Harwich residents are the least satisfied with their area out of the whole of Tendring, a survey has revealed. The first citizen's panel has been interviewed by survey experts MORI to assess residents views on living in the district and the services provided
Residents have reacted furiously at a suggestion to develop land on the outskirts of the scenic village of East Bergholt. News that Babergh Council has been asked to consider including land bordered by Hadleigh Road, Hughes Road, the B1070 and A12 in
A geography teacher is about to fly out to Bangkok with pupils from Clacton County High School to help in an orphanage. Ruth Hamer will be joined by pupils Tamsin Budd from year 11 and Richard Snow and Neil Thompson from the lower sixth for the adventure
Clacton has had an influx of unwelcome visitors - dozens of jellyfish. Soaring temperatures and sea defence works off the Clacton coastline have attracted a large concentration of jellyfish off one of the resort's beaches. And coastguards yesterday warned
Rodney the dachshund has just been voted top dog at a show in Scotland, much to the delight of his owners. The three-year-old smooth standard daschund - whose show name is Top Thorne Roderick Joyce For Seatris - is the pride and joy of Bob and Anita McCarthy
Colchester United fans were handed another boost today with the news there could be up to five Division Two games switched to Friday nights at Layer Road this season. U's managing director Stephen Gage revealed the move just four days after the club said
In the ever popular "Constable Country" five-mile race at Stratford St Mary, Tiptree Road Runners turned out in force and Malcolm Bailey led the 'Reds' with a good effort to finish just outside the 31 minute mark. Deb Childs produced another personal
TOM KING meets a Basildon group of friends whose main love in life is . . . the flowering pelargonium Most of us love pelargoniums, even if we embarrass them by calling them geraniums. Not everyone, however, would take the love of the livid blossom so
A druid has been banned from trying to stop archaeologists removing an ancient wood circle from the sea. Buster Nolan, of Great Bardfield, was one of a group of protesters banned from the site of Seahenge in Norfolk by the High Courton Tuesday. The move
Two brothers have met each other for the first time after tracking each other down through the columns of one of our partner papers. It was a tearful reunion when Keith Schofield, 55, met his brother Sydney Cook, 57 - and realised they had lived just
A mother was horrified when her tot undid his car seat and crawled out as she drove along a busy motorway. Sue Steward, 33, was driving to Lakeside along the A13 believing Arron, 20 months old, was safely strapped in his car seat in the back. Terror set
A masked robber broke into a home and held the family at gunpoint before making off with £100,000 of jewellery. The gunman, wearing a balaclava, broke into the house in Church Lane, Bulphan, shortly after midnight yesterday and made his way to a bedroom
A cash bonanza could be on the cards for traders - thanks to hot-rod fans. Braintree businesses could benefit after it was revealed the town has been officially named one of the planet's most famous venues for enthusiasts of hot-rods - made popular in
A disabled woman, who has been housebound for ten years, has had her lifeline snatched away by an archaic law. Doris Barker, 75, of Laindon, has been severely disabled since contracting TB in her knee when she was five. She recovered enough to get married
Richard Branson wants to bring his new leisure empire to Thundersley - making it the first such complex in the south and only the fourth in the country. Virgin Active is Branson's newest company which aims to move away from the health club idea and instead
Witnesses who may hold vital clues about a Westcliff stabbing were today urged to come forward. The victim, a 40-year-old man, is still in Southend Hospital, with stab wounds to his leg and back and a punctured lung. He also suffered bad bruising to his
Up to 300 new jobs will be created when a hi-tech company moves to Shoebury. Sala International has bought up the former Amstrad warehouse as part of a multi-million pound expansion plan. The announcement is a tremendous employment boost for the town
A father today told how he survived tropical storms and shark-infested waters to bring his family's yacht back to Essex. Four years ago the Francis family from East Mersea sold up their business, rented out their home and set off on their dream - a round
Chalvedon were again overall champions at the Basildon senior schools' district athletic championships, staged at Gloucester Park. They triumphed on 1018 points from Mayflower, Billlericay, on 792 with Billericay third on 579. For boys' events, Chalvedon's
This Is Essex partner paper the Evening Gazette has linked up with Colchester United to sponsor the main stand at the U's Layer Road ground. And the deal, worth almost £10,000, will give readers the chance to win tickets to watch the U's in League and
Most of the region's professional and leading amateur golfers have been taking part in the pre-qualifying rounds for this year's Open. Clacton Golf Club playing professional Andy Duffin made it through to the next qualifying round after a superb 67 at
Eight Ash Green's second team are the only side yet to record a win this season in the Osborne League. But they could not have come closer to success than in their division three match with Tendring on Sunday. The Green set an impressive enough target
The Killerwhales maintained their recent good form at the Southern Counties Championships at Crystal Palace. Stanford-le-Hope's Lee Wightwick, 14, shattered his personal bests and the opposition to win double gold. First was Lee's favoured 200m breaststroke
Colchester United Wembley play-off final hero Joe Dunne could be forced to quit professional football and take a job outside the game. One of nine players handed free transfers by Colchester United 11 weeks ago, the former Republic of Ireland Under 21
The Five Lakes (Links) Golf Club will be celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special Stableford match on Saturday. Among the guests of the Tolleshunt Knights club will be 40 past captains, including the first - Steve Hunsdon - and the wife of original
Plans to create a "new town" within the parishes of west Tendring were today criticised by North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin. He said the planned development on greenfield sites at Three Greens, as part of the Essex and Southend Replacement Structure Plan
Pupils at a troubled village school have produced a much-improved set of results to help boost morale. Youngsters in their final year at Great Bentley Primary School significantly topped marks achieved last summer in their SATs tests. Head Yvonne Tatam
A couple from Dubai have bought a Clacton home over the internet - without ever stepping foot inside it. Neville and Ruth Sewell found the bungalow as a result of searching the net and after pressing a few buttons they have now nearly purchased it. Estate
a father and son have been praised after they pulled two men from a blazing car. Wilf Braybrook, 76, of Foxearth, near Halstead, and his son, Graham, of Liston, Suffolk, dragged the men to safety after they spotted a car on fire. The pair carried out
Victorious England skipper Nasser Hussain will be back to lead Essex in their Championship clash against Glamorgan starting in Cardiff tomorrow. His return could also coincide with that of Paul Prichard who is poised to open the innings following an absence
BRENTWOOD I................................181 all out COLCHESTER I.......................................174-8 (Match drawn) (Shepherd Neame Essex League Division One) Following on from their excellent batting performance the previous week, Brentwood
Although Essex were beaten in their latest County Championship fixture, against Lancashire at Old Trafford, they put on a fighting display that saw them in contention until just after lunch on the final day. They had to face the prolific and controversial
It is not often you get a hole-in-one. But two members of Colchester Golf Club achieved the ultimate golfer's dream on the same day. Both men used five irons and for both it was the second ace in their golfing career. Terry Sambridge, a finance director
Two Essex riders are on their way back to Wembley by virtue of having gained early qualification for national finals at the Horse of the Year Show, which is to be held in September. Lauley Squibb, 15, from South Weald, secured her place when she finished
Members of the Glendene CC had a successful weekend to reflect upon. On Friday evening, at Welwyn Track, Richard Whitehorn, won the 'Devil Take the Hindmost' for the second successive week. In this race the last rider to cross the finish line on each
Having been overlooked for the First Test match, Essex's Peter Such sent a timely reminder to the England selectors of his continued will being and form with his 13 wicket haul of wickets against Lancashire. In the last Test that he played, in January
Wickford's pubs are fighting back against local lager louts, thanks to a new scheme using the latest technology to slash alcohol related crime and disorder. Using high tech Vodaphone text pagers, landlords belonging to the new Pub Alert scheme will form
Thirteen may be an unlucky number for some but not for this happy family. While others face missing holidays through the massive passport crisis, Paul and Julie Oliver and their children are heading for the sun - and it took them only 13 days to get their
The mother of train crash victim Peter Kavanagh today spoke of her breast cancer ordeal, as she struggled to overcome the cruel side effects of her illness. Maureen Kavanagh was diagnosed almost exactly a year to the day after 29-year-old Peter died in
Gifted musician Lance Oliver leads from the front - quite literally. TOM KING talks to the young conductor of Southend's Philharmonic Romanticism is a difficult word to define, but anybody in search of a working definition could do a lot worse than observe
If you're a bit of a '50s rocker at heart and you have some time to spare on a Friday evening the Twenty Flight Rock Club could be worth checking out. The club is situated within the Flights Leisure Centre, Aviation Way in Southend and has been running
A 12-year-old girl has been awarded £1 million in the High Court for brain damage suffered when she was born at Rochford Hospital. South Essex Health Authority agreed to pay the damages to Francesca Goodwin, who was left with cerebral palsy after obstetrics
A passer-by saved two Colchester men from a car - minutes before it burst into flames. They were driving along the B1508 just outside the village of Bures at 11.45pm on Tuesday when the Ford Orion left the road and crashed into a tree. The passer-by saw
A dispute between two men ended with one of them being attacked with a pickaxe handle. Tommy Wallace invited James McPhail to a barbecue at the Flying Fox pub in Harwich Road, Colchester, he claimed to effect a reconciliation. But he hid a bag of pickaxe
Of their last five matches, Hunters Carpet Bowls Club have won just one, this being at home to Notley Green. They have lost at home to Pleshey and at Little Waltham and Stisted. Hunters' latest encounter was a return match at Pleshey, with eight games
Police arey appealing for witnesses after an elderly man died in a head-on crash. The accident happened when a red Austin Metro and a white Ford Transit van collided on a bend at the junction of Church Road and Rushbottom Lane in Benfleet at around 11.15pm
The beauty of the rose was brought to life during a flowers in watercolour workshop. Evelyn McKendrick, 78, of Goatsmoor Lane, Stock, captured the details of her chosen bloom perfectly during the class at the Fold in Laindon Road, Billericay. The pensioner
A new £148m hospital, bringing together services provided by Oldchurch Hospital, Romford and Harold Wood Hospital, has got the green light. The news was announced by Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who included the Havering Hospitals NHS Trust and Havering
Shoebury Park's Kevin Watkins, rated a good bet for honours before the singles began at the Midland Bank sponsored Southend Men's Open Bowls Tournament, is living up to that billing. When play got underway in the United Friendly Trophy yesterday, Watkins
A village on the outskirts of Colchester may bid to become a town - just days after its big sister rejected the chance to be a city. Investigations are to begin which could ultimately see Tiptree become a town but the village is split on the idea. The
Strike action at Stansted Airport has been called off while workers vote on a new pay offer. A meeting on Tuesday afternoon between ground handlers Servisair and the General Municipal and Boilermakers Union reached agreement on a deal which will give
He's the greatest grasscourt player ever. That is the verdict on Pete Sampras by the man whose Grand Slam singles record the fast-serving American has just equalled - Roy Emerson. Both Emerson, in the 1960s, and Sampras in the 1990s, have won 12 Grand
Steve Wignall, the man who guided Colchester United to two Wembley finals and two promotion play-off semi-finals, would relish the chance to do it again with Gillingham. The most successful manager in Colchester's Football League history, Wignall said
Westcliff Hard Court enjoyed a tense derby victory over rivals Westcliff Lawn in Division One of the Essex League. The Hards won 6-3 thanks to a superb display from inspired duo Lance Owen and Simon Cheshire, who notched up three rubbers between them.
The dole queue is looming large for most of Joe Dunne's eight Layer Road team-mates who were handed "frees" along with the popular Dubliner at the end of last season. Only utility player Nicky Haydon, currently training with First Division Ipswich Town
TOM KING meets John Main, the East End boy made good who insists that he is the man to trust in the fickle world of football There are hot-seats, there are white hot seats, and there is the chairmanship of Southend United Football Club. John Main is the
Star Wars goodies and baddies managed to keep their rivalries under wraps just long enough to promote a special theme night. The characters can be seen in all their glory on July 16 - the day Episode One The Phantom Menace is released - at Frankie and
Village communities could disappear if up to 4,000 new homes become part of the future housing plans for mid-Essex, it has been claimed. And if developers' plans for green field sites along the A12 corridor are agreed, Witham would absorb Rivenhall, a
Over the past 12 months more than 200 goldfish have disappeared from the fountain at Brightlingsea. And fountain keeper Roy Birnie has identified the thief - a heron. "It is only one as they are very territorial and this one must be the fattest for miles
SPARTAN.............................................97 all out HAROLD PARK..........................................98-4 (Harold Park won by six wickets) (Friendly) Harold Park met Spartan at Fairlop on Saturday in a 40 over friendly match and came away
Versace, Moss Bros and Nike are coming to Braintree. The designer wear, suit and sports giants are three big names signed up for the Freeport Leisure Factory Shopping Village which is on course to open at the beginning of November. And with 90 per cent
The Adidas Greater London Leopards, along with their head coach Billy Mims, plan to conduct three camp sessions throughout the summer to use their talents to help the community. The sessions will run from July 26-30 at the Brentwood Centre, from August
The Clearview Indoor Tennis Centre is to be redeveloped and enhanced early in the Millennium. The Brentwood Council Planning committee agreed at its meeting last week to proposals to build a new six court indoor complex and with it three outdoor courts
Former Southend United and England under-21 boss Peter Taylor has bounced back into club management with Second Division Gillingham. The 46-year-old, who was surprisingly forced out of his position within the FA's international set up last month, was
Tatem Park, Enfield, was the venue for a rollerspeed skating meeting hosted by London Rollerspeed Skating Club on Sunday at which skaters from the ECL Consultants Ltd sponsored South Woodham Ferrers & Wickford Rollerspeed Skating Club attended, on
HAINAULT & CLAYHALL I.159 all out BILLERICAY I...........................50 all out (Hainault & Clayhall won by 109 runs) (Shepherd Neame Essex League) </B? Billericay's run of good form that had seen them rise to second in the Premier League
Several years of planning, much running around and hard work will see the completion of the lights by the end of July. Several other changes have also taken place. After 21 seasons as first team manager Derek Stittle is becoming the club's general manager
Essex star Glen Cooper (3) won Ballards Gore's monthly medal amid strong winds. He birdied the first and sixth holes, triple-bogeyed the eighth, then got an 11th-hole birdie and an eagle 13th. Matt Hilsum (10), with a net 70, was second on countback from
The small team of athletes from Dovedale Flyers Disabled Sports Club achieved great success at the BT National Junior Athletics Championships in Blackpool at the weekend. They came home with more medals than there were people, but the competition was
Saturday saw Essex engaged in a day/night National League affair against Lancashire at Old Trafford, and the visitors lost out by a seven wicket margin It was certainly 'an all the fun of the fair' carnival atmosphere as pre-match entertainment included
Ian Flanagan cast off his tag as a budding Essex batsman to post career best bowling figures for Jaygate Homes Two Counties Championship hopefuls Colchester and East Essex. There was an equally remarkable bowling performance from Braintree's hat-trick
Halstead crashed to their second successive East Anglian Premier League defeat, losing heavily against current leaders Vauxhall Mallards at Star Stile. Looking to bounce back from a comprehensive eight-wicket defeat against title contenders Cambridge
A unique experiment is being carried out to try cure a poorly pooch's allergy to modern day living. Scientists hope they have finally cracked the cause of a Yorkshire Terrier's catalogue of canine complaints. Experts at London firm Kiltox Chemicals claim
Parents are taking action after their child was injured by a horse in a Wickford road. They claim a child could be more seriously injured unless something is done about horses left loosely tethered around Wickford. The warning came after a youngster was
A shocked motorist was punched on the nose as he found himself the victim of an attempted car-jacking. The Canvey man was driving along London Road, Vange, in the early hours of the morning when two men forced him to stop. Det Con Doug Garton of Basildon
Widow Annette Russill, who admitted forgery in a £1.8 million will scam, told a jury: "I cannot read or write." Russill, 65, said she traced the signature of Southend heiress Annie Kay, then practised the signature every spare moment. She used the signature
The madcap antics of modern day gladiators on motor bikes have ended a 40 year tradition in the Ongar area. For bikers, used to riding out into the Essex countryside on Wednesday evenings in summer since the fifties, have been banned from their traditional
The never-say-die British Bulldog Spirit which won the war is being revived to fight the Battle of North Weald. Residents, RAF veterans and tenants are united against any move the close the former Battle of Britain HQ. Preliminary talks have already taken
Havering Council has given the go-ahead for a new housing estate to be built on derelict land near Spilsby Road, Harold Hill. A total of 97 dwellings will be built, ranging from one-bedroom flats to three and four-storey houses erected on the land which
The leader of Brentwood Council has accused the police of being soft on travellers and has demanded a crackdown. Cllr David Gottesmann said some irresponsible travellers had been getting away with vandalism across the borough because police were reluctant
A fearful pet owner has attacked the sick and disgusting thugs who shot her cat and left it fighting for its life this week. Ginger tom Fluke was found in terrible pain in Brentwood early on Monday morning after being shot with what is believed to be
Oscar- winner Jan Pinkava is to show his award-winning film in Colchester - only the second time it will have been shown in public in the UK. Colchester Royal Grammar School is hosting the special event for its ex-pupil, including a presentation by the
Angry Billericay councillors have slammed Basildon Council's decision to ignore fierce local opposition to a new pub on the High Street and give the developers the all clear. National pub chain JD Wetherspoon's plans for a real ale bar on the site of
A familiar figure has returned to the Essex coastline. Radio Caroline has moored up at the end of Southend Pier and is readying itself for a month of 24-hour broadcasts beginning in July. GARY MAC boarded merchant vessel Ross Revenge - Caroline's home
