Mersea wine producers lapped up a share of the awards at the East Anglian Wine of the Year Contest. Gold award winner for its Mersea 95 was the Mersea Island Vineyard. Mersea also won silver for its Mersea 97 and was commended for its Mersea Island Vineyard
An agricultural dealers has gone into administrative receivership leaving 19 staff who live in the Braintree and Dunmow areas without jobs. Coleman Engineering Limited had been running for 24 years with the last 14 at Barnston, near Dunmow. An employee
A kindly crew from Brentwood fire station have been praised by the mother of a curious toddler after their engine broke down and left them stranded following an incident in Ingrave last week. Little Lubin Jaques, who enjoyed her third birthday yesterday
People living near the Pitsea tip today (Thursday) told of their shock at the realisation poisonous ash had been dumped close to their homes. Mrs Joyce Clarke, 65, of Brackendale Avenue, alongside the tip, said: "When we hear news like this it shows we
An elderly Witham couple woke up to noises in the middle of the night and found their home had been burgled. Nothing was taken from the couple's home but Chelmsford Crown Court heard how £600 worth of damage was caused during the break-in on February
Two south east Essex clubs are facing disaster in their National Club League campaigns following defeats at the weekend. Westcliff Hardcourts were beaten in the Eastern division of the national section, while Thorpe Bay went down in the Essex division
Roy Hart has finally achieved his ambition to win the Nore Race - and will next set sail for Cowes. Roy, 54, of Battlesbridge Hall, skippered his yacht "Victory" past the finishing line in 5hrs 42mins to win the group three category for monohull cruisers
Colchester United boss Steve Whitton has lost his battle to keep Aaron Skelton at Layer Road. The 27-year-old midfielder, a key member of the U's line-up for the past four seasons, revealed today (Thursday) he has signed a new two-year deal with Third
A leaflet promoting the Liberal Democrats in the upcoming Shoebury by-election has caused a row. Candidate Barry Godwin circulated election leaflets labelling himself as "Shoebury Village Fair man to fight by-election for Lib Dems." However, the fair's
Police have stepped up their appeal to motorcyclists to take care on the roads after two more biker deaths in Essex - bringing the total to 16 so far this year. The first was at 8.50am yesterday (Wednesday) in Lower Road, Mountnessing, which involved
A father has hit out at the appalling conditions his special needs daughter has been housed in at Burnham by Essex Social Services. John Maguire has said that the Orchard Road home his daughter Caroline, 20, was moved to with a friend, 'wouldn't even
A worker was trapped after the floor of a printers building partially collapsed. An ambulance arrived at the company, Thames Loose Leaf in Kiln Road, Thundersley, just before 5.30pm yesterday (Wednesday). Fire crews from Hadleigh and Leigh worked to free
The skipper of a yacht sailing off the Essex coast had to be airlifted to hospital after he was hit on the head by part of the boat. The man in his 50s was leading a sailing trip with a crew of four holidaymakers when the heavy boom of the vessel swung
A car sharing scheme aimed at cutting commuter traffic has been launched under a project supported by Essex County Council, Chelmsford Borough Council, and local businesses. The Chelmsford Travel Share scheme, designed and run by Chelmsford Environmental
An international athlete from Colchester has had surgery for a heart condition that could have killed him by the time he was 40. Now Robert Malseed, 29, who has competed in the UK trials for cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track events, is hoping
An animal welfare group is trying to find the owner of a pet spaniel found roaming the streets. The spaniel was rescued by the RSPCA after it was found in the Cloes Lane area of Clacton. It was taken to a vet's in Old Road, Clacton, where it is being
Cash-strapped Marks and Spencer is set to announce a major sale of many of its High Street stores - and then re-lease them. It is not yet known if Essex shops will be included. The company is looking to raise £400m by selling off many of its stores -
Elderly residents in a Maldon cul-de-sac are frightened to step out of their own homes. Don Steady, 82, said pensioners living in sheltered accommodation in Newnham Green are scared of getting verbally abused or worse, as increasing amounts of traffic
Essex walkers have been warned to be on their guard from poisonous snakes after fears a human could be bitten. The alarm was raised after a number of dogs were bitten while out in the countryside. There has been a rise of incidents because adders have
Residents in Colchester's Dutch Quarter and owners of business premises in the area are being urged to take part in the annual Colchester in Bloom Competition. The Colchester Council competition is free and entries are also invited from commercial and
A teenager from Black Notley has received the highest award in Scouting. Tom Scade, 15, of the 1st Black Notley Scouts was presented with his Chief Scout's Award by Assistant District Commissioner for Braintree Scouts, David Cohen. To get his award, Tom
Proof of age cards to help combat underage drinking and smoking in Tendring are proving a success. Since they were launched in the district two years ago, sales of tobacco and drink to youngsters has dropped. But retailer knowledge of the scheme remains
Brentwood's Citizens Advice Bureau is on the point of launching an appeal to local businesses to help cement its future in the town. At its annual general meeting next week, plans will be unveiled for the expansion of the bureau, currently operating from
Thundersley-based Stock Karate Club smashed their way to a team kata hat-trick at the Essex Trophy. The team - Adam Purkiss, Michelle Houghton and Graham Skarott - won three gold medals in the event for the second year running. Michelle also won silver
Three members of the Pitsea-based Basildon Freestyle Kick-Boxing Club flew the flag for the new town in great style at Epping. First out for the new towners was Jim Luck, who was making his debut. He started strongly, just taking the first round, but
This Friday sees the re-staging of the Essex Championship which was postponed from the scheduled opening night of the season due to rain. A regular annual event on the racing calendar, the meeting features defending champion Ray Morton, Michael Coles,
The girls of St Hilda's, Imperial Avenue, Westcliff, have proved themselves tops in track and field. In the Independent Schools' Association's national finals they won three first places through Sam Collinson (1.27m high jump), Charlotte Lafferty (24.50m
The eagerly-awaited Essex Senior Cup final, in which FA Trophy holders Canvey Island will visit Nationwide Conference Dagenham and Redbridge, looks set to go ahead at Daggers' Victoria Road ground on Saturday August 4. The game was postponed, at less
Willow Herbs 159 all out Foulness 45 all out (Willow Herbs won by 114 runs) (T. Rippon League Division Four) The Herbs stayed on course for promotion after coming through a severe test on a dreadful wicket in Southend on Saturday. After being put in to
Two great wins on the first day of the pairs competition at the Personal Touch sponsored Southend Men's Open Bowls Tournament were music to the ears of Hadleigh's Lewis Walker and superbly named playing partner Albert Hall. The duo, with no disrespect
Stunned families were today (Thursday) waking up to discover a man had been murdered in their Basildon street. Parents and children silently made their way to work and school as detectives and forensics teams moved in to examine the scene in Bryn Farm
Four young Echosport readers will be getting top tips on how to hammer their opponents in the coming soccer season. For the quartet have all won prizes of coaching on the West Ham in the Community summer football courses being staged at Ford Sports and
Keith Dutch has returned to haunt Essex as Somerset press home their advantage in the second day of their Championship clash at Taunton. He helped lead the home county to a close of play total of 291-6, and shortly before lunch today (Wednesday)Somerset
A teenager went with his friend to help him avenge an argument, armed with an extendable baton, a court heard. Toby Nial, 18, had the baton with him when he and two friends, who were also armed, went to avenge a fight in which one of them had been involved
A night porter was assaulted at a Heybridge hotel by a man who had walked in off the street. The man had been let into the lobby of the Benbridge Hotel in The Square at about 2am on Tuesday after he and another man knocked on the door. He then attacked
Three men are getting on their bikes to help fund life changing therapy for a nine-year-old boy. Evening Gazette readers helped raise £8,000 last year to send Ross Falco, of East Clacton, to Florida for a revolutionary therapy treatment with dolphins.
A devastated woman from Basildon is pleading for the help of the public to find her Chinese talking African grey parrot. Annie Leong from Ingaway, Lee Chapel South, has had the bird she calls Boy Boy for seven years in which time she has never let it
It was a real giggle as these two youngsters couldn't stop laughing when they helped launch a charity joke book. But there was a more serious side as the book has helped these brave and inspirational children to keep on smiling as they battle against
A strategy to improve energy efficiency and make sure every home in the Colchester borough is sufficiently warm by 2010 has been given the go-ahead by councillors. The scheme, approved by the housing, community safety and health policy panel last night
Travellers who have set up camp in Braintree have caused disruption and anger among some residents. The Smith traveller community moved about five caravans on to a Braintree Council-owned football field next to Deanery Hill road. People living in houses
Braintree's RSPCA Inspector Chris Bacon is expecting snakes to be a big problem - when he takes on a new role in Singapore from next month. Chris,who has been based at Braintree for two and a half years, will become Operations Manager for the Society
Traffic chaos has been predicted in Navestock - with threatened tailbacks in Ongar and Stapleford Abbotts - as highways contractors begin work on replacing the Shonks Mill Road bridge. The warning to Brentwood drivers using village roads as a cut-through
House prices have surged beyond the 20 per cent annual increase mark in Southend as the town was ranked the third biggest "housing hotspot" in the country. Just two areas, Powys, in central Wales, and Gosport, in Hampshire, were rated above the town for
More than one hundred workers at a mid-Essex firm are on strike over a pay dispute. There is deadlock between workers and bosses at printers ET Heron, on Bentalls Industrial Estate, Heybridge. One hundred and twenty manual shift workers, out of 500 employees
A pilot was has been hailed a hero after he was forced to crash his plane on to a crowded beach, narrowly missing dozens of holidaymakers. Pilot Lee Walker, 22, avoided potential disaster by not ditching his plane in deep water and also missing people
Poisonous ash from one of Britain's biggest incinerators was dumped at a south Essex tip for nearly 20 years, a Government agency has admitted. The ash - containing chemicals which can cause cancer - has also been recycled into construction projects such
Environment Minister Michael Meacher has ordered an urgent inquiry into where potentially contaminated incinerator ash was used. The announcement came after revelations that the deadly dioxin dust was used to build Waltham Abbey bypass, car parks at the
Carpenter Tony Jose told how he had lost four stone because he could not eat properly following a brutal attack six months ago. Mr Jose, of Stanford-le-Hope, was speaking after seeing his attacker Darren Randall jailed for four months at Southend Crown
Care home bills must remain exempt from VAT, West Chelmsford MP Simon Burns is telling Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown. Mr Burns told the Chancellor that a recent decision by the London VAT Tribunal that VAT should be charged on care home bills
Richard Branson had better look out-the entrepreneurial skills of Chelmsford student Adam Clarke have been recognised with a regional award. Adam, 16, a student at the Thriftwood School, has been named as the student in the Eastern Region who made the
Children from a Black Notley nursery have been learning what it is like to work in a fish and chip shop. Youngsters from Mannadale Nursery have been learning all there is to know about the ocean. And as part of their studies they have been learning about
Leisure facilities for elderly people living on a Colchester estate have come under fire amid pensioners' calls for better activities for the "young at heart". A special meeting targeting the needs of the elderly in the Greenstead area of Colchester has
Punters visiting Southend United's Roots Hall stadium will be able to have a bet on the match if plans get the thumbs up. A Southend Council hearing chaired by Gwen Horrigan (Con, West Leigh) will discuss an application for a track betting licence in
Paul Prichard today (Thursday) provided substance to the claims of Stuart Law that all is not sweetness and light in the Essex dressing room. Speaking about his decision to quit the County at the end of the summer, the former Essex captain said: "I have
Following many successful years of summer holiday fun, Thorpe Hall School are inviting young sporting hopefuls to join their new Sporting Academy during the six-week break. Chris Morton, a popular LTA tennis coach, heads the dedicated coaching team while
A shellfish bed off East Mersea has been given the all-clear after poisonous crustaceans were discovered there. The area - known as the Wreck Marker - borders the beach at Cudmore Grove and has been closed off since the end of May. The move followed the
A Chelmsford vicar has described the tragic scene he met after hooligans entered his churchyard and vandalised up to 20 gravestones. Rev Tim Ball, of Holy Trinity Church, discovered the desecration of headstones in Trinity Road, Springfield, which included
A new traders' association is gathering momentum after a further outbreak of vandalism hit Canvey. Shopkeepers joined forces following a week where drunken youths rampaged through the island's Furtherwick Road, smashing shop windows and causing hundreds
Stunned families were today (Thursday) waking up to discover a man had been murdered in their Basildon street. Parents and children silently made their way to work and school as detectives and forensics teams moved in to examine the scene in Bryn Farm
Motorists faced long delays and a detour after a crack appeared across the full width of a slip road from the A12. The section of the Spring Lane slip road leading to the Colne Bank roundabout in Colchester began collapsing yesterday afternoon (Tuesday
A top diver was today (Wednesday) heading to the site of the sunken Kursk nuclear submarine to take part in a £60m operation to salvage it. Mark Girdlestone, 42, is flying out to the site where the Russian submarine sank following a mystery explosion
Kelvedon could soon have its first 24-hours-a-day cash point. Co-op foodstore in High Street has submitted an application to Braintree Council to have a new machine installed outside the Co-op Local shop. Lorraine Collins, publicity manager for Co-op,
Savers in Harold's own credit union are soon to reap the rewards of an easy-access saving and collection point being set up on their own doorsteps. The credit union, set to be fully active by next year, is being formed by the Citizens Advice Bureau and
The children of Chernobyl stepped out for a unique and moving concert in Brentwood last week. The youngsters, who live in the shadow of the greatest disaster of modern times, took to the stage in their colourful traditional costumes at St. Thomas' Church
A "nasty and degrading" attack on two men on Frinton beach is being treated as a homophobic assault. The men were on the beach at about 4am on Monday when they were robbed and assaulted. One of the victims, who are both 24, was forced to hand over his
A woman jailed for life collapsed in the dock after a judge told her she was dangerous and the public needed protecting from her. Jennifer Millar was being sentenced for setting fire to a Colchester flat when the incident happened at Chelmsford Crown
A Victorian mill and two cottages are to be demolished to make way for a care home and a house in Coggeshall. The future of The Mill, at Robinsbridge Road, which has been disused for years, was decided when members of the Braintree Area Committee voted
A powerful supergun adopted by Essex Police to combat armed criminals who use body armour is a peacekeeping measure, the Essex Police Federation said. The Essex force is one of the first in the country to have taken on the Heckler & Koch G36K assault
Up to 1,800 Marconi staff working in Essex are waiting to hear if their jobs after safe following the firm's share price collapse. The communications company last night (Wednesday) announced 4,000 jobs would be lost worldwide. Following the suspension
The county's small businessmen and women have pledged to fight any attempt by the government to operate tax credit through wage packets, which they say is an invasion of employee privacy. They say they should not be regarded as a social-welfare arm of
The Spring Lane sliproad from the A12, which collapsed due to excessive heat, was partially reopened this morning. One lane of the road was in use from early today after the damaged section was cut out and replaced with asphalt last night. The new surface
It's 'batten down the hatches' time for Essex businesses, with many of them slashing their spending plans, or putting them on hold, the Chartered Institute of Marketing has reported. But the organisation warned doing so could cause long term problems.
An international holdings company has paid more than £1m pounds for a Braintree drainage firm. Dublin-based Heiton Holdings has bought 100 per cent of the shares in Willis Building Merchants for £1.6 million. As well as the UK, Heitons has companies in
Helen Crook found the going tough in both her matches at Wimbledon last week. She and partner Vicky Davies, wild card entrants for the ladies' doubles, had met number 1 seeds Alexandra Fusai (France) and Rita Grande (Italy) in the first round. It was
A respected official at the Crompton Coward Angling Club died while fishing at the weekend. Brian Williams, long-time match secretary and was membership secretary, died on the bank at the weekend, at one of his club's fishing matches. He will be sadly
Colchester United boss Steve Whitton admitted he has almost given up hope of re-signing out-of-contract midfielder Aaron Skelton. Whitton said on Tuesday: "I spoke with Skelts yesterday and he told me to go through his agent. "That's the procedure we
Witham 149 all out Cavaliers 107 all out (Witham won by 42 runs) (Osborne Garages League Division Three) If Witham played their cricket on a Monopoly board, every Chance card would turn up "Get out of jail free". Witham's bowlers rescued another 20 points
This year's Essex County Junior Championships are again being hosted by Thorpe Bay. The County Closed Championships will be played during the week August Bank Holiday Monday August 24 to August 29. There are singles in all age groups from 10 to 21 and
A late surge from Somerset's middle order has undone much of the good work from Essex bowlers at the end of the first day's play in Taunton. Essex captain Ronnie Irani had claimed two wickets in the first session of play, snatching the wickets of opener
Thorpe Hall golf professional Bill McColl and Southend student Sam Johnson are off to Portugal after winning Europe's biggest pro-am. Despite the pain from a frozen shoulder, McColl and his 18-year-old colleague won the East Anglia final of the Lombard
Talks between education chiefs and a German ambassador have taken place in a bid to get more teachers into Essex, as latest figures show a deepening crisis in recruiting new staff. Figures released today (Thursday) show the number of teacher vacancies
A bogus roofer snatched £100 from an 87-year-old woman after conning her into thinking she owed him for work. The elderly lady was confused into believing the man had been working on her roof, which he had not. She was ready to pay him but he impatiently
Postal workers were back delivering mail on Canvey this morning (Thursday) after union representatives and Royal Mail managers thrashed out a last-minute deal. Thousands of homes were left without post after workers staged a mass walkout yesterday (Wednesday
An Ongar Road garage is on the point of becoming one of the most hi-tech garage forecourt 'corner shop' complexes in the UK, with solar panels providing its pump power and Internet access for customers. When the BP garage opposite Larkins announced it
Intrepid sailor Stuart Hill will have to pass a test before he can re-launch his bid to sail round Britain for charity. Mr Hill, of Manningtree, currently has his boat on stilts in Southwold while he carries out repairs. A spokesman for Yarmouth Coastguard
A drunk man who broke his leg falling from a church roof lay on the ground for several hours before he was found. An ambulance was called at 10.50pm on Tuesday and he was taken to Colchester General Hospital with leg and minor back injuries. A police
More than £57m is earmarked for upgrading council houses in Braintree as plans to transfer them to a housing association are put on hold. The money will be spent in a ten-year programme of maintenance and improvement on the council's 9500 properties.
Friends and fellow bikers met last night (Wednesday) at their weekly gathering at The Plough in Great Bentley for the first time since 21-year-old Richard Hill and Robert Baisden, 25, were killed. Money made from refreshments was collected to go to the
Southend United chiefs are negotiating an extension on their Roots Hall lease amid a revamp of their plans for a new stadium at Fossetts Farm. Blues directors Ray Osborne and Frank Van Wezel revealed that: Southend's Fossetts Farm stadium plans hinged
Richard Naylor is itching to return to pre-season training - despite enduring a far from restful summer break The Ipswich Town striker and his team-mates were reunited this morning as preparations for another assault on the Premiership got under way.
A crime reduction officer should be appointed to work at Colchester Council. That's the opinion of several Colchester councillors who expressed their views on how crime reduction should be approached when they met last night (Wednesday). Members of the
