A warning that North Weald Airfield needs a rush of public spending and fresh ideas about use has been made by a team of experts. The alert to the 384-acre site's owners, Epping Forest District Council, has come from consultants hired at a cost of £63,000
A pub landlord died three days after marrying his long-term love. John Tait, landlord of the Captain Fryatt pub in Parkeston, had been suffering from cancer. He married Mavis, his partner of 14 years, in a simple, moving ceremony in the bar in front of
Missing mother-of-two Katherine Schofield has been found alive and well, according to an Essex Police spokesman. The 34-year-old had been missing from her home in Langham near Colchester since December 28. But police said she was found safe this morning
Southend manager Gerry Lamb has revealed the dilemma behind his club's slump, but promised: "We'll return to our former glories." The full-strength seasiders, who host traditionally-close rivals Sutton & Epsom on Saturday, have conceded 503 points
Campaigners want a road tunnel built under north Colchester. They want a major junction on the new northern approaches road to be built underground. The Underpass Action Group (UAG) has been posting petition forms through letterboxes throughout Mile End
Ipswich boss George Burley has refused to be drawn on whether new signing Fabian Wilnis will start Saturday's home clash with Grimsby Town. The Dutch defender has been added to an unchanged squad after signing in a £200,000 deal on Tuesday and playing
Southend United new boy Martyn Booty is looking forward to making his Shrimpers debut in Saturday's Roots Hall match with Third Division strugglers Scarborough. The full-back, who has joined the Blues on a month's loan from Second Division Reading, readily
Neil Campbell's move to Colchester United has collapsed. U's boss Steve Wignall insisted today the deal was off -- unless the Scarborough striker accepted the terms on offer at the last minute. But Wignall admitted this morning he was not holding his
Town found it difficult coping with the ground conditions in Tuesday's cup tie at New Lodge and were eliminated from their last knockout competition of the season. And while the sticky conditions did not help Town's style, they were also handicapped by
Colchester Rugby Union Club has just gone through one of its most difficult periods, having only just registered its first victory of the season on Saturday, a 20-10 win at Bury St Edmunds. But one man who now believes the club has turned the corner is
Economic fudging, shadowy bureaucrats in Brussels and some bloke called Oskar Lafontaine who wants to dictate our tax rates. To the average person living in south Essex it is difficult to know what to make of the new single currency, born at the start
More than 50 people were rescued on Sunday (January 3) when sudden gale force winds hit the Essex coast. Bradwell coastguards were called to the River Blackwater to rescue windsurfers in difficulty and dinghies which had capsized during a yacht club race
Seventies pop icon Ian Dury must have felt a right blockhead when he returned to Southend to film a major new commercial. The Essex-born songster had no reason to be cheerful when his Range Rover got stuck in the mud as he was driving to the filming location
Urgent moves are being made to open extra intensive care beds at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford. And an appeal has been launched for more nurses to cope with a major increase in the number of emergency and urgent cases. Mid Essex Hospitals Trust has
About 135 police officers' jobs are set to be cut by Essex Police as part of £7 million savings. The posts will be gradually shaved off the 3,000-strong force by civilianising office-based jobs and not replacing some staff when they retire. It will mean
Three brothers from Braintree are hoping to become Essex's latest musical success story with the release of their first single next month. Called Next of Kin, Nathan Bass, 18, and brothers Mark, 15, and Kieran, 13, are poised for the big time after being
What is it about Canvey Island that the place keeps on producing world-class karate aces? Is it something to do with the prevailing wind, arriving as it does nonstop from the Far East? Or does it have something to do with the time-honoured need on Canvey
Battling baby Jessica Birdsall is looking forward to a bright new year after confounding doctors by fighting a rare life-threatening condition. Little Jessica will see her first birthday next week - a date mum Vicky thought her daughter might never reach
Police are asking the public to help them trace a robber who hit his victim around the head several times before stealing his wallet. An Essex Police spokesman said the 22-year-old victim had been so badly hurt in the attack on January 2 that he had only
Rounders bats stolen from a school shed could be turned into lethal weapons, a Basildon headteacher fears. David North, of Whitmore County Junior School, issued the grim warning after thieves forced the shed door and took more than 20 bats. His concerns
Parish councils in the Braintree district are calling for greater protection of the countryside, better public transport and more affordable housing. Their comments come as part of a new Braintree Council scheme which aims to give parish councils a bigger
A South Woodham man has been chosen to represent England in a junior bridge competition. Alan Shillitoe, 22, who has been playing bridge for seven years, is competing in the Junior Camrose competition in Dublin at the end of January. "I am really looking
American football team the Ipswich and Colchester Cardinals is looking for new players. The team begin training on Sunday at Northgate Sports Centre in Ipswich, noon start. The Cardinals already have several Colchester-based players, including head coach
Tamer Fernandes can make the Colchester United goalkeeper's jersey his own if he keeps a clean sheet at Chesterfield on Saturday and goes on to perform well for the rest of the season. U's boss Steve Wignall said today as he prepared his squad for one
A Chieftains side, strengthened by the recent signings of John Cotton from Blackburn and American David Heavey, at last showed the sort of scoring power that could see them climb the league with an impressive performance against table-toppers Blackburn
In front of a crowd of 300 on Tuesday, the Cressing Road stadium was lacking in atmosphere as Heybridge cruised into the fourth round of the Essex Senior Trophy. Both sides were weakened by injuries but it was the in-form Heybridge that dominated the
A policeman accused of headbutting a colleague at a boozy CID party has been cleared. Det Sgt Adrian Tyson denied causing actual bodily harm to PC Paul Daly, claiming he was acting in self defence. A Basildon Crown Court judge found Tyson, of Bicknacre
An unemployed, homeless teenager saved an 80-year-old man from drowning in Colchester. Aaron Hayden, 17, was near Middlemill, walking to a building site to ask for a job, when he saw a walking stick and pair of glasses on the bank of the River Colne.
Gardeners are already turning turf and planting seeds ahead of this year's Castle Point in Bloom competition. For some it means painstaking and methodical preparation, while others will simply let their imagination run wild. Gerald Snook, the borough's
A row in a taxi queue outside a nightclub led to the arrest of clubber Neil Meddle by police for being drunk and disorderly. The 24-year-old of Woolshots, Wickford, pleaded guilty at Southend Magistrates Court to being drunk and disorderly in Lucy Road
A determined schoolgirl has taken her fight for a pedestrian crossing straight to her MP. Nicola Essex was so fed up with the daily fight across the busy Ipswich Road in Colchester that she decided to do something about it - by writing to Colchester MP
Nearly three-quarters of Basildon residents are scared to leave home because of the fear of crime, figures reveal. More than 70 per cent questioned said they felt scared of being attacked on the housing estate where they lived. Vange residents were the
A catholic school will have to find an extra £50,000 a year when it becomes the first school in Essex to opt back in to council control. St Benedict's College, in Norman Way, Colchester, will have to find the extra money as its contribution when it reverts
Disappointed panto-goers were turned away from a theatre after the show was cancelled at the eleventh hour. The show at Colchester's Mercury Theatre was called off after it was discovered a section of plasterwork had fallen from the ceiling over the audience
As a stand-up comedian Alan Davies specialises in pointing up the oddities of modern living and the weird characters who inhabit our world. Otherwise he seems pretty normal. He dresses normally, unless you think it daring to wear a shirt over trousers
Brentwood is the latest target of a gang believed to be responsible for till snatches at McDonald's restaurants in Essex. Police are appealing for information following the thefts at restaurant on the town's High Street and at the Mountnessing drive-thru
Cinderella Cliffs Pavilion, Southend Stars: Bobby Davro, Bella Emberg, Bob Carolgees Date: To Jan 16 Box Office: 01702 351135 Snow White . . .The True Story Theatre Upstairs, New Empire Theatre, Southend Strictly for adults only. Live music by The Hooky
Some of the biggest names from the stage and world of entertainment are on their way to the seaside. Legendary blues guitarist BB King, top opera singer Lesley Garrett, former EastEnders actress Letitia Dean and ageless charmer Paul Nicholas are all to
Billericay beauty Rebecca Pearson could be the face of the millennium. Move over Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford - Rebecca is making a bid to become the new queen of the catwalk. Star spotters from Elite Premier model agency, the outfit
The backroom boys behind some of the biggest hits of the 1970s bring their own rock show to Southend tonight. With no fewer than six UK number ones, 15 top five singles and 23 Top Twenty hits between them, the members of blues-rockers Legend have a hit-making
Residents across Basildon have been warned to be on their guard against bogus council workmen offering cheap vehicle crossings. The crossings, which normally cost around £450 to install, are ramps which enable people to drive their cars onto properties
Staff at the Billericay School have launched plans to build a new £500,000 sixth form centre at its School Road headquarters. Work is set to start soon on the new centre, which is needed because of a large expansion in the number of students wanting to
Residents in Maylandsea fear rats are infesting a former village post office in a residential area. Some also fear the building in Imperial Avenue which was sold at auction two months ago may fall down. Now residents are calling for action to clear the
A grandad with a flair for writing music is looking for a female singer to bring his songs to life. When he's not working as a plasterer, Robert West, of Charles Pell Road, Greenstead, Colchester, composes tunes and has had his music played on local radio
Marconi Communications has won a £29 million contract to modernise Boeing's AWACS aircraft with new electronics. The work will be carried out on the airborne warning and control planes which are used by NATO. The order for the sophisticated new equipment
Southend Council will be forced to slash up to £1.3m from its social services bill next year, it was confirmed today. The cash-strapped department has been told to slice £1m from its budget - and make efficiency savings of £300,000. Director of social
Police have warned two child car safety seats stolen in Harlow are faulty and could be dangerous. An Essex Police spokesman said the seats were taken in a burglary at Harlow Council's Edinburgh Way depot, which houses its road safety unit. The thieves
Bus passengers in Clacton could be in for a cut in fares under the first major overhaul of prices for years, it has been revealed. First Eastern National is to look at its fare structure over the next couple of months. And while some may face an increase
Staff at the RSPCA rescue centre in Wethersfield are appealing for people to offer caring homes to abandoned pets after one of their busiest Christmases ever. The centre has been so full that some dogs have had to be kept in kennels at Braintree Police
Ipswich Town chairman David Sheepshanks has given his biggest hint yet that he will stand for the post of FA chairman. The position was vacated by Keith Wiseman on Monday following the controversial loan of £3.2 million to the FA of Wales. However, a
Librarian Eamonn Gray, who takes books to the elderly and disabled throughout the Witham district with his access services mobile library, has won national recognition for his work. Eamonn, 45, was one of only 19 winners chosen out of over 600 nominations
Chelmsford borough councillor Mike Mackrory claims Springfield has been "betrayed" by a new county council delay over the proposed £1million library for the residential area. Twelve years ago a county libraries committee chairman was "appaled" by the
Rollerworld, Derby, was the venue on Sunday for the first of five meetings in the National Indoor In-line Skating Series 1998/99, which precede Brit-Skate '99, featuring the British Indoor Championships to be held at the NEC, Birmingham at the end of
A puppet show and birthday meal were part of the landmark celebrations for pupils at a Braintree school. Lessons were put on hold at Lyons Hall County Primary in Deerleap Way while staff and children marked its first anniversary. The school opened last
Prior to the return to league rugby this weekend, last Saturday's annual friendly, with the visitors one league higher than Brentwood, gave the players the opportunity to test their fitness levels after the indulgence of the festive season. After an even
The Leopards returned to the Brentwood Centre on Tuesday still on a high following the remarkable comeback to win their National Cup semi-final at the NEC in Birmingham. However, what was at stake at the Brentwood Centre was vital league points. The Leopards
With the highs and lows of the 1998 season now history, Chelmsford Cricket Club's preparations for 1999 start in earnest at the Essex County Ground Indoor Cricket School on Sunday (January 10), at 7.30pm. The Raffingers Matchplay senior colts squad will
The Shrimpers are hosts to second from bottom Scarborough at Roots Hall tomorrow (Saturday). Southend need to start winning more home games if they hope to be serious promotion contenders, and a victory over their Yorkshire visitors could put Alvin Martin's
Billericay's long-awaited Tetley Vase last-32 tie should finally go ahead on Saturday - but not without a twist. The runaway Eastern Counties Two leaders were changed and ready for last weekend's bid to host UCS Old Boys when their fellow 1998 Vase quarter-finalists
Maldon 'B' showed just what a strong squad of players they have in division three of the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League with a convincing 9-1 win over Danbury 'D'. Without leading player Barry Mays, Maldon might have expected to struggle
The 575 spectators who chose to watch Chelmsford City instead of visiting the New Year sales got themselves a cracking bargain at Billericay last Friday with The Clarets storming back from two goals down to deservedly snatch the points. It was value for
The gulf that has been evident in the Christmas Cup competition between the English Premier League Clubs and the higher British National teams was once more clearly in evidence in Sunday's fixture. Chieftains were swept aside by a superb Basingstoke Bison
Following the Christmas holiday, the president of Channels Golf Club, Tony Stubbings, hosted the usual SAGA (Sand & Gravel Association) competition on Tuesday. A total of £220 was raised on the day for the Captain's chosen charity BLISS (Baby Life
Australia eventually prevailed in the final Test match at Sydney Cricket Ground but the Essex pair of Nasser Hussain and Peter Such did their utmost to keep England in with a chance of victory. The fourth day of the match, and what was to prove the last
The Old Boys have only themselves to blame for their disappointing performance on Saturday, the result meaning that Millwall enter the last 16 of the National Competition. The home side began well and showed some early signs of their intentions to take
An aid worker who escaped from a police station in Africa might have been involved in a murder in Essex, it emerged today. The Foreign Office said Mark Rothermel was among 40 prisoners in the break-out in Brazzaville, capital of the Congo Republic. A
About 160 tired holidaymakers arrived back at Stansted on Friday more than 30 hours late after their jet developed problems in the Canary Islands. Passengers were subjected to a series of delays when their homeward-bound plane developed a technical fault
A major recruitment drive is under way to secure thousands more staff for the ever-growing Stansted Airport. A number of roadshows will take place all over the region, stretching as far afield as east London. The initiative, a joint venture between Stansted
A chocaholic mum from Canvey hopes to make history on Friday night by becoming the first person to win a £1 million jackpot on television. Mum-of-four Fiona Wheeler scooped £1,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire on Thursday evening - but the show was
A £4 million scheme which will change the face of rural policing in the Braintree area was launched this week. A new police station will be built in Shalford, with extensive refurbishment of stations in Finchingfield and Kelvedon. Launching the initiative
A report on traffic problems in Wickford's congested Wick Lane is to be prepared for councillors. Members of the town's area committee decided to ask for more information on the situation following a petition organised by residents. They complained that
Troubled Southend nightclub, Club Art has been saved from the brink of closure - by the company that owned it in the first place. Bosses of new owners Pemberton Group PLC were today at the Elmer Approach Club finalising details of the £1 million buyout
Beleaguered Basildon Zoo will be told to clean up its act if it wants to stay in business. Improving the living conditions of many of the animals and strengthening safety enclosures are just of the demands in a hard-hitting Basildon Council ultimatum
