A hall of fame is being launched by Braintree College charting the success of famous ex-students. It has investigated how many famous people came from Braintree and also attended the Church Lane college. Jacquie Watts, headteacher, said: "Many colleges
Binge-drinkers have been told they face going to prison if they get drunk and involved in fights. A judge issued the warning after he locked up four men involved in a drunken incident at a Colchester taxi office. Chelmsford Crown Court heard the four
Two veteran surgeons who spent half a century caring for patients have unveiled a £1 million operating theatre at Colchester General Hospital. Open for business - retired surgeons Arthur Hume and Richard Todd with John Bradley, a consultant at Colchester
A TOWN council on Canvey could be in place within 18 months. More than 10 per cent of voters signed a petition calling on the Government to create a town council for the island. The Canvey Town Council Campaign collected more than 3,500 signatures on
PATIENTS at two doctors' surgeries have new technology to register their arrival for appointments. The Great Berry surgery in Nightingales, Langdon Hills, and the Knares surgery in The Knares, Basildon, have become the first in the district to implement
OPPOSITION parties are calling for Southend Council to ditch its controversial plans to merge the town's two failing schools days before the consultation is due to end. People have until Friday to let Southend Council know their views about the proposed
Wartime flying veterans walked out of a Battle of Britain service in disgust after their standards were banned. The walk-out by about 40 members of the branch took place shortly after the service at Walton parish church had begun. It followed a clash
A pensioner was airlifted to hospital after suffering chest pains. The Essex air ambulance was called to Chestnut Way, Brightlingsea, at 1.20pm yesterday. Crews treated the elderly man at the scene and flew him to Colchester General Hospital. An ambulance
Worryingly-high numbers of children have been approached by suspicious strangers in the Maldon area, according to police. It has been revealed that most of the incidents are not even reported to officers. Ray Stannard, crime reduction officer at Maldon
More than 30 residents from a Braintree housing estate took part in a big clean-up. Clean up - Gary O'Brian, estate ranger Gary Elson, Jan Lardelli and Jodie Warden clear unwanted items during the rubbish amnesty on the Bartrams estate. Picture: ADRIAN
Parents of a little girl with cerebral palsy are hoping a new treatment centre can help her. Looking to the future - Anna Whyte with her mum Karen. Picture: STEVE BRADING (45103-c) Anna Whyte was born 16 weeks early. Now, aged four, she has made great
Colchester boys Joe Skornia and Oscar Hackett are the new Essex Under-13s Restricted Championships doubles champions after their success at Canvey Island. The Colchester Royal Grammar School duo were in fine form to beat a very strong field containing
A SOUTHEND doctor has been awarded an honorary professorship. Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta, a consultant rheumatologist at Southend Hospital, received the honour at the Department of Health and Human Sciences at the University of Essex in Colchester. It is Southend
The post-mortem examination ofa man who died in an accident at an Essex airfield is due to take place today. The pilot, who wasin his 70s, was taking off from Ridgewell Airfield on the Essex/Suffolk border on Saturday afternoon when it is believed the
SOUTHEND Council is to clean up its act by extending a crackdown on abandoned rubbish across the borough. Rubbish Watch is being rolled out across the town after a pilot scheme in Milton ward, Westcliff, proved to be a success earlier this year. From
Essex starlets Alastair Cook and Ravinder Bopara were celebrating today after their call-up to England's prestigious Cricket Academy this winter. Academy joy - Alastair Cook has been picked for this winter's training camp at Loughborough University. (
HOMEOWNERS living in the shadow of Europe's largest traveller camp at Crays Hill have won their fight for a cut in council tax. Eight residents in Oak Road, London Road and Crays Hill Road will pay a reduced charge to Basildon Council following successful
Residents are getting rattled by the prospect of a skateboard park being built on their doorstep. People near the proposed site in Wivenhoe's King George V playing fields fear the racket from skateboard ramps will be a din too far. Michael Taylor-Jones
CRIMESTOPPERS has put up a £3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest, charge and conviction of anyone linked to the murder of Southend mum Inga Losiene. Inga's former partner, Faruk Farik , 33, of York Road, has already been charged with her
A mobile phone mast could be put up in sports fields at Braintree Hockey Club in a bid to meet a funding shortfall for a new clubhouse and pitch. Club bosses say they have no option but to back the proposals from mobile phone giants, Hutchison 3G, at
Health chiefs are overhauling appointments systems so patients can choose when they go into hospital using the internet. The move will turn the current system on its head so patients decide when they are treated in hospital or at their GPs. It is designed
Red-card victim Sito Castro will find out today whether his dismissal against Norwich City will be overturned by the Football Association. The Ipswich Town full-back was sent-off for the second game running in the 1-0 defeat against the Blues' arch rivals
Neighbourhood Watch held a crime awareness day in a Colchester community exactly one week after a man was fatally injured. On the streets - John Ford and Carole Dennis, of Neighbourhood Watch, with street wardens Sam Lancaster and Sacha Aldis. Picture
Motorists who leave their car engines running when parked could be about to be hit by fines. Members of Braintree Council cabinet last night voted to approve the adoption of the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) Regulations 2002, which give local authorities
A double error made by Maldon District Council has caused a resident to lose faith in his local authority. Mistakes made by the district council have left Stanley Goulding, of Church Street, Maldon, more and more perturbed. The most recent error prompted
BASILDON Council is to spend more than £56,000 on a housing expert to mastermind the offloading of its 13,000 council-owned homes. The council is hoping to increase its chances of receiving Government funding by handing over management of its houses,
A NEW doctor's surgery is set to be built in Laindon after proposals for the health centre were agreed. Basildon Council has agreed to plans to demolish a bungalow in Worthing Road and build a one-storey surgery with a car park. Dr Adekunle Adeosun -
Football-mad Jon Weaver has spent two years visiting soccer grounds in and around Essex. Two-year journey - Jon Weaver with his book at Braintree Town's football ground. Picture: NICK OBANK (45004-1) From the little-known clubs which attract hardly any
It's the final nail in the coffin for a former doctor's surgery. An application has been lodged to turn 29 The Street, Little Clacton, into a house. The building housed the village doctor's practice until it closed 18 months ago due to its poor state
Thieves broke into two lorries and stole goods worth £700. The vehicles had been parked at Delford Sortaweigh in Main Road, Dovercourt. But their doors were forced open and a number of items taken from inside. Among the stolen property was a satellite
CONTROVERSIAL plans to open a regional waste management centre in Basildon could move a step closer to reality today. Essex County Council chiefs were today expected to thrash out an agreement to lease the Courtauld Road site from landowners Integra for
ANXIOUS residents and traders voiced their opposition to a multimillion pound redevelopment designed to change the face of Southend seafront forever. Around 50 anxious homeowners, shopkeepers, pub landlords and restaurant owners packed into Ye Olde Chippy
