An inquest is to be held into the sudden death of a Dovercourt man. Police investigations began after the body of the 49-year-old man was discovered at his home in Main Road by his father. Scenes of crime police officers spent several hours at the house
Bored young people in Abridge are being asked to "put their case" for the after-school and weekend activities they would like to see provided in the village. The message from parish council chairman Pat Price follows a consultation meeting in Abridge
A lorry driver suffered minor injuries when his lorry overshot a flyover and came to a halt hanging over the edge of the road. Firefighters helped the shaken driver to safety from his cab as it hung perilously in mid-air, and his minor cuts were treated
Two goals from attack leader Neil Gregory allowed Canvey to move smoothly into second place in the Ryman League Premier Division table. The Gulls are two points behind top dogs Braintree with a game in hand after the 2-0 win over Maidenhead at Park Lane
Colchester United are on the LDV Vans Trophy trail again. They swept aside last season's beaten semi-finalists Swindon Town in last night's (Tuesday's) Layer Road first round clash far more convincingly than the narrow scoreline suggests. Kemal Izzet
Peter Taylor is Southend United's number one choice for the vacant managerial post at Roots Hall. And the former England under-21 boss is expected to decide today (Wednesday) if he wants to take on the Shrimpers' job for a second time. It is believed
A woman is appealing to the owner of a nine-year-old female barn owl to come forward. Janice Hope, of Guinea Close, Braintree, opened her front door to greet her son but instead had a barn owl fly on to her arm. The "extremely tame" bird has typical markings
Questions were due to be raised in Parliament yesterday (Tuesday) over the crisis in Colchester General Hospital's neurology department. Colchester's Lib Dem MP Bob Russell was due to ask the Secretary of State for Health Alan Milburn why promises that
A shocked mum and her three young children had a narrow escape after a car smashed through their garden wall and careered towards their house. Tina Clark, 35, was in the kitchen of their home at Grasmere Gardens, Frinton, when the car shot through the
A ten-year-old schoolgirl is recovering after she became impaled on a mattress wire. The girl, a pupil at Coppins Green Primary School in Clacton, was playing at a friend's house using the mattress to jump on when the wire burst through the material and
Essex has netted a £65,000 grant which should help in a bid to put the county on the seafood map. Work has been going on behind the scenes to develop an Essex for Seafood brand to promote the county as a first-class place to produce, buy and enjoy seafood
A former builder has been jailed for allowing more than £50,000 of drugs to be stored in his garage lock-up. Alan Cooper, of Mill Lane, Witham, admitted possessing more than 1.1g of cocaine, and of aiding and abetting the possession of £37,200-worth of
A decison on plans for a halfway house for recovering drug and alcohol addicts has been postponed. Chelmsford Council's planning committee decided on Monday night that plans to build eight flats for use by addicts in Arbour Lane, Chelmsford, could not
People in Colchester's Castle Park had an opportunity to buy the castle and its surroundings at the launch of Essex Monopoly. The eagerly-awaited county edition of the game was launched at the castle, which replaces the prestigious Park Lane square as
A year on from the torrential storms and flooding that deluged the district, Epping Forest Council has established new contingency plans and produced an advice leaflet for residents. A council spokesman said: "The leaflet contains information on what
Witham Town had no problems in disposing of Camberley Town 5-0 at Spa Road to end a run of two successive defeats in the third division. They took the lead in the 43rd minute when Kevin Inglis scored after a good bout of passing ended when his low shot
A new director of Maldon and District Council for Voluntary Service has taken over. Kevin Wearing will be working with five full and part-time staff. He comes from a business start up and acquisitions and mergers background, working in places such as
The number of patients being treated at Runwell mental hospital could nearly triple if plans to massively redevelop the site go ahead. More than 50 beds for medium security patients are included in the scheme - but project leaders insist the public will
Detectives have been trying to piece together the last hours of a Basildon student who may have been the victim of a racist murder. They said they were treating the drowning of 22-year-old Talaal Omer as suspicious and that one line of inquiry was that
Harry Potter may have been made famous through the books of J K Rowling, but Tiptree has its very own claim to the name. Eight-year-old Harry Potter lives in Tiptree with his mum Melanie, dad Mark and brother Thomas, five. Although a fan of the books,
Jobs could be lost at a Colchester insurance company. Crowe Insurance, of North Station, has made the announcement after management buyout negotiations came to a halt. Crowe's management put forward the bid after it's current owner Stockton Reinsurance
Holiday flights to France, Holland and Spain could be on the cards if Southend Airport's expansion plans take off, it has been revealed. An extra 3,000 new jobs within five years would also be one of the rewards if the airport builds new public safety
Wakering bounced back from Saturday's disappointing home stalemate against lowly Chertsey Town with a valuable 1-0 away win over Tilbury. Young midfielder Dan Trenkel got the vital goal on 37 minutes to cap a hard-working display by the village side.
The congregation at St Nicolas' Church in Witham has welcomed a new face to the parish following the installation of a new team rector. The Rev John Suddards, 49, who was formerly a priest in the Great Yeldham parish, was ordained in 1989. Originally
Two thugs beat up a young man as he waited for a taxi in a Southend street. The assault took place on the 25-year-old victim in London Road, Southend, at around 1.30am on Sunday. The young man was left with a cut to the bridge of his nose and a blackened
More than 300 music fans tuned in to a new venue for a record fair. The original Southend record and CD fair, which was held in Arlington Rooms in London road, Westcliff, was closed after police raids in September. However a new team has been formed and
Youngsters are set for a-mazeing playtimes. The playground at Bradfield Primary School has had a facelift to add an extra dimension to lunch breaks. A colourful selection of paintings have been drawn onto the ground surface to provide pupils with a variety
Essex are keeping a close watch on the future of John Crawley following his removal as Lancashire captain. Although the player still has one year left to run on his contract, he was bitterly disappointed at losing the captaincy and feels he was made the
Diver Mark Girdlestone has returned after helping to lift a stricken Russian nuclear submarine from the seabed. During the dangerous operation, his eardrums were burst after an underwater explosion. Mr Girdlestone, of Brightlingsea, was part of an £80m
A major new Canvey festival could take the island by storm next year. The summer fiesta would replace the former Canvey Carnival which stopped last year after a 75-year run. The new event, which is hoped to rival neighbouring Southend Carnival, will be
Former England under-21 boss Peter Taylor gave Southend United's players a glowing report after returning to Roots Hall for a coaching session. Taylor, who lives in Thorpe Bay, put the Shrimpers' first team stars through their paces at the invitation
Billericay Town could again savour the prospect of staging two big FA Cup matches in the same weekend at New Lodge. Monday's draw for the final qualifying round on Saturday week saw Gary Calder's Billericay out of the hat first to host Devon's Tiverton
A second-half goal from livewire midfielder Kemal Izzet saw Colchester move into the second round of the LDV Vans Trophy at Swindon's expense. The tie last night (Tuesday) also saw Joe Keith make an appearance as a substitute during the second half after
Essex youngsters are being encouraged to show off their 'freestyle' sporting skills at a special day in London - and they could end up in a music video. Sportswear giant Nike's new 'Freestyle' football and basketball ads feature the world's best pro players
A thief was jailed for ten months for his part in a £16,000 mobile phone heist at the giant Argos depot in Basildon. But as 29-year-old Mark Needham was sentenced, it was claimed two other workers got away with similar offences. The decision to prosecute
This Is Essex sister paper the Evening Gazette today (Wednesday) turned up to the second meeting of the new Tendring Council cabinet at Clacton Town Hall - only to be refused the right to report proceedings. Along with the public, we were barred from
Fire crews were called to rescue a colleague who was the victim of a stag night prank. Colchester sub officer George Bruce was discovered tied to a lamp post by his own belt and clad in just his boxer shorts to hide his modesty. In the early hours of
More than 100 people have already signed a petition opposed to plans for a 70 ft high radio mast. A planning application has been submitted to Colchester Council by British Telecom for permission for the mast to be sited near Bullock Wood, a site of special
A diabetic woman who drove a hole through Government red tape has called on others to follow her lead. Jackie Banks, 58, had her licence taken away after a lifetime of accident-free driving - and won it back ten months later in a costly court battle against
This is south Essex student Talaal Omer, who police fear may have been the victim of racist killers. His body was pulled from the Regent's Canal in east London and although a postmortem revealed he died from drowning, detectives are treating his death
A woman claims she lost out on a £136,130 lottery win because of a mistake by a shop operator. Elaine Clark, of Fairhead Road, St Anne's, Colchester, bought two tickets as usual from Alldays store in nearby Harwich Road. But it was only after realising
A 19-year-old woman with leukaemia, who put her life at risk to have a baby, has made a desperate plea for a bone marrow donor. Kelly Byrne needs to find a donor so she can have a bone marrow transplant to fight off the cancer. She is determined to do
A well-known Southend restaurateur, who unwittingly fed the Great Train Robbers, is backing a campaign to free Ronnie Biggs. Betty Singleton, who once owned the Continental Cafe on Westcliff seafront, is helping distribute a petition for the release of
The UK's largest PC manufacturer is bringing dozens of new jobs to Essex. Tiny Computers has agreed a deal with the nationwide Powerhouse electrical firm, for 140 showrooms to open its stores across the country. Seven stores in Essex, including ones in
Veteran Labour stalwart Roy Smith yesterday (Tuesday) vowed to fight a complaint made against him which could lead to him being kicked out of the party he has served for 32 years. Mr Smith, 74, who is both a Tendring district and Essex county councillor
A Jimmy Chatters hat-trick wasn't enough for an on-form Wivenhoe side to defeat the Met Police on their own beat going down 4-3 in Ryman League Division Two. The Dragons were leading 2-0, but the Police pulled one back just before half-time. The home
Grays Athletic earned themselves a fourth qualifying round home tie against Conference side Margate in the FA Cup after beating Purfleet 3-2 in last night's (Tuesday's) replay at the Rec. Saturday's original fixture between the Ryman Premier clubs finished
Castle Point Council is putting in a no right hand turn sign at the new civic amenity and recycling centre on Canvey. The order will stop cars turning right into Canvey Road, from the site at Waterside Farm
A lorry driver who admitted causing the death of a Colchester father by crashing into his road maintenance vehicle has been jailed for 30 months. Victim Paul Scrutton was thrown through the air "like a rag doll" by the force of the crash and into the
A teenage bully who robbed and beat up two younger Southend boys has been locked up. Tony Fairburn, 17, held the boys at knifepoint and put them through a terrifying 20-minute ordeal by ordering them to help steal cars. He warned that if the boys reported
Residents at a residential home in Leigh awoke in terror after a firework shot through an open window. It exploded in a corridor of the Avro Centre, in Avro Road - which houses people with learning difficulties - setting off the fire alarm on Monday night
Two police officers have been praised after tackling a man wielding a four-foot sword at terrified passers-by in a Colchester street. Police rushed to Magdalen Street at 8pm on Monday night after a report of a man heading towards the town centre attacking
An ambitious scheme for a large convenience store, 34 apartments and a state-of-the-art car showroom could help to revitalise an important gateway into Colchester. Luton-based developer Eastern Square Property Group's plan is for a two-acre site in Magdalen
Six people are being questioned after £32m of cocaine was seized during a raid at Southend Airport. The haul is believed to be one of the biggest ever in the UK. The 500 kilos of drugs were seized last night (Tuesday) after the drug was thrown out of
Former Southend United striker Roy McDonough has thrown his hat in the ring for the vacant manager's job at Roots Hall. The 43-year-old targetman was a cult figure for Shrimpers fans in two playing spells during the 80s, scoring 40 goals in 242 appearances
A popular newspaper vendor at Leigh train station has been told to quit his post. Rail firm c2c has refused to renew Wilfred Raleigh's lease and has instead opted for another company to take over his news stand. Michael Buchereau has sold papers on behalf
Clacton Town midfielder Mitchell Springett has scooped the prestigious Jewson League player-of-the-season award. The honour is voted for by every player in both the premier division and division one. And, after totting up the results to find the best
Property developer Martin Dawn has been frozen out of its third land deal in as many weeks. Essex County Council has agreed to sell a prime piece of Benfleet land to Castle Point Council rather than Billericay-based Martin Dawn. Ron Martin, chairman of
A list of important decisions affecting Tendring has been published - but gives little away. Tendring Council's new cabinet-style of local government has held its first meeting in private. As a result it has now published a Forward Plan, a list of key
A middle-aged woman is recovering after being knocked to the ground as a street robber pounced. The robbery took place in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff when she was crossing a railway bridge. The attacker grabbed the woman's handbag and caused her to fall
New boards to illustrate the history of the area around Friars Gate alleyway and library in Maldon were unveiled last week. The boards use large-scale drawings to illustrate the history of the area occupied since Saxon times. The site includes what was
Cocaine worth £32m has been seized at Southend Airport in Britain's largest-ever drugs haul. Customs officers swooped on a Boeing 707 aircraft after suitcases were thrown from its cargo door as it taxied on the runway. Six men - four British, one Nigerian
Chelmsford councillors are being recommended to give the go-ahead for a five storey office building with surface and basement car parking at the junction of Parkway and New London Road, Chelmsford. The borough council's planning committee is being told
The widow of an alleged murder victim has told how he had been given a second chance of life after a heart attack five months ago. Ironically, Ronald Dennis was certified dead on arrival at Southend Hospital - but was resuscitated by medics. However,
A military bomb disposal team was called to Stansted Airport to carry out a controlled explosion. Normal security checks on freight were being carried out on Monday night when concern was raised over a package being handled by worldwide company Federal
Bleary-eyed residents in Southend were woken early yesterday (Tuesday) as the police helicopter swooped low over the town. The chopper, based at Essex Police HQ in Chelms-ford, began flying circuits over Southend and Westcliff at around 12.20am. It continued
Staff from Plume Housing Association based at Heybridge have raised more than £4,500 for charity after bleaching their hair blond and taking part in fundraising activities. Jason Amos, Steve Welch, Lee Brace and Shane Everitt and Dave Weightman, second
A new Corporate Partners Scheme has been launched to strengthen the support companies can show for Little Haven Childrens Hospice. So far a total of 14 companies have signed up for the scheme so far and have already become involved in fundraising initiatives
A woman police officer feared she had contracted anthrax when she was covered with a white powder by a would-be mugger, it has been revealed. The 50-year-old officer was taken to Basildon Hospital as fire decontamination officers stood by in case the
The contestants for the Miss EuroRegion 2002 title will arrive in Clacton today (Wednesday). The event is being staged at Highfield Holiday Park in the town with the final night of competition on Saturday - and the overall winner will go forward to the
Postal staff in Chelmsford had a nasty scare last night (Tuesday) after white powder was found leaking from a parcel. In the wake of current events in the US, where senators and journalists have been targeted in a series of anthrax attacks, it was feared
George Burley believes points will start flowing if his side maintain the level of performance which saw them draw with Everton. The Ipswich Town boss said: "We were disappointed not to win because we pushed up in the second half, passed the ball better
City were indebted to Kris Lee's injury time strike which kept their FA Cup dreams alive, having squandered a hatful of chances against Ryman League Division One side Harlow Town. Paul Parker's men remain in the draw for the 4th Qualifying Round, though
Workmen treating timber in a Rayleigh church were amazed to find a 17th century shoe tucked into the rafters. The find, in Holy Trinity Church, is thought to be the historical equivalent to a "Fred was here" message from craftsmen of old. The tiny shoe
Dozens of teaching posts in Essex advertised last year are still unfilled according to delegates at a union conference. Representatives of teachers union National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) in East Anglia met to discuss
A man who lost his job almost four months ago is celebrating after scooping £500,000 on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Peter Spyrides, from Hutton, near Brentwood, was the fifth contestant to win half a million pounds in the three-year history of the
A new £500,000 national call centre opens its doors for business in Colchester today (Wednesday). Bunzl Vending Services's(BVS) new call centre, in Brunel Way, on the Severalls Industrial Estate, Colchester, will employ 20 communication specialists. They
