THE Queen is coming back to Clacton. The old girl has had her cracks repaired, gaskets replaced, a new lick of paint and is ready to return. She might only have a top speed of four miles per hour - but the wait will be worth it. The Clacton Queen steamroller
A POLICE officer who saved the life of an eight-year-old boy is due to be commended. Sgt Alexander Wisbey, of Stanway, will be praised for his professionalism in the face of a life-threatening situation. The officer attended a call for assistance in
DOCTORS have voiced fears about plans to extend surgery opening hours. GPs in Colchester have warned Government proposals to open surgeries at evenings and weekends are inflexible and could compromise patient care. Dr Wright, of the North East Essex
THE RED Arrows will be back flying high above north Essex this summer, it was confirmed today. The world famous aerobatic flying team will be headlining Clacton's 17th annual air show in August. The magnificent men and their flying machines never fail
ANTI-STANSTED expansion protesters have vowed to continue their fight following the submission of the planning application for a second runway. Placard-waving Stop Stansted Expansion members met at a nearby pub the Three Horse Shoes and held a protest
THOUSANDS of jobs and greater opportunity for millions of travellers were promised as plans were submitted for a second runway at Stansted Airport. BAA bosses said their proposals would pave the way for more people to fly through Stansted each year than
MORE rugby will be played in Colchester as funding to pay for a new £70,000 set of floodlights has nearly been secured. The Essex Environment Trust announced it had agreed to support the bid by Colchester Rugby Club to build a second set of lights at
WALKERS are being forced to squelch through a muddy field, after a footpath used for 40 years was ruled out-of-bounds. Essex County Council has reinstated an ancient route that runs through the middle of arable land off St John's Road, Colchester, as
A young engineer has won a £5,000 grant to make his water-saving invention a reality. Henry Monkcom, of Layer de la Haye, has designed the Water Wizard, a device to conserve the water wasted before a tap runs hot. The 14-year-old's invention won the
A DISUSED church is to throw open its doors to tell the story of Easter through art. People are invited to walk the Way of the Cross at St Leonard's Church, Hythe Hill, Colchester, with 14 stations using art, words, scripture and symbols to tell the
Tomorrow, seven men and one woman will make a decision which will impact on Colchester's future well-being. In fact, forget well-being. What is at stake here is nothing less than Colchester's economic future. Nearly 30 years ago civil engineers told
HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS are looking over their shoulder again to avoiding relegation. Their two-goal defeat by Ramsgate on Saturday has left Swifts with a worry or two again, following three magnificent results which saw them looking upwards at a possible Ryman
One of Colchester's biggest employers plans to demolish its factory to make way for a major homes development. Betts stands to make millions of pounds by selling off its headquarters in Ipswich Road. The toothpaste tube manufacturer, which employs about
A man arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply has been released on police bail. He was arrested at a flat in South Street, New Town, Colchester, on Friday following a raid by police. The man has been released on police
Armed police responded to a report of a man with a gun on a Colchester estate. Up to eight police cars were sent to St Joseph Road, in the St John's area, shortly after 5.35pm last night. Police had received a call from a concerned member of the public
MALDON TOWN manager Russell Tanner said a Ryman League promotion and East Anglian Cup double would be a great reward for all his players' hard work this season. That's why, despite fielding a depleted squad, he will be going all out to beat EAC quarter-final
The body of a missing woman was discovered in a pond in Lexden. The 55-year-old's husband reported her missing at about 11.35pm on Thursday and police officers spent the night searching for the woman. At about 6.30am on Friday some of her belongings
STANWAY ROVERS will be looking to stay on the goal trail as they travel to Felixstowe and Walton in the Ridgeons League premier division tonight. Rovers put five past FA Vase semi-finalits Lowestoft on Saturday and now occupy a place in the table's top
A house fire started by candles has left a woman homeless today. The 29-year-old discovered the fire when an upstairs room she was sitting in went dark because of thick black smoke filling the hall. In her bedroom next door, a candle had burnt through
IF Harwich and Parkeston continue to play as they did when thumping Dereham by four goals last Saturday they will be a Ridgeons League premier division team again next season. That is the verdict of Shrimpers manager Tony Armstrong, whose new look Royal
Concerns about a possible new nuclear power station are to be discussed tonight in West Mersea. Bradwell, two miles across the River Blackwater from Mersea, is on a short-list of potential sites for a new generation of nuclear power stations. A public
FC CLACTON will be without two key midfielders for tonight's home clash with Debenham LC in Ridgeons League division one. Ash Pereira and Dan Smith are both unavailable for personal reasons and Seasiders boss David Coyle said: "We're struggling for numbers
The swift actions of firefighters and a shop owner prevented a blaze from destroying thousands of pounds worth of scooters. Danny Millard was working on a bike in a workshop attached to the back of Kendall and Pitt Scooters, in Barrack Street, Colchester
BRAINTREE TOWN boss Lee Patterson feels his side's big clash with Blue Square South leaders Lewes tonight will act as a suitable barometer for their progress. The Iron have resurrected their hopes of reaching the play-offs for the second successive season
Emergency services spent almost 45 minutes rescuing a man who became stuck in the thick mud off Victoria Esplanade, West Mersea. Initial reports said the man was drowning, but he managed to get himself out of the water and was making his way back towards
MERSEA Rhinos and Sudbury Talbots fielded depleted sides at a windswept Youth Camp. But it was the hosts that made the best of the conditions scoring ten tries in this Suffolk League division one encounter to win 60-5. Playing into the wind in the first
A disabled teenager who says his human rights were violated because of a council failure to provide him with an adequate education, is at the centre of an Appeal Court test case. The 17-year-old from the Colchester area, who cannot be named for legal
Pupils at a Colchester primary school picked up some writing tips from a popular children's author. Essex-born writer Jack Trelawny, the man behind the Kernowland series, visited youngsters at St Mary's School in London Road to talk about his work.
COLCHESTER made a brave attempt to stave off relegation but couldn't avoid defeat and the drop to division four north east. The reverse fixture in September had seen Westcliff notch a 40-point victory. This was never likely to be repeated as Colchester
AFTER clinching promotion last weekend, Mersea Island secured the division four north east title with their 15th win of the season. In a hard and closely fought match, the Islanders eventually ran out worthy winners at Canvey Island 25-20 with tries
Homeowners and businesses were counting the cost today after high winds - and were warned to expect more of the same. About 1,250 homes in Essex were left without power after high winds and falling trees damaged power lines. Forty houses in the Tolleshunt
Essex MP Bernard Jenkin is today set to stand in Parliament and call for an end to people suffering from hazardous fly-tipping having to foot the bill to clear it up. The MP for North Essex is taking proposed amendments to the environmental protection
A fuel thief has been jailed after repeatedly breaking his curfew. Craig Eady, 26, was earlier given a suspended sentence after twice driving off from a Sible Hedingham petrol station without paying last year. He was also in breach of a community order
SIX members of Great Bentley Running Club competed at the Brentwood Half-Marathon and were rewarded with two personal best times. In a field of more than 2,000 runners, Kevin Jeffries and Kevin Cox both ran this race to further their London marathon
Parish councillors are preparing their response to a planning application to enlarge Abberton Reservoir. Mark Jones, chairman of Layer de la Haye Parish Council, asked councillors to consider a draft proposal he had written before their next meeting.
Bosses at a Colchester supermarket are investigating whether to install metal gates at exits in a bid to stop trolleys being stolen. Residents living in Myland have complained for years about people stealing trolleys from Asda, in Petrolea Close, and
Two cars have been involved in a collision on the A120 at Coggeshall. A Citroen AX, driven by a Halstead man in his late 20s, and a Ford Escort, driven by a 36-year-old Wivenhoe man, were involved in the crash at the A120's junction with the B1024 on
NICK Reynolds was first home for Tiptree Road Runners in the main event at The Grizzly in Devon. The club took 14 members for this extreme race across 20 miles of beach, cliffs, steep hills, mud and river crossings and Reynolds finished in three hours
Engineering work will mean buses will replace train services between Marks Tey and Ipswich on Sunday. Shuttle trains will operate between Manningtree and Harwich, and between Colchester Town and Clacton. For more information visit the National Express
An action plan to improve life for residents in the two most deprived wards in Essex was unveiled today. Neighbourhood bosses have set out how they will tackle poor health, low income and high crime in Pier ward, Clacton, and Golf Green ward, Jaywick
A woman has told a murder trial how one of the men accused of the killing made a threat to her. Jade Bladen was with her friend Ian Wilson on the day he was fatally stabbed at his Clacton flat. She told a jury how she did not see the stabbing, but one
KANEESHA Johnson put in another spirited display in the National England Athletics Under-17 Women's Combined Events Championships at Sheffield to take the silver medal with a score of 3,474 points. The Colchester Harriers starlet started the pentathlon
COLCHESTER HARRIERS supplied both runners-up in the Brentwood Half-Marathon. With a £500 first prize in both races the standard was high with more than 3,000 runners in the event. Adrian Mussett showed that he is still in good form with a fine time
Scientists and engineers of the future could hail from Clacton's Cann Hall Primary School. Nine to 11-year-olds at the Constable Avenue school were treated to a theatre performance to promote careers in technology. Crag Rats performed plays and held
SIX young Colchester and Tendring Athletic Club athletes represented Essex Schools in the prestigious English Schools Cross-Country Championships. More than 2,000 athletes from across the country attended the event at Sefton Park in Liverpool, with over
A row over birds has forced a councillor to quit. Mistley's parish council has been in talks to pay £24,000 to have special defences to stop swans and geese feeding at the Walls in the village. It was quoted the figure by Essex County Council after
Please sir - can we have our chaff back? Red-faced United States Air Force bosses have had to issue a public plea after a plane dropped the device, designed to confuse radars, somewhere along the coast. The air force issued a statement from its Mildenhall
JIM Magilton admits being mystified by recent doom and gloom' hovering over Portman Road. His Ipswich Town side have come in for a fair amount of stick - partly for results and partly for performances. The Blues have had a tough couple of weeks, losing
JASON De Vos admits Ipswich Town are stepping into the unknown for tonight's clash against FA Cup heroes Barnsley. The Blues are in Coca-Cola Championship action at Oakwell - the scene of Saturday's famous 1-0 victory against Premier League heavyweights
HAVING been born in Hastings, Dean Hammond probably knows all about battles. So his presence in Colchester United's starting line-up over the club's last two matches might provide his new club with the extra ammunition needed to defy the odds and avoid
NOW or never. Colchester United manager Geraint Williams has admitted that the club's Coca-Cola Championship status is resting on the outcome of tonight's basement battle with Sheffield Wednesday. With ten games to go, seven points separate the U's
