Thanks to George French, who sent in this picture of what recent high winds have done to Colchester's landmark water tower. He wrote: Have you been informed of the wind damage to the top little tower of Jumbo? I have just noticed it on looking out of
Beneficiaries of a charity run have come forward to back the cause. Gazette reporters John Hyde and Jonathan Schofield are preparing to run a half-marathon next month for two community causes. One is the Harwich Electric Palace cinema appeal, while
A plan has been put forward to bring a dash of colour to Dovercourt seafront. Before Christmas rosebeds, were ripped up by Tendring Council - leaving the area messy and uninviting for residents and tourists alike. Now a suggestion has been put forward
Anyone tackling the London Marathon needs a lot of puff - and Neil Williams is no exception. Mr Williams has lived with asthma all his life, but will not let that get in the way of his ambition - to complete the event's 26 miles in under three hours.
Canny crime-stoppers hope to entice youths into spilling the beans - by giving them burgers. Teenagers in part of Colchester are being offered a free fast-food meal when they drop by a mobile burger joint today. The multiagency scheme is designed to
Vandals have gone on the rampage at the site of a town's best kept secrets. Shocked volunteers who discovered the trail of destruction at the Friary Walled Garden, in Maldon, said the culprits had targeted "anything that could be tipped, moved or broken
Gale-force winds battered north Essex yesterday, bringing down trees and causing commuter chaos. 999 crews were kept busy with more than 600 calls for firefighters and 260 calls to police. Vehicles were overturned, trees crashed down, power supplies
Jim Magilton believes Colchester United are more than capable of continuing their red-hot form in 2007. The U's are sixth in the table - occupying the last play-off spot - after a blistering start to life in the Coca-Cola Championship. Ipswich Town
Colchester United are considering a new bid for wantaway defender Greg Halford - with Middlesbrough the latest club to be linked with the player. Halford remains on the transfer list at his own request and is out of contract at the end of the season.
A chemical plant wants to put sirens in the neighbourhood to warn of any possible scares. Exchem Organics plans to install the sirens to attract everyone living within a 2.1-km radius of the Great Oakley plant. Managers at the site, which also deals
A man who stole hundreds of pounds-worth of meat from a supermarket has been banned from all of the chain's stores. A court heard Philip Green and a friend made five trips in and out of the Tesco store in Great Bentley with baskets loaded up with meat
Parents of a mother still unconscious after a road crash have described their daughter's brave fight. Chantal Tyrrell, 31, has been unconscious since the collision between her car and an ambulance last September. Miss Tyrrell, of Dovercourt, has since
Train service One is spending £500,000 on cleaning up carriages in an effort to address priorities raised by passengers. The company is taking on an extra 26 employees to remove "deep-seated dirt" and improve the "on-train environment", while thousands
Hospices serving terminally-ill children from Essex are celebrating a £20,000 payout. Both East Anglia Children's Hospices (Each) and Little Havens Children's Hospice have received £10,000 each from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Little Havens Children's
A newly-wed couple made the most of their gifts - by giving them all away. Dave Baldwin and Debbie Webb, of Brooklands Road, Brantham, decided they didn't need any presents when they were married this month. Instead they asked for all guests to make
Taxi drivers will follow the Rolling Stones' advice and Paint it Black in a compromise deal with licensing chiefs. Colchester Council bosses sparked alarm last summer when they suggested the town's taxis should adopt a standard livery in a shade of pink
Two successful walking bus schemes have helped a north Essex school to achieve healthy status. Dedham Church of England Primary School received its Healthy Schools Award at the start of the new term after meeting all the criteria. The school has a good
Colchester is turning over a new leaf with plans to plant thousands of trees in the town. The council wants to tap into the public's love of trees by staging community planting events to create new pockets of woodland. Up to 800 trees a year could be
Government funding cuts are being blamed for the closure of an IT department at a learning centre. TBG Learning, in Southway, Colchester, will stop running certain IT training courses for adults on April 5. Operations director Sue Gidman said: "Funding
A woman phoned her bank after she found her cash card was missing - and discovered thieves had stolen £700. The Colchester woman, in her 20s, last used the debit card while shopping at Sainsbury's on Sunday. She cancelled it yesterday after she tried
A football coach who fell asleep in his car while drunk has escaped a driving ban. Police discovered David Coyle, who works for Colchester United training schoolchildren, snoozing in his Ford Mondeo. The 24-year-old Clacton Town coach was more than
The devastated family of a youngster who died when a garden wall collapsed said the tragedy had left a huge hole in their lives. William Eastwood died last June when a wall fell down as he climbed over to get his football. Speaking after an inquest
