The devastated family of a much-loved 21-year-old were today mourning her sudden death Joanne Midwinter, a legal secretary who had big plans for the future, died in Colchester General Hospital just days after first complaining about pains across her chest
A crash brought chaos to the M25 after it closed the clockwise carriageway in south Essex, causing tailbacks stretching 16 miles. Two articulated lorries and a car were involved in the accident, which caused hours of delays yesterday. Chaos - emergency
Darren Ambrose today insisted there is no danger of him 'sulking' over his lack of first-team chances at Ipswich Town. The teenage attacking midfield prodigy has been on the bench seven times - four as an unused substitute - in the dozen games played
Residents in South Woodham Ferrers are having to dispose of their own rubbish - even though Chelmsford Council has introduced a new green scheme to get rid of waste. The tip at South Woodham has doubled the amount of black bags it is taking from residents
Southend United goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan admitted Blues threw away their FA Cup dream, following last night's 3-2 Second Round replay defeat at Bournemouth. Two goals just before half-time from front-runners Tes Bramble and Mark Rawle put the Shrimpers
Christmas has come early for a Hutton pre-school left devastated by a blaze at their shared hut. Generous Brentwood Gazette readers have been playing Santa and replacing toys and equipment destroyed in last month's fire at the Hutton Scouts HQ in Wash
Councillors heeded a call to stop Thundersley being turned into "an old people's home" as plans for a sheltered housing complex were put on ice. Charles Smith, Castle Point's mayor, spoke out over plans for a two and three- storey warden-assisted building
A call has been made to dual Great Notley bypass to encourage more motorists to use it rather than London Road. Essex county councillor Roger Walters (Braintree West) said: "I feel that the road going from Panner's roundabout that joins to the Great Leighs
A 21-year-old biker was today seriously ill in hospital after a collision with a car in Southend. The man, from Canvey, was taken to Southend Hospital with serious internal injuries after the smash in Hamstel Road at the junction with Vaughan Avenue.
A mum who battled breast cancer, post-natal depression and the premature birth of her first child, was treated to an amazing trip to London. The VIP weekend was a dream come true for brave Cindy Lowe, following two turbulent years of hospital stays and
Private companies will be used to help fund health services in Colchester in a radical shake-up of the way they are provided. A meeting of the Colchester Primary Care Trust's (PCT) board and professional executive committee decided on yesterday to overhaul
Do you know anyone who has gone beyond the call of duty for others? If so, they may be eligible for the 2003 Rotary Vocational Award. The honour is presented every year by the Rotary Club of Basildon to a citizen who has made an "outstanding contribution
A multi-million pound contract to upgrade education facilities in Clacton will be awarded to one of two final contenders in the next few weeks, it has been revealed. Essex County Council will choose between Jarvis and Wates for the work, which includes
A new service has been officially launched to help patients at Colchester General and Essex County hospitals. Mike Pollard, chief executive of Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust, which runs both hospitals, cut a ribbon across the door of the Patient Advice
Paralympic gold medallist Lloyd Upsdell took time out from his training schedule to encourage shoppers in Braintree's George Yard to give cash for a children's play centre. The Dunmow athlete, 19, is patron of Parc - a charity which aims to build a play
Thrill-seekers will be in their element on two exciting new rides at Southend's Adventure Island theme park, thanks to a major investment. The Cow Jump is already in place after it was purpose-built at the park's design centre by technical experts. The
Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to a gentle giant who helped found Braintree Rugby Club. Terry Lowe, 55, of Rosemary Avenue, Braintree, died on Tuesday, November 26, after a short illness. Mr Lowe, who worked as a builder, was a founder member
Dean Gerken could soon be donning the three lions of England. The 17-year-old in-form Colchester United goalkeeper is catching the eye of the national coaches and is in line for an England Under-18 trial. Gerken, who hails from Rayleigh near Southend,
A wonder goal from Kevin Ingles clinched Stanway Rovers' place in the quarter-finals of the Millennium Trophy. Ingles fired home from just inside his own half when he latched onto a clearance from Woodbridge keeper Glyn Dixon. Stanway boss Steve Ball
Stop, chain and check! That is the message from Billericay police who have launched a campaign to alert householders - and the elderly in particular - to the danger of bogus callers. Officers have been visiting sheltered housing in the area, to give advice
It was a case of happiness begins at home for Alleyn Court when they won the cross-country relay event they staged for 16 schools at their Wakering Road, Thorpe Bay, home. They collected the overall title from Brentwood Ursuline and also came out on top
An 80-year-old woman was robbed of more than £1,000 as she stood in a queue at the central Post Office in Southend High Street. She checked her handbag to find £1,100 cash, her passport and savings books had been stolen. Police want to speak to the woman
Braintree moved into second spot with a superb display against local rivals Chelmsford. But, the brandishing of four yellow cards clearly indicates the club has an indiscipline problem to address. The Black and Ambers have moved within striking distance
Young soccer players cheered after winning a new home. Triumphant - young campaigners won high praise from councillors as they successfully persuaded them to use green belt land in Rochford for football and cricket pitches. Councillors backed plans for
Southend Council today apologised and admitted failing innocent children following a damning report into its handling of a sex abuse inquiry. Tony Childs, 32, a former teacher at Blenheim Primary School in Leigh, was jailed for five years in April after
Pleasure anglers fishing at Gloucester Park have taken some tremendous roach hauls during the week, but none to challenge the tremendous 30lb-plus catch netted by lake regular Stan Howard. Stan fished the cockle bank, where he targeted the bigger roach
Colchester United footballer Joe Keith is to see a specialist next week because he is suffering from a bizarre abnormality. The former West Ham defender has been told that his right leg is two centimetres longer than the left. Injury problem - the U's
Chelmsford City Football Club are a step closer to returning to playing in the town. Borough councillors will decide in the Spring whether planning permission should be granted to the club for a temporary stadium at Melbourne Park, until the outcome of
The eve of match signing of former Football League man Stuart Munday certainly seemed to give Great Wakering Rovers a lift last night. Shoebury man Munday, best remembered locally for scoring the winning goal for Brighton in an FA Cup tie with Southend
It was a merry Christmas for Canvey Island's 37-strong squad of swimmers at the Jingle Bells gala at Runnymede Pool. They collected 87 medals in total, including 17 golds, with many of the team recording personal best times. The star performer was 14-
Page three model Jade brought added glamour to a Colchester company's fundraising efforts. Polestar in Newcomen Way has raised £1,690 for the Save the Children Fund by selling 2,000 raffle tickets. And Jade gave her time to do the Christmas draw and present
A teenage boy died in an accident today in which a 15-year-old boy was driving The boys were in a silver grey Citroen XM car when it hit a wooden electricity pole and lamppost at 8.35am on Colchester Road, Halstead. The 15-year-old boy who died comes
Small groups of Canvey Island Swim Club members have made a splash at two open meets. They competed in the first Dartford B Grade meet and were also in action at Waltham Forest's winter event. In the two competitions combined they enjoyed big success
A £15,000 adventure playground will be built at a Thundersley school in the new year. Robert Drake Primary in Church Road raised the cash for the project which will double the size of the existing playground. The features within the playground could be
Pat Dobbs was back in a Thurrock Harriers vest for Sunday's William Edwards School 10k road race and marked his return with a win. Resident for the past few years in Ireland, Dobbs used the event as part of his preparations for next year's London Marathon
A scheme to revolutionise public transport in Basildon has been unveiled by a bus company. First buses is introducing new low-slung vehicles to make travel easier for mums and the disabled, more frequent services and a new easy-to-follow colour coded
An ex-mayor of Witham has cleared his name. Michael Jones had been accused of sitting on committee meetings without declaring an interest. Now he has won exoneration from a High Court judge. He resigned as mayor to concentrate on clearing his name. The
Delighted staff and governors at a Harold Hill School have been celebrating the news of a praising Ofsted report. The report said King's Wood School in Settle Road is caring and provides a very good personal guidance to all its pupils through its excellent
A maternity unit in mid-Essex has been given a new lease of life. Expectant mums and new born babies are enjoying the newly refurbished maternity unit at Chelmsford's St John's Hospital after it under went a four month face-lift. The 54-bed unit, which
Free-scoring midfielder Martyn Carthy grabbed two goals last night as Billericay Town eased through to the fourth round of the Ryman Bryco Cup. Carthy opened the scoring a minute before half-time and then netted Billericay's third with a header from a
Barleylands Farm, in Billericay, holds its Christmas Farmers' Market on Saturday, from 9am to 1pm. A wide range of produce will be available direct from the farmer, including dairy produce, fruit and vegetables, cakes and eggs. Admission and car parking
A grieving family want to trace the Good Samaritans who went to the aid of their dying father. Rex Hartley, 69, was feeling unwell and decided to go to the accident and emergency department of Colchester General Hospital. He was driving with his wife
A festive party was laid on for senior citizens in Maldon by a group of kind-hearted pupils. Year 12 pupils Lucie Stride, Katie Raven and Leanne Hinton from the Upper Plume School in Fambridge Road organised a Senior Citizens' Christmas Party with tea
Talented teenager Joe Cook has handed a bodyblow to Arena Essex by choosing to line up with rivals Stoke. Promoter Ronnie Russell had hoped to unveil Cook as one of the final remaining squad members this week, but remains confident he will still assemble
Talented youngsters got into the Christmas spirit by making Christingles - hollowed out oranges holdingcandles - which lit up their school. Light duties - Ashley Lannard, ten, at Holy Family School Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL Around 200 pupils from Holy
Essex Libraries have launched two schemes to take books into homes across Basildon and they need your help. The first scheme is recruiting volunteers to deliver books to people unable to visit the library themselves. The second, Bookstart, needs helpers
Essex is to receive an extra £2.15million from the Government to stamp out drug abuse. The Home Office and National Treatment Agency revealed a £5.8million increase in the regional allocations for drug funding in the East of England. Southend is to get
Billericay Town's new stadium was given planning permission despite council officers' fears over pollution, noise and congestion, it was revealed today. An internal memo written by a senior council officer raised "concerns" over plans for the 8,000-capacity
Burglars who smashed their way into a department store and stole bottles of perfume are in for a whiff of disappointment - the bottles were dummies. They got into Havens in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff, by throwing a bin through the front display window
Pupils from two secondary schools have become involved in a partnership to help improve the area in which they live. They have agreed to attend their local community forum and help tackle environmental issues in Stanford-le-Hope. High on their agenda
It was an all-round celebration at a Witham secondary school which has become a performing arts college. This week, Rickstones School, in Conrad Road, celebrated its 25th birthday with a display of music, dance and drama. More than 200 pupils took part
