas in the east of England where it wants to place refugees, instead
A farmer who has worked the land for more than 50 years feels the loss of the "bobby on the beat" has left those living in rural communities fighting a losing battle against crime. For Peter Rix, 73, of Great Horkesley, break-ins and joy riders destroying
A television personality says plans to build a cinema complex on top of an archaeological discovery are "a shame". The old Head Street Post Office, in Colchester, will be converted into a multi-screen cinema. But before work gets underway, it has to be
Police made a late-night drugs raid on an area near a vandalism-plagued community hall. About 20 young people, aged between 14 and 20, were detained and searched near the community hall in Edinburgh Gardens, Braintree. Four people were arrested and later
Police have issued warnings after a sharp rise in reports of youngsters playing with "guns". They called for parents to confiscate any weapons - from air pistols and pellet guns to shotguns - from their children before someone gets seriously hurt. It
A terrified seven-year-old is recovering after a mystery shooting left an airgun pellet lodged in his cheekbone. Martin Riley was riding his bike just yards from his home when the pellet was fired and hit him in the face. The trembling youngster dropped
A mystery bag stuffed full of thousands of pounds has been handed back to the pensioner who found it in a Colchester street. The man, in his 60s, who asked to remain anonymous, made the extraordinary find as he walked along Layer Road in October. The
Police trying to uncover the identity of a woman whose body was washed up on Foulness Island have turned to DNA testing in a bid to solve the mystery. Samples from the body have been sent to forensic labs in Cambridge by MoD police officers in a last
A partially-sighted grandfather who thought he had been blinded when he was hit over the head by an intruder today vowed not to give in to his attacker. Bicycle repairer Anthony Gill, 61, was working at the Cycle Shed in Alton Park Road, Clacton, when
Golfers got a shock when a controlled explosion was carried out just yards from where they were playing. Royal Navy bomb disposal experts were called in from Portsmouth after blast charges were discovered in a rock breakwater on Jaywick beach. The team
The Olympic spirit burned brightly over a celebratory games at a Witham school. Pupils from across Essex attended the games at the John Bramston School and Mike Gee, assistant principal, said: "As part of our millennium gala evening, we decided to hold
Southend's beleaguered pier could receive a slice of a £12 million cash boost from the Government aimed at helping England's seaside towns. Tourism minister Janet Anderson begins a tour of coastal resorts this week following the news that an extra £2
Ipswich Town's Mark Venus has spoken of his relief after surviving a 55-minute comeback just two months after undergoing surgery. Venus was struggling with an ankle injury and had an operation after the play-off final triumph at Wembley in May. And after
Paul Curry is looking to build on his success after his best ever US tournament finish at the John Deere Classic in Illinois. The Colne Valley Golf Club owner finished in joint 12th place and collected $43,356 after a final round of 71. But a bogey at
Former Southend United favourite Ron Pountney will finally get his testimonial match at Roots Hall this evening after more than a decade of waiting. Blues take on Premiership Charlton Athletic tonight (Tuesday), kick-off 7.45pm, in honour of the inspirational
A recycling scheme which residents campaigned for over several months has been hailed a success. Keen environmentalists living in Pitsea Mount fought long and hard before Basildon Council extended a pilot scheme to the 1,600-house estate. A recycling
The growing problem of abandoned cars should be combated with a council dump for clapped out motors. That is the opinion of Tendring councillor George Elmera who believes the increasing number of vehicles on the streets of the district needs to be tackled
Unsigned bands - prick up your ears. A & R Link, consultants for Ruffworld Ltd - an American new music company - are currently scouring the country looking to sign a number of bands. The go-getting and almost aggressive style of talent scouting will
Traffic chaos is expected to hit drivers using the A127 from today (Tuesday) as essential work on underground gas pipes is carried out on one of south Essex's busiest roads. Transco, which is carrying out the improvements to gas pipes at the Fortune of
A fire crew was on stand-by as a BAC 111 European Airlines plane with overheated brakes landed at Stansted Airport. A spokeswoman for Stansted Airport said that at no time were passengers in any danger durng the incident at about 6.30pm yesterday (Monday
What's in a name ? Quite a lot if you're the Gopaul family. For there's a family tradition where the latest addition to the clan has to have a first name that starts with the letter R. So just like his seven brothers and sisters before him, an apt name
Hospitals across north Essex are to share a £100,000 handout to clean up their scruffy wards. Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust, which runs hospitals in Colchester, Harwich, Clacton and Halstead, has received the cash boost from the Government. It is being
The search for a missing yacht off the Essex coast was continuing today (Tuesday) - but there were fears that the vessel may have broken up. There have been reports of debris and an oil slick spotted in the water off Harwich. An RAF Nimrod spotter plane
Traffic chaos is expected to hit drivers using the A127 from today (Tuesday) as essential work on underground gas pipes is carried out on one of south Essex's busiest roads. Transco, which is carrying out the improvements to gas pipes at the Fortune of
If the warm weather tempts you to enjoy a cool pint or two in the pub, leave the car at home. That's the message from Essex Police, who today launch a major month-long crackdown on summer drink-driving. Although people tend to believe the demon drink
Unemployment in Braintree District is at its lowest level for generations. Latest figures from Braintree Council show the number of people without work in the district during June was 1,172. At 1.9 per cent of the working population, it is said to be
The firm turned down from taking over a Rochford residential care home facing closure, has claimed it has been judged on out-of-date information. Bosses at Strathmore Care today (Tuesday) said they are still keen to take over Albert Jones Court to revamp
Members of Five Lakes Golf and Country Club near Maldon, Club Kingswood in Basildon and Fitness First in Ilford will be getting active during August to raise money for the British Olympic Appeal - a scheme dedicated to helping Olympic hopefuls. Roger
fears that a beach concert set to attract 25,000 partygoers to Shoebury will spark major problems have been allayed by one of the men behind the event. Essex FM programme director Paul Chantler said: "It's not an all-night rave. It's not a rock festival
Desperate parents are bombarding a south Essex helpline with pleas for help in controlling their children, it has been revealed. Hadleigh-based charity Parentline Plus has seen a dramatic increase in calls from stressed out families and now needs more
The 54th Essex Open Junior Tennis tournament started at the Gidea Park club on Monday. Over 300 young competitors converged on the club to compete in the tournament which is this year sponsored by Huggett Gregg & Co. It promises a week of top junior
A night on the beat with Maldon Police has prompted another call for CCTV in the town centre. The prospective parliamentary candidate for Maldon and East Chelmsford, Russell Kennedy, joined Sgt Steve Robinson for a seven-hour shift on the streets. Mr
Lexden Squash Club tournament professional Lee Drew takes on Peter Pastijn of Belgium today in the second round of the Oklahoma City Open following a first round victory over qualifier Cuauhtemoc Gomez of Mexico. Drew, world-ranked 94 and England-ranked
A last-minute festival celebrating Colchester's entry into the new millennium might still go ahead. Plans for this year's carnival were scrapped following the collapse of the Town Centre Management Company. It sparked fears the town would enter the 21st
Meet a man of steel! He is "Wreckspert" Kevin Waller. With his partner John Hewitt he is making it his business to clear the town of abandoned vehicles. They launched their new take-away company, Auto Removal and Disposal, after the Echo told how scores
An arson probe is under way after another blaze at a derelict Colchester hospital. The fire at St Mary's - the second major one this year - damaged a wooden building on the site. It also brought evening road chaos as police closed off the town's Balkerne
Police have launched a crackdown on speeding motorcyclists after two crashes brought the death toll of bikers on Essex roads this month to eight. While it is too early to say whether speed was a factor in the fatal crashes, police are shocked by the carnage
A charity shop in Braintree is facing a bill of £15,000 to put right damage caused by a fire. Firefighters were called to the Sue Ryder shop in Panfield Lane, Braintree, last month after a fire was started outside the premises. The blaze, which fire officers
A residential home near Maldon is due to be leased to a private company 35 years after it first opened. Staff, residents and their families from past and present were celebrating the anniversary of the Essex County Council-owned Brewster House in Oak
Many hours of dedicated and energetic work by staff and volunteers in the Southchurch Road hospice shop paid dividends when they handed over a fat cheque for £103,379 to Fair Havens hospice. The welcome cash will go a long way to meeting the hospice's
Barber Terry Blackman has told of his close shave when innocent horseplay led to a police appeal to track down kidnappers. Terry and a pal were seen apparently bundling a woman into the back of a car - leading detectives to believe they had abducted her
North Essex: Motorists snub petrol boycott Motorists in Essex have snubbed a nationwide campaign to get drivers to "dump the pump". Today's (Tuesday's) campaign was organised over the internet by businessman Garry Russell, who urged motorists to boycott
A jubilant grandmother has been preparing to whisk her family away for the holiday of a lifetime after she scooped a £105,000 bingo win. June Zimbler, 67, was speechless when a regular night out at Basildon's Gala Bingo club became one to remember. Lucky
Battling Anthony Kerrigan has vowed to go to prison rather than pay more than £1,400 in fines for parking outside his own front door. Mr Kerrigan, 42, has racked up dozens of tickets in his protest at the lack of parking bays in Gordon Road, Southend
Former Southend United favourite Ron Pountney will finally get his testimonial match at Roots Hall this evening after more than a decade of waiting. Blues take on Premiership Charlton Athletic tonight (Tuesday), kick-off 7.45pm, in honour of the inspirational
