Thousands of people suffered a power cut. Halstead, Wethersfield, Earls Colne, Colne Engaine, Saffron Walden, Takeley, White Roding and Dunmow were all affected by the sudden loss of electricity on Monday at about 1.30pm. EDF engineers restored the
A council spent more than £5,000 on fact-finding visits to do with waste disposal and travelled further than a round-the-world trip. A group of Essex county councillors and officers clocked up roughly 28,189 miles on trips to China, Barcelona, Dusseldorf
Final preparations are under way for a traditional sea festival. The Harwich Sea Shanty festival, now in its second year, promises to be bigger and better after Essex County Council gave £2,500. The money has allowed the festival to have extra venues
A swan was rescued from a Dovercourt pond after a fishing hook got caught in its throat. The cygnet was saved by members of Heat (Harwich Environmental Action Team) on Saturday. It was watched for two days by volunteers after they saw a line coming
Ghost hunters, who invited Gazette's reporters Andrea Collitt and Debbie Siggery to spend a night helping with their investigations, have revealed their latest findings. Investigators from the London Paranormal Society (LPS) descended upon Harwich's
A representative for a charity in crisis has come under fire for failing to attend a key meeting. Ben Howlett, (Con) a Harwich Town councillor, represents charity Teen Talk on behalf of the council. Two weeks ago the charity announced it will have to
POLICE have renewed an appeal for help in tracing a knife-wielding robber who demanded cash from a betting shop. A man wearing a motorcycle helmet entered Coral's, in Church Road, Tiptree, when there were no other customers about. He approached the
A sleeping bag cover belonging to a famous explorer has failed to sell at auction. Christie's auction house, of London, hoped to sell the cover on behalf of the current owner, but its minimum price was not reached. Captain Lawrence Oates, of Gestingthorpe
Towns and cities in East Anglia are falling victim to the London "brain drain". Only 28 per cent of graduates will stay in the region, while a third plan to move to London to start their career. Research by online recruiters Jobsite and Student Room
A holidaymaker and his dog found more than just shells while strolling on a beach when they discovered a two-million-year-old elephant bone. Dennis Smith and his dog, Daisy, made the discovery last week while taking a morning walk at Dunwich, in Suffolk
A homeless man blew his last chance to get back on track when he stole from a charity. Patrick Henry pinched a laptop computer from the Salvation Army just two days after the courts gave him a reprieve. Magistrates gave him a suspended sentence and
Tireless volunteers who have gone the extra mile to help others have been recognised for their kindness with awards. The annual Spirit of Colchester awards, organised by the Colchester Town Partnership (CTP), were presented to the five winners by the
A bid to make Colchester United's new stadium more eco-friendly could push up the final price-tag by £500,000. Council bosses are looking at a package of measures - including a £250,000 power-generating wind turbine - to boost the 10,000-seater ground's
An alcoholic has been jailed after driving while more than four times over the limit. Colchester magistrates said Jack Benet needed to be sent to prison to protect the public. They gave him a four-month sentence after he admitted two charges of drink-driving
Drug addicts and young thugs have been blamed for spoiling children's fun by forcing a playground to close. The facility had to shut after needles and other tell-tale signs of drug use and underage drinking were discovered in the play area in Bradford
A knicker thief is on the prowl in Colchester. Underwear has been disappearing from washing lines over the past week in the New Town area. It was only confirmed they were being stolen after a woman disturbed the culprit. She was woken at about 11pm
History enthusiasts snapped up signed copies of a book illustrating how Harwich has changed over the last century. The author, Phil Cowley, died last November, aged 54, after a long battle with leukaemia. The former head of the Harwich Sixth Form Centre
Burglars stole jewellery from an 81-year-old's home. The raiders struck between 10.45am and 4pm on Sunday, in Alexandra Road, Clacton. They took a jewellery box, which contained an engagement ring, and a purse. Call Clacton police on 01255 221312 or
Traffic in Thorpe's already choked High Street could be brought to a standstill if a supermarket gets a delivery bay, it has been claimed. Supermarket giant Tesco is planning to build a layby outside its Tesco Express convenience store, for deliveries
Police are growing increasingly concerned for a Clacton man who has been missing for five months. Timothy Salmon has not had access to money since he left the area in May. The 45-year-old left clothes and personal possessions in his room in the town's
A motorcyclist injured in a crash in Clacton has died in hospital. David Riesebeck, of Volwycke Avenue, Maldon, was in collision with a lamppost in Jaywick Lane on Friday at 12.05am. The 28-year-old was riding a blue Kawazaki ZX 900cc. He was taken
Hundreds of schoolchildren have been given heart checks as part of a pioneering initiative. More than 380 pupils and ten teachers at Tendring Technology College, in Frinton, were given the heart scans by technicians from national charity Cardiac Risk
A loner bombarded a television beauty with letters, gifts and porn when he became addicted to her late-night show. Obsessed Robert Ducker struck up a letter-writing campaign to woo Alex Kramer, the hostess of ITV's Glitterball quiz. The Clacton man
Shane Supple has suffered an injury blow - ruling him out of international duty with the Republic of Ireland. The Ipswich Town goalkeeper was hoping to win his first Under-21 cap in their friendly against Sweden in Uppsala on Friday. However, he has
Record signing Clive Platt believes Colchester United are on the right track for success. The U's have experienced a mixed start to the Coca-Cola Championship season, having won two but lost three of their opening ten matches. Colchester were beaten
