Wakering returned to winning form in this home Ryman League Division Two game. However, the encounter against lowly strugglers Pennant will be best remembered for two unsavoury brawls - the second of which ended with the visitors having two players sent
An angry parish councillor has hit out at vandals who keep targeting a derelict school. Priory Meadows School, in Rochford Road, St Osyth, has been the target of vandals since its closure in 1993. The school was partly residential for children with special
The results are out and it is official - school is great. That is the opinion of pupils at the John Bramston School in Witham following the publication of an independent survey of students. The report, conducted by the University of Keele education department
A charitable group in Maldon is appealing for a place to store its float. The Maldon Round Table is getting ready for its annual carol float collection, but have nowhere to put the festive display vehicle. The funds raised will go to the elderly and needy
Southend United versus Canvey Island is game on thanks to Blues defender Leo Roget's stunning extra time goal which settled the Shrimpers' FA Cup first round replay against Torquay at Roots Hall last night. The centre-half cracked home a wicked free-kick
Doddinghurst's John Renwick, one of Britain's top show-jumpers and currently ranked sixth in the country, recently gained two places at next Spring's Blue Chip Championships. John began with a win in a Blue Chip Performance qualifier staged at the BSJA
St Martins School pupil Emma Camp, 13, has been selected for the England Basketball squad after representing South East England in a national tournament at Lilleshall. Emma, from Hutton, has also gained selection for the District and Essex under 15 Essex
Canvey Island and Southend United are set for the greatest ever local David v Goliath battle following their FA Cup first round replays. For both pulled off tremendous first round replay extra-time successes by 2-1 scorelines to set up an eagerly-anticipated
A police officer serving in Harwich is being put forward to represent Essex Police in this year's Community Police Officer of the Year award. The award looks for the best bobbies and most community-minded coppers in the land. This year Essex will be represented
A Colchester family are fast becoming experts in the art of how to be a successful lollipop person at the town's schools. Dad Stan Phillips has just started work at Old Heath Community Primary School, helping pupils cross Old Heath Road. His sister-in-laws
A man accused of breaking into a Colchester home and unlawfully imprisoning his former partner has appeared before magistrates. James Yardley, 57, of no fixed address, is accused of assaulting and unlawfully detaining Betty Bruce, of Blackthorn Way, against
The principal of the Adult Community College at Greyfriars in Colchester was due to receive his MBE from the Queen at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace yesterday (Tuesday). Alan Skinner was singled out for mention in the Queen's Birthday Honours
Policing in Essex is to receive a boost next year with an increase in funding of six per cent. The Home Office has released figures for each force with Essex getting one of the highest leaps in cash. The 6.1 per cent boost sees Essex Police pocketing
Children can send early Christmas present requests straight to Santa at a leading Basildon supermarket. Asda, on the Pipps Hill Retail Park, has opened it's special Santa post box. All letters will go to the store's very own Father Christmas (who lives
A dramatic video showing the police pursuit of alleged Triad gang members from the scene of a killing has been shown to a jury. Vehicles from both Essex Police and the Metropolitan Police, including armed response units, tailed a "convoy" of three high
The Port Vale groundstaff might well carry out an inspection of their goalposts today to discover if someone has given them too thick a coat of paint. For the woodwork intervened on no fewer than six occasions in this rip-roaring FA Cup first round replay
Taxis in Castle Point could be among the most expensive in Essex under new proposals put forward by hackney carriage drivers. Members of Castle Point Council's licensing committee agreed to the increases, which could see travellers paying out up to £6.20
A developer is ready to stump-up £20,000 towards providing a bus link at Basildon's Festival Leisure Park - if a 60-bedroom hotel and fitness club at the site is given the all clear. Basildon Council has been urged to approve the plans on the condition
A "cowardly" thief confronted an elderly Clacton woman on her doorstep and grabbed her handbag after stealing from her home. The 78-year-old woman returned home in the dark after she had been out. As she reached the front door of the house in Lancaster
Young poet Lee-Anne Pawley beat off 33,500 hopefuls to scoop top prize in a national competition. Lee-Anne, 11, a pupil from St Mary's CE Primary School, Southend, was travelling to a ceremony in London today with her mother to be presented with her award
Residents and teachers were celebrating after an application to install a mobile phone mast was refused amid health fears. Headteacher of Great Totham Primary School, Peter Foreman, had protested about plans to site a 15-metre pole next to Beacon Hill
A group of environmentalists are finally seeing their dream for a town centre project being realised. They have found a shop in Colchester and started transforming it into En-form - Colchester Environmental Information Centre. It is planned that the venue
A deaf five-year-old boy will be forced to leave his mother and any hope of an education behind in Southend after Home Office officials decided to deport him. Zdenek Dzudza, a Czech asylum seeker, was today (Wednesday) finding out when he and his father
A vasectomy is up for grabs at a charity auction in Colchester - and it might go for a snip of the normal price. An auction of promises raising money for Colchester Citizens' Advice Bureau will be held at the town hall. Last year's auction raised about
Canvey's hopes of going into today's (Tuesday's) FA Cup replay at Port Vale boosted by victory at Aldershot were ended when Wayne Andrews grabbed the only goal of the game after 55 minutes for the Hampshire hosts. Ironically, both teams were overhauled
This explosive, windswept and rain-sodden, Layer Road Division Two clash will be remembered for four very contrasting reasons. One, it was the first ever goalless draw between old rivals U's and Wycombe in 16 Football League, cup and Conference outings
Hermann Hreidarsson is hungry to find the net on a more regular basis after breaking his goal duck for Ipswich Town. The Icelandic international was on target with a bullet header as the Blues beat Manchester City 3-2 to move third in the Premiership.
Canvey Island stepped into uncharted territory and set up an all-Essex FA Cup derby when they beat Port Vale last night. Two goals in extra time saw the team progress to the second round of the FA Cup while Southend United's win against Torquay means
Saturday saw a well-deserved and much needed victory for Magnus-sponsored Brentwood who have experienced several disappointments in their league crusade this season. The game was played in wet and windy conditions and it was a game that didn't really
Pupils from Moreton and Fyfield primary schools are to see their artistic studies broadened thanks to an innovative scheme sponsored by a supermarket chain. As part of Sainsbury's nationwide Pictures for Schools scheme, Moreton and Fyfield's Dr Walker's
A warning about conmen offering tree surgeon services has been issued by Epping Forest District Council. They say Ongar residents should be wary of cowboys as they clear up after the storms. People wanting damaged trees removed can help avoid problems
Sunday brought the start of the 2000/2001 Cross Country season for member clubs of the South Essex "Running Fitness" League. On a testing three and a half mile course in South Weald Country Park, made wet and muddy by the recent rain, Billericay Striders
A Billericay running club has questioned Basildon Council's decision to continue to keep an access route to Norsey Wood closed, 13 years after it was first shut off. The Deerbank Road entrance has been shut since the 1987 hurricane but Billericay Striders
The annual conference of the British Speedway Promoters' Association was held at the weekend. As expected, it agreed to maintain the 45 points limit for team strengths in both the Elite and Premier Leagues. With the sport heading in a positive direction
The ladies veteran teams of Gidea Park and Brentwood Lawn finished in third and fourth places respectively in Division One of the Essex Veteran League. In Division Two Billericay were runners up to Grove with Brentwood Lawn II sixth, and Mountnessing
District and county councillors are facing a dilemma over the Epping to Ongar railway after it emerged that the trackbed alone could cost up to £1m to buy back. Following his decision to pull out of running a commuter service on the line, Epping Ongar
A town hall rebellion is on the cards as dissenting councillors try to block the £230,000 early retirement of chief executive John Cobley. A knife-edge vote is expected as all 60 councillors meet in private tonight (Wednesday) to decide whether the money
A switch to Roots Hall is sensible Jeff King must surely be joking when he said that if his Canvey Island side meet Southend United in the FA Cup 2nd round that he would fight to play the match on their tiny Park Lane ground. Both teams face replays tonight
A farmer has told how he could only watch in horror as his office building went up in flames, destroying all his records and paperwork. James Macdonald, of Old House Farm, Harwich Road, Beaumont, was alerted to the blaze at about 2.30am today (Wednesday
Firefighters had to hack a hole in the side of a town centre pub after timbers in its inner wall caught light. Officers used an axe and a saw to remove smouldering wood from inside the front wall of the Bull pub in Market Place, Braintree. They then used
I have to own up to disgracing myself in the Port Vale press box last night as Canvey wrote the latest, and greatest, chapter in their wonderful history book of the past decade. When striking star Wayne Vaughan broke through the Nationwide League Division
Dickie Bird's return to Chelmsford was a huge success. More than 500 fans queued to meet the umpiring legend when he visited Ottakars in the High Street to sign the paperback edition of his book White Cap and Bails. Book seller Carl Nurse said: "He seemed
A pedestrian has died after he was involved in an accident with a van on a country road. Michael Rylands, 60, a patient at Severalls Hospital, Colchester, was walking along Boxted Road when the accident happened last night (Tuesday) just before 7.45pm
A make-or-break meeting is to be held over the future of a children's playground which was left covered with broken glass after an attack by vandals. The playground behind the village hall, in School Road, Copford, has been closed since vandals left shards
Prodigy's Liam Howlett - Braintree's most famous music export - was last night (Tuesday) to add DJ to a diva as another of his many personal achievements. Liam was to be spinning the decks along with hip-hop star Goldie at a special one-off concert by
St Michael's Parish Church in Braintree is gearing up to welcome a new vicar, Reverend Charles Mason. Mr Mason, 49, currently a vicar at a church in West Hampstead and Area Dean of North Camden, will be taking up his duties in mid January. He began his
Police are urging residents in Coggeshall to join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, in a bid to reduce crime in the community. Witham Police are trying to increase the number of neighbourhood watchers in the village, where currently only two people are members
Hundreds of homeowners have been reaching for the sandbags again as Essex was put back on flood alert. Between nine and 13 millimetres of rain fell in just three hours on Monday night, prompting the Environment Agency to issue the warning. The agency
Despite the recent appalling conditions, whiting are still in abundance on the local sea scene as Pitsea sea angler Herb Childerditch discovered when he fished a four-hour session in the Blackwater. Herb, accompanied by companion Mark Walters, fished
Council tax is set to be hiked above the rate of inflation in Southend. Southend Council is analysing new Standard Spending Assessment figures - but has warned the Government is unlikely to give it enough in grants to cover its spending next year. It
A woman who was born without a womb has asked South Essex Health Authority to pay for her to have a baby by surrogacy. The 28-year-old married woman, known only as Mrs K, will have her application discussed at tomorrow's (Thursday's) health authority
Canvey could be an underwater island within 100 years it is claimed. The revelation was made by members of the Green Party and Friends of the Earth who are growing ever more concerned about the climate changes taking place across the globe. Greenhouse
An exciting four-week arts festival has been launched to inject new life into the centre of Brentwood in the run-up to Christmas. The St-ART project intends to utilise every empty shop and as many of the occupied retail units as possible in the town centre
A promising young Billericay historian has impressed a host of celebrity judges with her outstanding entry in a UK/US essay writing competition. An essay by Alexandra Hill, 15, a student at St Martin's School in Hutton, Brentwood, was picked out by a
Basildon Town under-15s, who play in the Chelmsford Youth League, are looking for a number of players of good standard to add to their squad. Anyone interested should ring Lee Maire on 01268 555042. Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some
Westcliff's St Bernards High reached their goal when Prittlewell School staged an eight team under-13 girls' soccer tournament. The Saints marched in for victory with the host club runners-up and Westcliff in third place. Prittlewell stage an under-16
Coventry boss Gordon Strachan must have felt a sense of deja-vu as he watched his side crumble against Ipswich Town for the second time in as many weeks. Goals from Titus Bramble and David Johnson won the tie which sets up a match against either Manchester
Billericay's Citizens Advice Bureau is still searching for volunteers so it can maintain and develop its vital services for local people. Despite the relatively buoyant economic conditions, the CAB is still in demand and has seen the number of inquiries
Saturday saw the Essex Short Mat Bowls 'B' team travelling to play East Sussex in Midhurst looking to get back on the winning trail after two defeats against Kent and London. With the first half going to Essex by 11 points to five a tight finish was in
The last butcher's shop in a north Essex town could close if an expansion plan by a neighbouring store gets the go-ahead. Brian Jose started thinking about selling up his business after he was approached by the Spar Stores in Wivenhoe on the Cross. Falling
Frustrated villagers are pleading for action to be taken to stop their gardens being flooded by sewage. Residents in Homestead Road in Ramsden Bellhouse have seen their road flooded three times so far this year with sewage ending up floating onto their
Victims of hate crime in Harold are being urged to call their local Community Safety Units (CSUs). They are being encouraged to support a drive against the problem as part of a massive publicity campaign by the Metropolitan Police Service. The Harold
The devastated parents of tragic crash victim Steve Simpson have paid tribute to their lively and much-loved son. Steve, who was just 17, suffered massive injuries and later died in hospital after being hit by a car while trying to cross the A127 on Saturday
Saturday night in front of the TV will be anything but dull for proud Brentwood parents David and Jane Gilchrist as they watch their talented daughter make her broadcast debut. Emily Gilchrist, 18, plays the title role in the opera 'Zoe' which is being
A man was subjected to a terrifying eight-hour torture ordeal which left him begging for his life, a court was told. Gary Clark was attacked by two men who burst into his flat and subjected him to repeated attacks, it was alleged, during which he was
A schoolgirl aged 13 was found by police drunk in the street - with her mother. Police officers were shocked to find the girl in such a condition as they continued their crackdown on under age drinking in Billericay. Today (Wednesday), police issued a
Prime Minister Tony Blair has backed the war on truancy in Basildon schools. In an exclusive interview with the Echo at No 10 Downing Street, Mr Blair vowed to reduce the number of young people skipping school. He said: "I realise there is a problem with
A review of the meals-on-wheels service in Essex has been completed and a final decision will be made on its future in December. The ''best value'' review by Essex County Council's health and social services select committee has made a number of recommendations
Council tax payers in Essex will get a boost thanks to a handout from the Government. A £2.8 billion increase in funding for key services nationwide has just been announced by Local Government Minister Hilary Armstrong. Essex County Council is being awarded
A Leigh hair stylist has scooped the prestigious Men's British Hairdresser of the Year Award 2000 title. Adee Phelan, 27, a stylist at Stafford's in London Road, beat off stiff competition to win the title at the awards held in London's plush Grosvenor
Grants for repairs to listed buildings are up for grabs - but only for a limited time. The Maldon Conservation Area Partnership Scheme has been running for three years and is offering financial help towards repairs for another four months. But Maldon
A part of Colchester which already has seven drinking places could get a new wine bar. Plans have been drawn up to convert the former antiques shop Bond and Son in North Hill into a wine bar. The listed building was bought last month by Essex-based family
After 79 years it is truly the end of an era for one Colchester shop. What will Colchester do without its Navy & Army store? From school plimsolls, overalls and boots through to rucksacks, tents and camping stoves, there cannot be many people living
Southend United and Torquay did their best to send both sets of supporters to sleep during a low-key opening to last night's FA Cup first round replay at Roots Hall. After a slug-like start to the game, Blues finally stirred the watching fans out of their
Motor enthusiast Jim Pocklington is celebrating after a top gear performance in a saloon car race meeting at Brands Hatch. Jim, 37, of Alpha Road, Hutton, builds and races his own saloon cars and in the Guy Fawkes Trophy meeting he notched up second,
There can be few Ipswich Town fans around these days without bruises on their arm. Because pinching yourself has become something of a mandatory task since the Blues set off on their journey through fairyland back in August. Certainly the latest leg of
The age of digital technology is coming to mid-Essex. The Radio Authority is about to invite bids from radio stations to take on a new "digital multiplex licence" for the Southend and Chelmsford area. Whoever wins the licence would be able to permanently
