A woman has spoken of her devastation after "cruel" thieves snatched £7,000 worth of precious Japanese koi from her garden pond. Gillian Smith, of Cabbons Crescent, Stan-ford-le-Hope, was shocked to discover thieves had climbed her back fence and made
The once-popular Towngate Theatre was opened under a blaze of publicity in 1988, and was soon hosting shows performed by some of the country's best-known acts. However, the Towngate was closed in 1998, and has been "in the dark" almost permanently ever
Campaigners are claiming an international legal victory could force the British Government to think again over the eviction of travellers at Crays Hill. Lawyers representing residents at the Crays Hill site and at Hovefields Drive, Wickford, both of whom
An authorised traveller site could be turned into offices if plans are approved. Basildon Council is considering whether to allow AWG Doors permission to install a temporary building for offices in connection with garage sales at the Former Heron service
Schoolchildren braved soaring temperatures to raise money on a charity fun walk around Gloucester Park. Around 20 youngsters from Ghyllgrove Junior School, Basildon, donned fancy dress costumes and took part in the Barnardos Foresters Big Toddle. The
A quick-thinking firefighter was called into action when a woman gave birth in a car on the station forecourt. Our hero - Lorraine and Allan King with baby Thomas, son George and firefighter Amy Gilson, who helped her give birth. (43473-a) Pregnant Lorraine
Residents living close to a cluster of phone masts have demanded an investigation after it was revealed five people in one street have been diagnosed with cancer. A water tower in Great Burches Road, Thundersley, is home to 25 phone masts. Homeowners
West Ham legend Sir Trevor Brooking paid tribute to a group of people who are using rugby to conquer their drug and mental health problems. The footballing hero presented a special achievement award at Southend Rugby Football Club to the "Scorchers".
Demolition work has begun at Basildon Police Station in preparation for a £1.7million refit of the custody cells. Last year a report found it was the "most overcrowded and inefficient" unit in Essex and was in greatest need of "early action" to bring
A Cafe set up to give people with learning difficulties valuable work experience is expanding with extended hours and more volunteers. Southend Association of Voluntary Services runs the cafe at its premises in Alexandra Street, Southend, to give people
A Cleaning company with a multi-million pound annual turnover has admitted pouring a lethal chemical into a brook. Johnsons Apparel Master admitted allowing the potentially deadly chemical percholoroethylene to escape into Prittle Brook in Leigh. The
Children at a pre-school in Thundersley proved you're never too young to get into the spirit of fundraising. Alfie's Trikeathon was held at Thundersley Methodist Church Pre-school, because Alfie Gillman was diagnosed with a serious digestive problem at
A Basildon teenager who has fought against adversity and bad luck to make the most of his life has shared his experiences to inspire a group of aspiring footballers. Battling Danny Monk, 19, has overcome leukaemia, a burst appendix and a serious motorcycle
Few can match Vivienne Westwood when it comes to inspiring people. After all, it was this cutting-edge fashion designer who convinced people in the 1970s that everyday household items such as safety pins, razor blades and bicycle chains could double as
Plans to sell off Braintree's council homes were given the thumbs-up by councillors - despite a fierce protest from tenants. More than 30 council tenants gathered outside Braintree Council's headquarters in Bocking End last night and voiced their opposition
Wivenhoe Town boss Steve Pitt has reopened his war of words with Halstead Town counterpart Andy Clark over the Matt Stace/Michael Brothers deal. The two youngsters swapped the Dragons for Clark's Rosemary Lane set-up, dropping from the Southern League
A terrifying youth craze known as "happy slapping" has reared its ugly head in Colchester. A 15-year-old boy was slapped hard across the face as a gang passed him in the street last night. A member of the group then shouted: "Let's happy-slap him!" The
The number of burglaries on a troubled housing estate has fallen by more than half after the introduction of CCTV cameras. Estuary Housing Assoc-iation installed 15 cameras on the Woodgrange Estate last November. Since then, there has been a 55 per cent
An arson attack has badly damaged parts of a town centre shop. Clacton firefighters were called at 12.30am today to a blaze at Holland and Barrett, in Pier Avenue, Clacton. It had started after cages filled with rubbish were moved to the back of the store
Basildon's Towngate Theatre could be bulldozed or sold off to developers, council leader Malcolm Buckley admitted today. The theatre, which opened in 1988 and closed ten years later, is costing taxpayers £1million a year on mortgage repayments and maintenance
Southend residents are being asked to give their views on a project to transform Southend Victoria railway station. The project, SustAccess, will be funded by European money and aims to make places around the North Sea more accessible from the areas around
The beast of Essex is on the move. Keeping an eye out for the Beast - Chaz Boynton and John Chittock, of Jaywick, look out across the field behind Meadow Way, Jaywick, where there have been reported sightings of the Beast of Essex. (43410-1) There are
A sailor died after falling overboard today as he tried to free his boat's propeller. A major rescue operation was launched at 4.45am after the accident happened. The man was on board the boat with two other people, one of whom was his son. Their vessel
A 91-year-old woman has been robbed of savings worth £2,000 by a bogus caller pretending to be from a water company. The trickster approached the woman at her home in Lee Chapel, Basildon, and persuaded her to let him inside. He then managed to keep her
A hovecraft service and a new link road between the A13 and Shoebury have been revealed in a £24million blueprint to tackle traffic congestion in Southend. The most ambitious transport plan ever produced by Southend Council also includes a Docklands-style
WEST Ham's controversial Czech defender Tomas Repka will stay at Upton Park for two more years - despite tearing up the final year of his existing contract in April. The 31-year-old was expected to quit Hammers and return to his native land to be closer
Families battling to stop their homes being bulldozed today vowed to fight on after being told their properties could be bought using compulsory purchase orders. Around ten families in Gardiners Lane South and Gardiners Close, Basildon, face losing their
A Nurse who avoided jail after he beat his girlfriend's head against a bathroom wall has been struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register. Mark Townsend, 37, formerly of Edith Road, Southend, attacked his lover at her home in the town
A pilot who made a precautionary landing just after taking off told how he brought the plane down instinctively when he realised there was a problem. Happy landing - pilot Reeves Watson at Earls Colne Airfield after he was forced to land his single-engine
Colchester's first application for a 24-hour drinking licence has been made by a town centre pub. Hoping to be open all hours - Molly Malones, in St Botolph's Circus, Colchester, wants a 24-hour licence. (43504-1) Residents fear if it is given the go-ahead
The controversial Dale Farm travellers' site in Crays Hill is still growing in size, parish councillors have said. A meeting of Ramsden Crays Parish Council heard claims last night that large caravans are still seen arriving at the site off Oak Lane,
A blunder over the date of a council meeting has stalled the multi-million pound regeneration of a run-down corner of Colchester. The St Botolph's regeneration masterplan had won the final go-ahead at a meeting earlier this month, paving the way for planning
Southend's biggest Tesco store has brought in a private firm to stop office workers leaving their cars in its car park all day long. Parking for the store, on the Prince Avenue roundabout, Southend, has always been free, but the spaces are supposed to
England international star duo Lisa Wooding and Chloe Rogers were blown away by their success at the KT Cup in Korea. The Chelmsford Hockey Club pair played a huge part in guiding their country to the six-nations title which saw them finish the tournament
A TODDLER who was found face down in a friends' pond was left fighting for his life after his heart stopped beating. Staff in the emergency operations room gave vital advice to those who initially found the two-year-old boy after he suffered a cardiac
