Colchester and Essex news, sport and information from the Gazette

1:29pm Monday 13th February 2012

Downing Street has dismissed suggestions that Health Secretary Andrew Lansley should be sacked and insisted ministers were "fully behind" his NHS reforms.

12:33pm Monday 13th February 2012

The Metropolitan Police has launched a counter-terror campaign urging people to report suspicious behaviour by calling a dedicated hotline.

12:23pm Monday 13th February 2012

A man whose dog bit off part of a six-year-old girl's ear has been given a 12-week suspended jail term and placed under curfew for six weeks.

12:20pm Monday 13th February 2012

The Sun's associate editor has accused police of treating the paper's journalists like "members of an organised crime gang" after five senior staff were arrested over allegations of improper payments to police and public officials on Saturday.

11:58am Monday 13th February 2012

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has appealed to businesses to sign up to the coalition's drive to tackle youth unemployment.

11:54am Monday 13th February 2012

A retired British businessman will be extradited to the United States within 10 days after failing in his latest attempt to block the move, his lawyer said.

11:22am Monday 13th February 2012

Lending by Britain's top five banks shrank every quarter last year - an embarrassing blow to the Chancellor's Project Merlin agreement.

11:16am Monday 13th February 2012

Restarting the hearts of people who have recently died should be one of the options considered for boosting the number of organ donors, according to a new report.

10:52am Monday 13th February 2012

Motorists are having to contend with scores of attacks a year by missile-throwing yobs, it was revealed.

10:22am Monday 13th February 2012

Lending by Britain's top five banks shrank every quarter last year, official figures have revealed, in an embarrassing blow to the Chancellor's Project Merlin agreement.