Staff at south Essex's newest nightspot have been working furiously to get everything ready for next week's big opening day. Stylish - general manager Jamie Brookes displays the club's interior ready to open on New Year's Eve. Picture: DAVE HENDERSON
Billericay Town are to start the year 2002 with their own unique version of the January sales. However, instead of the usual "everything must go" posters traditionally seen at stores this time of year, the message at New Lodge is a simple "everyone can
More than 150 students received awards for outstanding performance when Palmer's College in Grays staged its annual prize-giving. Dagmara Barcz from Chadwell St Mary, won five prizes including the Thurrock Gazette Prize for humanities. She is now studying
Shoppers stocking up on mince pies, Champagne and sprouts helped Waitrose ring up record trade in the run-up to Christmas, the group said. Many customers left their shopping to the last minute, pushing sales figures for Christmas Eve up 88 per cent on
A resident whose house was affected by power cuts has had home cinema equipment worth £15,000 damaged. The angry Great Notley resident, who did not want to be named, says his top of the range entertainment system has been affected by a string of power
Police have named the man who died after being seriously injured in a street fight. Richard McCormack, 34, of Sedgefield Way, Braintree, was involved in an altercation in Braintree High Street on Sunday, December 16 at 1.35am. He suffered a serious head
Port Vale manager Brian Horton described his team's match-winning performance as the perfect revenge for their 2-0 defeat at Colchester earlier in the season. He said: "Colchester caused us a lot of problems at their place and we expected another very
Ipswich Town have been threatening a result like this for weeks. Fresh from two straight wins, the Blues recorded their biggest ever Premiership triumph. And, unbelievably, the margin between the sides could have been even greater if other chances had
Shop staff are celebrating after they scooped a coveted Investors in People award. The award, which recognises high standards in recruitment and training, has been presented to workers in the Co-operative Group's shops in south Essex. Investors in People
A South Woodham man is starring alongside comedian Bradley Walsh in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, in Hastings. Marc Hopkins, 20, who was part of the lighting team for the West End show Mamma Mia!, beat 50 others in auditions for the
Rocks' title charge had a blip as they went down to Bedfordshire side Arlesey. The hosts set their stall out early on with three chances and made the breakthrough after 18 minutes when Lee Tekell hit his eighth of the season. Thurrock had the chance to
Drivers must abandon their vehicles and start using public transport to stop Colchester becoming totally gridlocked. The warning comes from senior Colchester councillor Terry Sutton. He said a year after the new roundabout, bus lane and road layout at
More needs to be done to promote next year's Golden Jubilee celebrations within Billericay, Wickford and Basildon - according to a leading councillor. Cllr Malcolm Buckley, of Wickford South, is calling on Basildon Council to take action to encourage
Ultra keen runners will be welcoming in the New Year by taking on a half marathon through the countryside surrounding Billericay. Members of Billericay Striders Running Club will be shaking off hangovers to take on the annual run on January 1 which has
The owner of a home in Cresthill Avenue, Grays, spotted a fleeing burglar at his home. The thief was brandishing a stick as he left the house and got into a dark-coloured Ford. He is described as in his late 20s to early 30s with a French-cut hairstyle
A young air ace will celebrate getting his pilot's wings by taking his mum away on holiday. Flight of fancy - new pilot Tommy Griffiths plans to fly his mum away on holiday. Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL 5TDGA1 Tommy Griffiths, 17, of Warwick Road, Rayleigh
Detectives were today hunting two men who battered a motorist after demanding his wallet. The 29-year-old victim parked his car in Somerset Gardens, Basildon, and was walking around it to check his locks when two men approached him and asked: "Are you
Southend United boss Rob Newman tried to remain upbeat after Blues became the latest victims of Luton Town's promotion charge, following Saturday's 2-1 Roots Hall defeat. Midfielder Carl Hutchings fired the Shrimpers ahead just after the break, but the
County Groundbaits proprietor Terry Lock included a 12lb-plus carp in his 18lb 13oz winning catch at Mick Toomer's Ridley Angling Products sponsored Gloucester Park Christmas Open. Terry fished pole tactics and caster bait from the cockle bank where he
As 2001 closes and a new spaced odyssey begins, I get a rare opportunity to look back over the musical year in the south east. Good news is Steps and Five split up. Bad news is SClub7 and Westlife are still together. Despite suggestions that live music
A special Christmas CD has raised more than £1,200 for two churches in South Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre The CD entitled A Manger Filled With Love was recorded by the congregation of the Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre parish in a bid to raise money for
The boss of one of Southend's biggest companies was awarded an MBE in the new year honours today for services to road safety. Michael Woodford, the managing director of medical giant Keymed, of Stock Road, was given the honour for his dedicated work to
A scheme to improve the fitness of older people in Thurrock is becoming increasingly popular. It was back in June last year that Thurrock Community Leisure - the trust which runs the borough's leisure and fitness centres - took the Fitness For Health
New speed measures could be coming to two roads in the Dovercourt area. A speed survey in Low Road, Dovercourt, showed motorists were driving at about 39mph in the 30mph limit. Essex County Council is now looking to bring in speed calming measures for
Blues ended a great year by moving up to third in the Ryman Premier Division - 12 months ago they were next-to-bottom. The achievements of the players brought to the Rec by Craig Edwards Snr and Mike Woodward have been well documented but in hard statistics
Police dramatically prevented a young man from jumping off a bridge over one of the county's major roads. The 21-year-old had climbed over barriers on the bridge across the A12 at Rivenhall, which leads on to Henry Dixon Road, at about 4pm yesterday.
A late Gary Fletcher goal spared Grays' blushes after they threw away a two-goal lead at Cressing Road. Athletic took the lead after eight minutes through Fletcher and were two up after 23 minutes as they made the most of Braintree having only ten men
Charity workers and public servants have had their years of dedicated service rewarded in the New Year's Honours. Dorothy Lodge, of Windermere Drive, White Court, near Braintree, has been recognised with an MBE for services to Halstead Day Centre, which
A little extra Christmas cheer was served up to London's homeless people in the form of festive puddings donated by Toby Carvery Runwell Village and Brentwood. The carveries donated almost 16,000 mincemeat roly poly puddings to national homelessness charity
Colchester United boss Steve Whitton has snapped up impressive Arsenal loanee striker Graham Barrett until the end of the season. But the deal had to be rubber stamped by noon today for it to happen. The talented Republic of Ireland Under-21 front-runner
Chelmsford City emerged with great credit from their journey to Northants on Saturday, pushing title favourites Kettering Town all the way in this Dr Martens League clash. The Poppies, with just one league defeat in fifteen league matches were boosted
Three-quarters of all dogs will have an electronic microchip inserted into the scruffs of their necks within five years. Or at least, that's the target set for Colchester Council's dog warden team. Colchester's two dog wardens have offered a microchipping
Former Essex and Billericay cricketer Danny Law today distanced himself from alleged "shoe bomber" Richard Reid after it emerged the they are cousins. Reid, who is accused of trying to blow up a plane from Paris to Miami using explosives hidden in his
The great and good of Essex were rewarded in the New Year's Honours list today. Essex and England cricket captain Nasser Hussain received an OBE for services to cricket. And singer Sade, who grew up in Clacton, has also been awarded an OBE, for her services
A Corringham woman who looks after all the lost property left on buses, trains and taxis in London said she was "completely and utterly gobsmacked" to receive an MBE. Maureen Beaumont, 57, of Howell Road, has been the manager of London's lost property
A chief executive has been appointed for the new countywide Essex Health Authority which comes into effect in April next year. Terry Hanafin is to take on the role for the restructured health authority, which is part of the government's programme of reforming
A Daughter was dismayed to discover precious flowers had been ripped from her dad's grave - because they breached regulations. Gill Herbert, a 45-year-old prison escort officer, was even more distraught when it emerged council officers had allegedly written
Volunteers who threw caution to the wind and dressed in fancy dress for a street collection for Southend's homeless had their efforts rewarded. Staff, committee members and supporters of Southend Centre for the Homeless raised a record £2,210 which will
An historic pub window was smashed by vandals causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. A brick was hurled through a large window of the Kings Arms, in High Street, Dovercourt destroying one of the two remaining original windows. The incident happened
A little extra Christmas cheer was served up to London's homeless people in the form of festive puddings donated by Toby Carvery Runwell Village and Brentwood. The carveries donated almost 16,000 mincemeat roly poly puddings to national homelessness charity
Residents could lose their voice on local planning decisions, Castle Point MP Bob Spink warned today. He was speaking in response to a Government Planning Green Paper. Dr Spink claims the consultation document outlines how the Government wants to "strip
Some very special people are needed to join voluntary staff at the Southend Citizen's Advice Bureau. New trainee advisers are urgently needed to join the 70-strong team, which gives advice to the public on a wide range of problems. Training takes six
A gang of would-be thieves fled Thurrock Motorway Services empty-handed after trying to get into a till with a knife. The raid happened in the early hours of Friday morning and the four men made their escape in a red P registration Vauxhall Vectra. Published
Thieves broke into a white Mercedes Sprinter van in Falstones, Laindon and made off with £1,000 of tools. The haul included a Dewalt cordless drill, a Dewalt radio charger and Kango hammer. The crooks also caused £100 damage to the vehicle after smashing
Hand grenades from the Second World War could hold up work to develop a builder's yard. Maldon district councillors are set to make a ruling on whether the area, which belongs to J Purdy and Son, in The Square, Heybridge, can be developed for new houses
Fleet bounced back from their enforced Boxing Day lay-off with a lively victory over the Berkshire outfit. Colin McBride's men went four up before Maidenhead grabbed a couple of consolation goals late on, but by then the damage had been done. Dean Chandler
House prices in Essex rocketed by more than 10 per cent over the past year -- making it the hottest property spot in Britain. The price of an average home in the county went up by 10.2 per cent to £126,400, according to a survey by housing experts. This
Drivers must abandon their vehicles and start using public transport to stop Colchester becoming totally gridlocked. The warning comes from senior Colchester councillor Terry Sutton. He said a year after the new roundabout, bus lane and road layout at
The power of the internet has been harnessed to help the fight against crime around Maldon. A new website to promote Neighbourhood Watch schemes has been launched to get more people involved with projects and raise awareness of crime-related issues. It
Now the turkey has almost disappeared and the Christmas pudding and fresh cream are but a distant memory, there is a fresh incentive to lose weight. And those feeling their belt buckles bulge are being encouraged to diet with television soap star Ross
It's difficult to see how a superb year 2001 could have come to a more satisfactory end for Jeff King's Canvey braves. Not only did they, with a side lacking six key men, finally kill off any last remaining Ryman League Premier Division title hopes for
A Health service telephone advice line is bracing itself for a New Year's rush after its busiest Boxing Day ever. NHS Direct, the 24-hour nurse advice service, was inundated with calls over the festive period from people suffering with symptoms such as
A would-be burglar who tried to break into Hadleigh fire station was stopped by a safety film covering the glass window. Leading firefighter Rob Sherwin was woken up by the sound of someone breaking glass downstairs. He said: "I heard the glass breaking
Local Foresters Essex Senior League clubs generally said a cheerful goodbye to 2001 with fine wins in the final fixtures of the year. Bowers, Basildon United, Concord Rangers and Hullbridge Sports all had good victories, with only Southend Manor spoiling
The boss of one of Southend's biggest companies was awarded an MBE in the new year honours today for services to road safety. Michael Woodford, the managing director of medical giant Keymed, of Stock Road, was given the honour for his dedicated work to
SAD Colchester tamely surrendered their unbeaten record for December against a lowly Port Vale side who were far the better side on the day. The game was all but over for the out of sorts U's after the Valients hit two goals in three minutes via Ian Armstrong
Berko came out on top of this mid-table encounter after the Dockers shipped three goals. But the hosts can count themselves unlucky. The visitors took the lead when Ben Smith's wayward strike hit Tilbury defender Craig Dennis and went in after seven minutes
Investigators were today probing a fire at a house in Southend which left two people in hospital and may have been started deliberately. Six men had to be rescued from the house in Pleasant Road after fire broke out in a first floor room. Men working
Six men were rescued when a blaze ripped through a multi-occupancy house in Pleasant Road, Southend. Two men were taken to hospital, and later released. Fire experts were today investigating the inferno which began in a first floor room of the three-storey
Speedway stalwart Peter Thorogood is spitting feathers after being retired from Arena-Essex by the current promoting consortium. Thorogood learned of his fate before Christmas but the Benfleet-based 68-year-old is still bitter about his departure from
Soccer fans met with chaos on their way to and from Southend's game at Roots Hall on Saturday. It was caused by a gas leak which affected the area around nearby Fairfax Drive and Hildaville Drive. The drama resulted in five families being evacuated from
The owner of a barn owl and a hawk stolen from an aviary today pleaded for their safe return. Paul Bourke discovered barn owl Boo Boo and Harris hawk Titch were missing from their cage at his Clacton home yesterday morning. Thieves had got into the aviary
Thomas Gaardsoe was in triumphant mood after scoring in Ipswich Town's historic 5-0 mauling of Sunderland. The Blues recorded their biggest ever Premiership win against the Black Cats, with Gaardsoe joined on the scoresheet by two-goal hero Alun Armstrong
A newsletter offering advice and information on how to stay fit and healthy during the winter has been produced in a joint project by North and South Essex Health Authorities. The newsletter, called Winter Health, is available free of charge from GP surgeries
Motorists are drinking and driving even more than last year, despite warnings by Essex Police of heavy punishments. The interim drink-drive figures for this year's campaign, which Essex Police launched on December 1, show a consistent number of motorists
Luton Town ended Southend United's six-match unbeaten run with a tight 2-1 victory at Roots Hall on Saturday. Following a blank first-half, midfielder Carl Hutchings gave Blues the perfect start to the second period, netting his fourth goal of the season
