Two men and a woman are to face trial in November over the Thorpe le Soken "body-in-the-cupboard" killing. The three appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court and denied murdering 24-year-old Justin Chant, whose body was found in a flat at Byng Close last November
Essex showground owner John Holmes is taking legal action in his bid to create his own racetrack. He plans to build Britain's first new race track for 70 years at the Great Leighs showground near Braintree. However, the Great Leighs bypass route will
Work on a major £250,000 road scheme for Jaywick is due to start later this year. Essex County Council has approved the money to be spent on the reconstruction of Midway and the project will be the start of an upgrade for many other subsidiary roads.
People waiting for council accommodation will get just one choice of house in a bid to cut homelessness in Colchester. Councillors have passed a range of measures which came about after council officers were asked to "think the unthinkable" to solve the
Soccer fans were left stunned when the referee collapsed and died during a Southend United home game. The match was abandoned after Mike North suffered a suspected heart attack at 4pm, right on the stroke of half-time, silencing the crowd of 3,986 shocked
A 22-year-old woman appeared before Colchester magistrates yesterday (Thursday) charged with murdering her husband. Nicola Meachen, a care assistant from Cliff Road, Dovercourt, was charged following an incident in Harwich on Tuesday. She has been remanded
Southend United midfielder Kevin Maher admitted he was left shell-shocked by the death of referee Mike North. The 41-year-old suffered a suspected heart attack during Monday's Third Division match against Mansfield Town, falling to the ground just a few
Just three Essex Wildlife Trust centres have been able to reopen in the county despite constant reminders the countryside is ready for business. John Hall, director of the trust, said risk assessments on most of the 93 nature reserves and visitors centres
A £20m building programme for 12 primary schools in Tendring has been announced under a privately-financed initiative. The agreement comes just weeks after it was revealed £25 million was to be spent on a new secondary school for Clacton under another
Soccer violence erupted when a referee was struck by a spectator. Police were called to the non-league Witham match against visiting team Aveley, in the Ryman League Division Three clash. As referee Jim Bavister was coming off the field at half time he
George Burley is taking nothing for granted in the race for Europe - and believes his Ipswich Town high-flyers must keep looking over their shoulders until qualification has been secured. The 2-1 win at Middlesbrough on Monday left the Blues just a point
Pole angler Martin Murfitt really put his tackle to the test when he fished an evening session at the Gloucester Park little bay - using just 2lb line to take ten tench, plus carp of 10lbs and 16lbs. Martin's after work session saw him fishing a single
Felmore Youth have won their way through to the Southend Junior League's Under-12 Cup final - for the second time this season. Their previous 2-1 win over Falcons Youth was ruled null and void as Felmore fielded an ineligible player. The replay, however
The students of Colchester Sixth Form College beat Gerard Houllier's Liverpool to Catalan glory. They returned victorious from Barcelona yesterday (Thursday) after winning the Calafell Cup from a four-team soccer tournament. Colchester beat Casta dell
While they continue their fight for Ryman League Premier Division title honours, thoughts at Canvey Island are turning to the most important game in the club's history. On May 13 at Premiership Aston Villa's home, Gulls take on Nationwide Conference Forest
Runwell Raiders pulled off an 8-4 win at Old Island Boys A in the South-East Essex Sunday League's Premier Division Group A Cup thanks to four goals from Whitney. Church scored threee and Davis one. Harrison, Wisby and an own goal were responsible for
South Woodham's new police inspector is hoping that his experience in community policing will benefit the town. Inspector Gary Coxhead has been in the force for 26 years, and has been stationed at various Essex locations, including Chelmsford, Colchester
Maldon district councillors have recommended the council submits a tender for the management and delivery of meals-on-wheels in the district. It is part of a shake-up of the service from next April. Essex County Council envisages the service in the county
A major transformation in the way Tendring Council is run has been agreed. The 60-member council will have an annually-appointed leader plus a cabinet of nine councillors. Once members are appointed by the leader, the cabinet would exercise most of the
Colchester MP Bob Russell was left shocked and shaken but unhurt after a head-on car crash in the town. Mr Russell was returning home alone from a slide display on the history of the Hythe when the accident happened at about 9.15pm on Wednesday night.
A junior council officer knew burnt animal remains were to be buried in Colchester. But the council was kept in the dark, and on Wednesday night concerned councillor Terry Sutton (Lib Dem, Berechurch) wanted to know whether the officer would be disciplined
It was a case of youth to the fore for Great Wakering Rovers at their Burroughs Park home on Wednesday night as the village side won their East Anglian Cup area final clash with Jewson League Ipswich Wanderers. And the youngsters who came in did manager
Footpaths across Essex will start to reopen from today (Friday). Some of those in the Tendring, Chelmsford, and Uttlesford areas will be among the first to reopen, but footpaths with livestock on or nearby will remain closed. Farmers in non-affected parts
Livestock farmers in south Essex have refused to fully back vaccination proposals to control the spread of foot-and-mouth disease - until more is known about its likely impact. The Government "accepts in principle'' advice from the chief vet Jim Scudamore
Detectives hunting a knifeman who went berserk in a Chelmsford off-licence believe that he could strike again. At one stage, the frenzied robber tried to reach the terrified part-time shop assistant who had locked himself in a store room to escape. Shouting
Southend United fans plan to raise funds for the family of referee Mike North, who died during Monday's Roots Hall match against Mansfield Town. The game was abandoned at half-time, with the score deadlocked at 0-0, after the 41-year-old collapsed in
George Burley believes Ipswich Town fans have still to see the best of Alun Armstrong, their two-goal hero at Middlesbrough. The Blues boss said: "Alun has done extremely well since joining us but he's still far from being the finished article. "Before
Southend United striker Neil Tolson has revealed he is looking forward to a medication-free footballing future. The 27-year-old hitman made his long-awaited comeback for Blues' reserves last week, playing 45 minutes and setting up a goal in a 2-1 defeat
The past few weeks have been memorable for Colchester United new boy Kemal Izzet. First he had a Football League debut to celebrate and now, just three games later, he's scored a first League goal during Tuesday's 2-2 tie with Peterborough at Layer Road
Canvey's leading scorer Wayne Vaughan reached the landmark of 25 goals in his first season at Park Lane as Gulls kept up their fantastic bid for Ryman League Premier Division honours on Wednesday night. The 21-year-old former England Youth international
A woman has been inspired by her father's courage to run the London marathon in aid of the Chelmsford Centre for the Blind. Collette Morris, 39, will run Sunday's marathon in aid of the centre where her father Sadru Bhanji is treasurer. From an early
Fabian Wilnis is facing a desperate race against time to be fit for Ipswich Town's weekend clash with Coventry City. The Dutch defender, who missed the 2-1 triumph at Middlesbrough on Monday, has suffered a setback in his bid to shake off an ankle problem
