Phil Parkinson says he's confident Colchester United players stalling on contract offers will pen new deals. The U's chief is waiting for almost half his squad to accept offers. While Alan White is set to sign a new contract in the next few days, other
Children attending a Westcliff school are set to get improved facilities. Milton Hall Junior School was granted planning permission for single-storey extensions by Southend Council's development control committee. Extensions would provide additional admin
A former top dinghy sailor from Blackwater Sailing Club has been selected to sail for Australia. Clive Beeton, who used to live at Chignall Smealy, near Broomfield, and whose wife is Australian, moved to Perth, Western Australia, three years ago and is
The Clarks shoes concession at Williams and Griffins is the latest department to be given a fresh new look at the Colchester store. The biggest improvement to the department is the daylight that now streams into the department through the window that
Viv Dundon has been honoured by the Surrey and Essex County darts teams. She received a special award for 100 Essex County appearances. This is quite an achievement as only nine county matches are played each season. To reach 100 games a player must perform
Southend's mayor will be fighting the flab when his period in office ends after learning all about his body at a men's awareness day. Mayor Alan Crystall joined forces with a couple of footballers from Southend United to be weighed, measured and generally
Congratulations were in order at Basildon Ladies for Josie Wilby and Judy Long when they won the final round of the Winter Foursomes against the tough opposition of Pam Gray and Shirley Clayton. Both couples had played excellent golf in the round robin
Colchester's Early Retirers' Club is set to celebrate its first birthday. Auctioneers and valuers Bonhams will be presenting an antiques quiz at the club's birthday celebrations on Friday, May 9, at Colchester's new business centre in George Williams
Traders and councillors today reacted with fury to news that train services on the c2c line will be severely disrupted over the Bank Holiday weekend. Buses will be replacing trains on the c2c line from Fenchurch Street and Shoebury between Pitsea and
Nasser Hussain started the day having been named by Wisden as one of their five Cricketers of the Year - but he was unable to mark the occasion in style. Essex disappointed with the bat, being bowled out for 188 on the opening day of their Championship
French polish - that is what Wickford Carparts Southend District League side Rochford Town displayed at Roots Hall last night as they successfully negotiated the second part of their attempt to win four top pieces of silverware this season. Having already
Witham's ten recycling rebels have been warned they could become the first to be prosecuted and fined as council bosses get tough. Braintree District Council said that recycling had proved hugely successful in general, but that ten residents still refused
Castle Point has escaped planned parliamentary boundary changes which could make a dramatic difference to the political map of Essex. The Boundary Commission is planning the changes, which will mean major alterations to constituences around the rest of
Carp anglers struggled at Rochford's Doggetts lake this week, with the only fish being landed from fairly tight swims near the reed beds. Chris Lyndsay, of Westcliff, and Adam Lynaham found copious amounts of tench and bream at the long arm, but both
Great Wakering Rebels took on Colchester Stars in the National Team Championship three riders short but still picked up an 85-82 win. Rebels boss Den Winch explained the club wanted to postpone the meeting until they could field an eight-man team. But
Pop-punk band Busted made chart history when they reached number one at the weekend with You Said No, it was revealed. Music experts from the Guinness British Hit Singles Book have worked out that Busted - formed by James Bourne, of Thorpe Bay - are the
A police chief today signalled a safety review into a notorious slip road which has become an accident blackspot. The move follows a death crash when a lorry overturned on the bend where the A1089 Dock Approach Road meets the A13 Southend-bound at Orsett
Three classroom posts may be axed at Great Bradfords Junior School, in Braintree to implement changes recommended by Ofsted. Essex County Council has warned that other schools could find themselves in a similar position. A recent Ofsted report described
Small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in Essex are being urged to boost business online as part of a Government campaign to make Britain the top commercial computer user. Essex is already one of the leaders in the field with 79 per cent of businesses online
A blaze which destroyed a store in Canvey's shopping centre is being investigated by forensic experts. Police believe young arsonists may have been responsible for the fire which ripped through Rosebys, a soft furnishings store in the Knightswick Centre
Armed police officers stormed a flat after being tipped off that a man could be wielding a shotgun. Officers smashed down the door of a flat in Westbourne Grove, Southend, at around 2am after blocking the street with patrol cars. Police received information
Got £1,200 to spare? Then the lighthouse authority has come up with a novel way for you to part with it. For the first time, Trinity House is allowing the public on board its flagship vessel the Patricia for a seven-day look into life at sea. Costing
Former British number one Sam Smith is returning to her roots to coach young players. The 31-year-old launched a session for juniors at the LA Fitness in Wakering Road, Thorpe Bay, on Tuesday with her former coach Mary Collins. The duo will initially
Schoolchildren from Colchester have been talking themselves into the national media spotlight. Special classes to promote public oratory skills have brought a BBC radio crew to St John's Primary School to record its talented young speakers for a broadcast
Stunned casino bosses watched in amazement as yet another card player recorded a huge win from just a £1 bet. The lucky poker-playing punter won £40,826 at the Westcliff Casino, in Western Esplanade, only 28 days after an elated gambler walked away with
Residents fearing microwave radiation and possibly cancer are furious that plans for three mobile phone masts in their street have been given the green light. They claimed the proposals had been agreed by Tory-controlled Basildon Council in spite of a
Southend United's under-19 team finished off their Merit Division campaign in style with a 3-2 triumph at Torquay. Striker Tom Byrne stole a last-minute winner on the Devon coast after fellow Blues youngsters Phil Anderon and Michael Kightly had also
Work is finally due to start on a £500,000 children's funfair on Canvey seafront. The project has suffered a series of setbacks since the idea was first born two years ago. Now developers, Island Leisure, have instructed builders to start construction
Castle Point Council's sports centres are used by more people than those of any other Essex borough council. The news comes after councillors met to thrash out ways of improving council services. Council leader Dave Wells said: "We had a survey carried
Plans by the Government to build thousands of extra homes in south Essex have been rapped by Castle Point MP Bob Spink. In a Commons debate, he said he was against the plans because there had been no promise of the necessary infrastructure. Such housing
Police are hunting a driver who left the scene after a car flipped over on a roundabout. The crash was reported at about 8.30pm yesterday in Brinkley Lane in the High Woods area of Colchester. A witness saw the Ford Orion on its roof with smoke coming
Stunned James Pullen has revealed his shock and upset at being handed a free transfer by Ipswich Town. The keeper - signed by the Blues from Heybridge Swifts - has been told he can leave after failing to impress boss Joe Royle. And he told the Evening
Rochford Hundred, beaten finalists two years ago, roared into the Leslie Wood team championship second round with a crushing home win over local rivals Southend. Rampant Rochford dropped just half a point all day as their players mastered the blustery
A school threatened with legal action for unfair dismissal has confirmed it did sack its headteacher - but claimed the move was necessary. Sandra Hillier has alleged that St John's School in Stock Road, Billericay, dismissed her for no reason. She has
A new urban Chelmsford Borough seat could be created under radical changes being proposed to parliamentary constituency boundaries in Essex. The revision would mean some of the rural wards now in West Chelmsford, including Broomfield, Boreham and Writtle
A motorist with serious back and neck injuries had to be cut from her BMW after careering off the road and ending up teetering precariously on the top of an embankment. Firecrews from Shoebury, Southend and Leigh used a combination of air bags and wooden
More than 60 guns were handed in to Maldon and Southminster police in the month-long guns amnesty. In Colchester, more than 30 firearms were handed in in the last week alone. The weapons in Maldon include double-barrel flare pistols, revolvers, miniature
Campaigning residents have vowed to resist plans to convert a caravan park into a permanent base for mobile homes. Leshome, which operates the East Beach Caravan Site at Shoebury, has spearheaded the scheme, which would halve the number of vans on the
A royal rejection has left shopkeepers and business people fed up over delays over their new town sign. The £3,250 sign, spearheaded by Frinton Chamber of Trade, failed to gain royal approval as it included the royal coat of arms, which is not allowed
The first commemorative blue plaques in Maldon were officially unveiled this week on four buildings in the town centre. The plaques have been put in place in a joint effort by Maldon Society and Maldon District Council conservation officer, Robert Scrimgeour
A new £11 million community hospital for Braintree has been given the go-ahead. The new 30-bed hospital, on the site of the former St Michael's Hospital, in Rayne Road, will offer a wide range of services, including physiotherapy, blood testing, dentistry
We want your vote! That was the message from the leaders of the three main political parties in Southend as they squared up for the elections. Conservative Howard Briggs, Labour's Chris Dandridge and Liberal Democrat Graham Longley, as well as the other
Homeowners are being urged to attend Southend advice surgeries to help beat crime. Southend Police are trying to set up regular meetings at sites throughout the town. A spokesman said: "The idea is that if you have a problem, we will try to sort it out
Top teacher Debbie Godwin has won prestigious Government plaudits for her tireless efforts to help the young people in her care develop links with the community. Debbie Godwin, a history and life skills teacher at Hockley's Greensward College, has been
Southend's health services are completely unprepared for an outbreak of Sars, a doctor has claimed. The doctor believes Southend Primary Care Trust (PCT) is hopelessly in the dark about how to treat Sars and claims concerned health professionals cannot
A florist has donated about £470 to pay for competition leotards for a team of budding gymnasts. Young members of a new student gymnastics club at Runwell Community Primary School in Wickford, had been attending competitions in tee-shirts and shorts before
A new constituency is set to be forged for Clacton. Planners at the Boundary Commission today unveiled their proposals to overhaul the electoral map of mid and north Essex. Clacton currently comes under the Harwich constituency held by Labour's Ivan Henderson
A war veteran with a crusade to gain recognition for those who fought in the Greek Campaign is to be honoured. Edwin Horlington, of Walton Road, Walton, took part in the fighting in the 1940s. As well founding and being president of The Brotherhood of
Four students from the William de Ferrers School have proved they can give Chancellor Gordon Brown a run for his money. The GCSE pupils have won top prize in the GCSE/GNVQ section of the Fantasy Budget Competition 2003, which challenged schools to predict
Youngsters have set up their own environmental group to investigate green issues and examine how they can improve their school. Year four pupils at Holy Family Catholic Primary School, in Kents Hill Road, Benfleet, have called their group the Nature Trust
A Southend man is on the edge of his seat after making it down to the final set of contestants in a nationwide Formula One driving challenge. Stratton McKay, 31, of Elm Road, Leigh, even met ex-Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet as part of his training
Sharpshooters using air rifles have been taking pot shots in a children's play area Police went to the play park at Waldegrave Way, Lawford, last night after concerns were raised by a member of the public who could hear air rifles being fired. Police
Maldon Yacht Club's Brunch Race proved a great attraction, despite the early start. With brunch being served during the racing, this popular annual social event lived up to its reputation, with Brunchers outnumbering sailors three to one. Dean Saxton
