A POSTCARD from Germany has eased the pain of a near-fatal snake bite a man received more than 50 years ago. Ken Kirtley, of Rectory Road, Wivenhoe, had thrown a message in a bottle into the sea at St Osyth, and yesterday got a reply from Sylt, an island
TALENTED, kind-hearted and conscientious youngsters are invited to enter the third Tendring Youth Awards. The ceremony organised by Tendring District Youth Council will recognise and celebrate children's achievements and contributions to their communities
TEENAGE pregnancies in Essex have fallen by 12 per cent in eight years. Figures released by the Department of Health show a rate of 36.9 births per 1,000 girls under 18 years old in 1998 compared to 32.4 per 1,000 in 2006. Last month the Government
STUDENT leaders have been rocked by a hi-tech vote-rigging scandal at Essex University. A probe was launched following reports of alleged voting fraud during last month's student union elections. Voting was carried out online. Hackers are believed to
"CARBON cops" and free chocolate have been used in a campaign which has seen power bills at Colchester Council go down by between 10 and 20 per cent in just a few months. The Gazette has reported how innuendo-laden posters were being used to persuade
A BUSY pub and nightclub in Clacton has been praised by police for its work to make the town centre safer. Tom Peppers pub and Fibbers discotheque, in Marine Parade West, has received a prestigious five-star award as part of Essex Police's Safer Bars
PLANS to sell off or rent out Colchester Council's Angel Court customer service centre have been "called-in". It means a panel of councillors, including some from opposition parties, will have the chance to question officials on the proposals and hold
THINGS are looking bright for Select Medicare as it has expanded into larger premises. The firm, established in 1999, is now based at new offices at Tavern House, Station Road, Ardleigh. Select Medicare has acquired the entire building and new facilities
A YEAR after tough-er penalties came in for motorists using mobile phones, drivers continue to break the law. In the past 12 months Essex Police has issued 7,497 fixed penalty notices for motorists caught using their phone while driving. Of those, 224
The humble plastic carrier bag gets more than its five minutes of fame in life - it gets 12. Yes, just 12 minutes is the average amount of time a carrier bag is in use. Considering it then takes 300-odd years to decay in a landfill site and it's no
Children have been learning about the environmental cost of carrier bags. Pupils at Kingswode Hoe School in Sussex Road, Colchester, were taught in assembly about the dangers of plastic carriers to wildlife. The yellow class, which includes years one
Three men involved in a "mental" pub fight have been banned from pubs and clubs for six months. The brawl was packed with aggression "as if a bomb had gone off", a court heard. Pool cues, a baseball bat and blood all featured in the episode in which
An alcoholic who hurled "vile" racial abuse at a fast food worker has been spared an immediate prison sentence. Jonathan Butler, 23, launched the tirade against a member of staff in a restaurant in North Station Road, Colchester, on February 6. He then
A man caught driving while disqualified as he was serving a suspended prison sentence has been jailed. Douglas Sandford, 32, was asked to cover for a delivery driver who was off sick. He didn't want to admit to his boss that he was banned from driving
Essex was today bracing itself for more high winds. The Met Office predicts a 40 per cent chance of disruption to transport and power supplies, as well as damage to buildings and trees in Essex. Gusts of more than 50mph were recorded at West Mersea
New jobs could be coming to Colchester because of restructuring at a major transport franchise. National Express is considering moving its payroll centre from Doncaster to Colchester. The idea is currently under consultation but would mean up to 20
Feering Primary School is closed today after a water main burst. Noone answered the phone at the school and the headteacher's mobile was off.
A driver fled their car after it flew off a ramp and flipped on its roof. The crash happened on the A12 Colchester-bound just over the Suffolk border at 1am today. When emergency services arrived they could not find anybody near the wreck and launched
A rallying call has been issued to Mersea residents to begin campaigning against a possible new nuclear power station. Bradwell, just across the River Blackwater, is on a Government shortlist of potential sites for a new generation of nuclear power stations
An elderly woman was airlifted to hospital after a head-on collision in Brightlingsea. Emergency services were called to Church Road, near to the church, at about 4.20pm yesterday after a member of the public reported a crash. A blue Skoda Felicia car
The driver of a car which burst into flames after crashing into the back of a parked lorry had been reported missing by his worried family, an inquest heard. Raymond Farrow, 63, from Prince Charles Road, Monkwick, Colchester, had caused his family concern
A pensioner committed suicide after suffering from depression for over 40 years. Anthony Dyer, 74, hanged himself at his rented flat in Colchester Road, Colchester, on October 30 last year. An inquest in Chelmsford heard that he had had depressive episodes
A post-mortem examination was today due to take place to determine how former Essex policeman Michael Todd died. The body of the Essex University graduate and Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) was discovered at the foot of a cliff in
There was a swift visit from a telly gardener this week. Joe Swift, well known as a presenter on BBC2's Gardener's World, was in Essex to launch a new gardening school and its first series of garden courses. The Smith School of Gardening opened at Green
Plans for a radical shake-up of adult social care have been passed by Essex County Council. The proposals could see the remainder of its day centres and care homes sold or contracted-out to private companies. Councillors yesterday voted to review services
A teenager who died in a motorbike crash was almost twice the legal drink-drive limit. Simon Cain, 17, hit a wood pole on Colchester Road, White Colne, on January 13 last year - less than a mile from his home in the same street. He had been drinking
Posters featuring a series of sexual innuendos have been distributed at Colchester Council to get workers to reduce their carbon footprint. "Teaser" posters with slogans such as "How Big Is Yours" and "You Turn Me On" sparked complaints after being put
A community-spirited carer has turned "taxi" driver to help residents through a protracted post office closure. Sylvia Window has offered to ferry elderly and disabled customers to their nearest branch while the Tudor Parade Post Office, in Jaywick,
A man has escaped being locked up for making a little girl carry out a sexual act. Damien Chandler received a suspended sentence, but a judge also imposed a series of stringent conditions on the 20-year-old. Chandler has been banned from talking, working
A rescue centre is calling for people to have mercy on unwanted cats. The plea from Crescent Cat Rescue comes after a six-month-old persian cat was dumped at the side of the A120 near Frating. Carole Whiting, from the Thorpe charity said the female
ESSEX SUNDAY JUNIOR TROPHY semi-final: Maiden 5 FC Drury 1. ESSEX AND SUFFOLK BORDER LEAGUE: Premier division: Earls Colne 5 Dedham Old Boys 2, Gas Recreation 1 Coggeshall Town 0, Great Bentley 1 Brightlingsea Regent 1, Hatfield Peverel 1 Alresford Colne
Visits to a swimming pool that received a £56,000 makeover have hit an all-time high. Since the Lifestyles Suite at Dovercourt Swimming Pool underwent a refurbishment at the end of last year, visitors have steadily increased, according to Tendring Council
HARWICH 0 ROMFORD 0 East League men's division six south east This was not one of the home side's better performances. Harwich had the greater share of possession and scoring opportunities, but were unable to find the net. There was some good running
WITHAM 5 SAFFRON WALDEN 1 NE14Hockey East Men's League division one south east WITHAM continued their resurgence with a comfortable win over a talented young Saffron Waldon side. The first goal of man-of-the-match Matt Cooper's brace set the tone
CLACTON put in a sturdy performance but the visiting Ramgarhia were too strong on the day and ran out 6-2 winners in East Men's League division three south east. The Seasiders started brightly, soaking up attacks and defending early short corners before
COLCHESTER ran out 2-1 winners in their NE14HOCKEY East Women's League division one north match against Braintree. With both sides starting brightly it took much of the first half for Colchester to break through the Braintree defence and create any meaningful
COLCHESTER slipped back down the table with a 6-2 NE14Hockey East League Premier B Division defeat against Pelicans in Kings Lynn. With results elsewhere going against them they fell back two places to fourth from bottom. The game started evenly with
IT wasn't a great night for HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS. They lost 3-0 at Tonbridge Angels in the Ryman League premier division. In the Ridgeons League premier division, STANWAY ROVERS fought out a 1-1 draw to take a share of the spoils at Felixstowe and Walton
JASON De Vos insists there is no danger of Ipswich Town feeling sorry for themselves after their 4-1 thumping at Barnsley. The Blues were left reeling after late goals sent them crashing to their heaviest defeat of the season. But skipper De Vos said
SHEFFIELD Wednesday manager Brian Laws thinks his side's crucial victory at Layer Road may have killed off Colchester United's survival hopes for good. Goals from Deon Burton and Wade Small handed the Owls their first away triumph since November 3 and
DEAN Hammond insisted that Colchester United's players are refusing to admit defeat in their battle against relegation. Just one point out of a possible 18 has left the U's teetering on the edge in the Coca-Cola Championship, with nine games of the season
A MATTER of pride. Colchester United boss Geraint Williams has demanded his players show a similar high level of commitment to that displayed against Sheffield Wednesday, between now and the end of the season. The U's 2-1 defeat to the Owls has left
Ipswich Town's play-off dream suffered another dent as they went down 4-1 at Barnsley. Pablo Counago had given them the lead but goals from Brian Howard and Jon Macken either side of the break soon made it 2-1. Howard then slotted home a penalty after
Colchester United are ten points adrift of safety in the Coca-Cola Championship after losing 2-1 at home to fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday. Kevin Lisbie scored for the third successive game to give the U's a fourth-minute lead. But Deon Burton
