Billericay's best known historian and museum curator, Ted Wright, has died. The 69-year-old - famed for running the Cater Museum and wowing crowds with his tours of the town - passed away suddenly at his house in Ramsden Heath. It is believed he may have
Elderly "bed blockers" who cannot be sent home from hospital are part of the rising waiting list problem at Southend and Basildon hospitals. Essex County Council's health and social services select committee heard how the national waiting list targets
Harold Hill swimmers are keeping their fingers crossed that their campaign for a new eight lane pool may become a reality thanks to further funding by Sport England. At last week's Community Area Forum meeting chairman Cllr Denis O' Flynn confirmed that
Schools in Billericay and Ongar could face a staffing crisis as they struggle to fill teaching vacancies for the coming term. But in Brentwood, the picture looks much brighter. As we revealed last week, Essex County Council is so desperate to fill posts
Essex County Council has been urged to choose recycling over burning rubbish as the campaign against waste incineration again hots up. The inspector's report of the Essex and Southend Waste Plan Inquiry held last autumn was published this week. It recommended
A chimpanzee's skull - first feared to be human - has been unearthed on a building site. The bizarre discovery was made at a site in Straight Road, Lexden, on Monday afternoon when builders were preparing the area for development. Police were called to
A 17-year-old student chef was viciously stabbed in the chest by two youths in the early hours of yesterday morning (Thursday). The teenager was walking along East Street, Colchester, when the knife attack happened at about 1.40am. Passers-by rushed to
Improvements to an out-of-hours GP scheme have been demanded by an Essex MP. Harwich MP Ivan Henderson made the call after he received a 57,000-strong petition demanding improvements in the Healthcall. He said: "I am concerned about its (Healthcall's)
A distraught couple claim to have been burgled an astonishing 50 times in the past year. They also say their Persian cat was poisoned by raiders and there has been an arson attack on their home in North Road, Westcliff. They say thieves have also helped
Simon Riches and Lee Tearrell are the unlikely couple behind a new production company that will perform at the Southend Arts Festival, hears SALLY KING Who was that masked man? Was it a bird? Was it a plane? No, it's a production company. Simon Riches
An outdoor education centre could face closure over replacement costs after a heartless theft. Thieves stole a £1,000 outboard engine from a safety boat at Ardleigh Outdoor Education Centre, which is running a summer programme for children and people
Plans for a farmers' market in Braintree have been revived. Concerns were raised at a meeting of the town centre strategy group in June after no-one came forward to sell their goods. However at the latest meeting yesterday members were told there had
Taxpayers are having to pick up a massive £5 million bill for the six week A130 anti-road siege at Gorse Wood, Rettendon. Costs involved in evicting eco-protesters from tree hideouts and pursuing five eco-moles who spent 40 days and 40 nights underground
Her parents travelled to their wedding on elephants and the family travelled the country, Leonie Shufflebottom tells RAY BRADLEY It was once called The Greatest Show on Earth. The mystical magic of the circus was pure escapism for the family. Alas, those
A freak fire has left a Billericay single mother fearful for the safety of her home and thankful to a young passer-by who tackled the fire with a neighbour's hose. The 39-year-old mother of three, who did not want to be named, returned to her Passingham
An outbreak of the highly infectious pig disease classical swine fever has been confirmed at a farm at Fordham. And there were fears of another outbreak at an unnamed north east Essex farm. Farmer David Bradshaw confirmed pigs at Fletcher's Farm, Fordham
The gang of violent car criminals who left a trail of terror across Wickford earlier this year have struck again. A 20-year-old Ramsden Heath man was savagely kicked and punched after trying to chase off the three men who were tampering with his mother's
An outbreak of the highly infectious pig disease classical swine fever has been confirmed at a farm at Fordham. And there were fears of another outbreak at an unnamed north east Essex farm. Farmer David Bradshaw confirmed pigs at Fletcher's Farm, Fordham
A Tilbury resident who won £13 million on the National Lottery didn't know he was a multi-millionaire for three days. News of the massive win for Dean Allen, 26, of Tilbury, was announced yesterday (Thursday). He took the entire £13,861,061 rollover jackpot
The planned closure of the Dagenham car plant will have a devastating effect on Southend's economy, the town's trade union council has claimed. Now it is writing to Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers to express its growing concerns at the proposals
