More than 150,000 mines look set to be burnt at a Ministry of Defence site 16 miles off the coast of Clacton. The scheme has been welcomed by St Osyth district and parish councillor Michael Talbot, who has lobbied for a reduction in explosions. QinetiQ
Hundreds of primary pupils have taken part in a carol service at a parish church in Walton. More than 260 youngsters from Walton Primary School were involved in the annual singing at All Saint's Church. The service included readings and carols by pupils
RESIDENTS in a resort listed as the third most deprived in the country have defended their community. The Brooklands and Grasslands estates in Jaywick have gone from 102nd to 3rd in the Government deprivation table based on statistics such as income,
A NEW service for nervous lone passengers aims to improve safety at north Essex's railway stations. Passengers travelling alone can now book someone at Colchester, Marks Tey, Manningtree and Witham to walk them to their car after dark. Under the lone
THREE Braintree Sea Angling Club members took England international Rolf Marschalek to Liverpool to fish the EFSA Wales Cod Festival, with 39 other anglers from all over Britain. Fished over two days in the Mersey estuary, the very bad weather conditions
A man found dead in his home with head injuries was today named by police. Neighbours today paid tribute to 59-year-old father-of-three Gary Belben. He was discovered by police at a house in Lucas Road at about 6.40pm on Monday. A post-mortem examination
BRAINTREE Swimming Club have secured promotion to Speedo League division one. They travelled to Crook Log, Bexley for the final round of the division knowing that a third place or better finish would secure them promotion. Braintree did enough to secure
Armed police, dog units and officers in riot gear stormed a flat at an address in Colchester. Police arrived at the block in Hawthorn Avenue, on the Greenstead estate, shortly after 1pm yesterday. Acting on information, up to a dozen officers - including
A Rottweiler escaped from a back garden and bit a ten-year-old boy on the arm. The group of four children and a baby in a pushchair had been walking with their mother along Ilex Close, Berechurch, Colchester, when they were confronted by the dog. It
A motorist claims thieves tried to hijack his car in a late-night attack in Colchester. He pulled up at the traffic lights on North Hill at about 11pm on Monday and a car stopped behind him. The occupants then got out and smashed the driver's window
Lead was stolen from the roof of a Colchester theatre - just three weeks after it had been replaced. The theft, from the roof of the Headgate Theatre, in Chapel Street North, was discovered at about 2.45pm on Monday. Theatre spokesman Dave King said
COLCHESTER'S second team went into the Christmas break on a high, with a strong Essex Women's Hockey League premier division 4-0 win over Harlow. Playing a team just above them in the league, Colchester decided to start the game with a strong back line
The number of women seeking help from a alcohol dependency support group in Colchester has risen by a third in just one year. Figures from the Oxford Road Alcohol Project in Colchester show they treated 60 women in the first nine months of 2006, but
Two brothers were in jail today after a noisy neighbour dispute got out of hand. A court heard yesterday how the Barnas brothers armed themselves with weapons and broke down a neighbour's door before attacking them. One man was stabbed, another lost
The best and brightest students at Colchester Sixth Form College have been celebrated. The college held its annual reunion and awards evening at Charter Hall, recognising academic and sporting achievement and the contribution of students to the wider
A woman forged payslips with dates in the future and used an expired passport to apply for a £5,000 loan. Diane Hoare was desperate to get money to pay off debts her son owed to drug dealers, Colchester Magistrates' Court was told. The 48-year-old had
WITHAM recorded a 3-0 win against Chelmsford IV in Essex Ladies Hockey League divison one. WITHAM roared to a comfortable 2-0 lead in the first ten minutes with goals from Marianne Cronin and top scorer Clare Bellehewe. They continued to pressurise
Staff at a Colchester restaurant look set to miss out on their Christmas tips after a thief stole their collection tin. Generous visitors to Sam's Diner and Takeout, in Sir Isaacs Walk, had placed pound coins and notes into the staff collection box in
A pregnant woman was involved in a crash in which three people were taken to hospital. The woman, in her 20s, was taken to Colchester General Hospital with suspected back and leg injuries after the accident on the A131 Sudbury Road, near Halstead. She
A man was told yesterday he is facing a jail sentence for possessing child pornography. Andrew McLeod, 43, will return to Chelmsford Crown Court for sentence next month, once reports are prepared. He was told by a judge a jail sentence was likely.
Owners of an historic youth hostel have had its second application to turn it into housing refused. The Youth Hostel Association (YHA), which closed the building in Falcon Square, Castle Hedingham, this summer, wants to convert the main building into
The newly-installed boss of the team which will run Colchester's new art gallery has admitted the organisation he took over was not capable of running a multi-million pound centre. Chris Paveley, chairman of Firstsite, which will run the Visual Arts
CLACTON were disappointed to come away with nothing from their 2-1 East Men's Hockey League division three south east fixture and see their six-game unbeaten run come to an end. The Seasiders put in a fierce performance with plenty of effort and desire
Candidates for the £15,000-a-year part-time job as boss of Colchester's community stadium have deluged council bosses with their CVs. Officials are still sifting through applications submitted for the one-day-a-week position, after the closing date was
Results: Weekend December 15-16: ESSEX JUNIOR CUP round three: Maldon St Mary's 3 Gas Recreation Res 0, Southminster St Leonards 3 Dedham Old Boys Res 0, Bradwell 2 Beacon Hill Rovers 2 (aet, Beacon Hill won 4-3 on penalties), Mundon Vics 1 Braintree
BRAINTREE TOWN manager Lee Patterson has insisted striker Eugene Ofori still has a future with the club, despite being allowed to move on loan. Ofori, whose goals helped the Iron reach last season's Blue Square South play-off final, has struggled to
No pharmacies in Tendring will be open on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day. Health bosses say pharmacists do not have to open on the festive bank holidays, but the move has prompted surprise among residents. Hugh Morrison, of the Residents
WITHAM TOWN captain Glen Revell has played his last game for the club. The reliable centre-half has ended his second spell at the mid-Essex side after agreeing to join former Witham boss Russell Tanner at Ryman League division one north rivals MALDON
WITHAM TOWN were brought down to a earth with a bump after losing 4-1 at Ware, in Ryman League division one north. Ken O'Donnell's side had won their previous two matches but went behind after 16 minutes through Paul Burton, after failing to clear a
A charity shop manager today condemned a callous fraudster believed to be behind the latest in a series of Christmas tree cons. A man approached volunteers as they worked at the Corner Shop for Kids shop, which raises cash for children with special needs
A man punched through the window of an ambulance that was taking him to hospital. Martin Stokes was being treated after he had been assaulted in Clacton, and was abusive and threatening towards paramedics. They called police for support, and were waiting
HALSTEAD TOWN progressed to the third round of the East Anglian Cup with a 2-0 triumph over Cornard. A goal in each half at Rosemary Lane proved too much for a young Cornard outfit to pull back, although the home side should have doubled the margin.
SAM Allardyce has ruled out a January swoop for highly-rated Ipswich Town star Jon Walters. The Newcastle United boss was rumoured to be considering a £1 million offer for the attacking midfielder, who used to play for him at Bolton Wanderers. However
A motorist was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries following a collision on the A133 near Great Bentley. A 46-year-old man from Clacton suffered serious injuries to his legs following the collision between his silver Ford Focus travelling towards
Police are warning people not to buy gifts for Christmas that may have been stolen from cars. Colin Stiff, crime reduction officer for the eastern division, said there has been a recent spate of thefts from cars in the Tendring area. He is now warning
Angry post office customers have been told it is still not certain when a popular post office, which closed suddenly, is set to reopen. The post office in Holland-on-Sea, which is run by Tendring councillor KT King, shut up shop more than three weeks
MICK Harford has backed Geraint George' Williams to keep Colchester United in the Coca-Cola Championship. The former U's assistant manager has no doubt that his friend and former colleague has what it takes to steer the club away from danger. Harford
A crime-busting initiative for youngsters, which was cancelled in Harwich, is now taking shape in the Mistley area. The Rhyme Against Crime initiative encourages pupils from local primary schools in years three to six to write poems about beating crime
