A six-month-old baby was taken to hospital after toast caught fire at a house in Shoebury. Firefighters from Southend and Shoebury were called to the home, in St Andrew's Road, yesterday lunchtime after a woman called to say her kitchen was on fire. Blaze
More mini-roundabouts may be coming to southern Witham. Essex County Council has asked whether the town's councillors think mini-roundabouts would help ease traffic queues at the junctions of both Blue Mills Hill and Maltings Lane with Maldon Road. At
A man needed major surgery to rebuild his face after an incident outside a pub Max Starmer had his cheekbone fractured in three places and was off work for six months after he was hit by another man outside the Bull pub in Braintree. Chelmsford Crown
A possible 12 new flats could soon be built in Hadleigh. Planning permission is being sought for the development which is proposed for a site in London Road, Hadleigh. The developers are seeking permission to build a three-storey block containing 12 self-contained
Tommy Hunter, the scratch man from Crowlands Heath, won the Thorpe Hall junior open with a magnificent record score of 139 (69+70). The previous best aggregate total of 143, set in 1989 by former English Amateur champion Craig Laurence, looked set to
Jamie Clapham believes patience could be the key for Ipswich Town in tonight's UEFA Cup showdown against Avenir Beggen. The Blues hold a slim 1-0 lead from the first leg of their qualifying round tie after a night of frustration in Luxembourg. Beggen
Jamie Clapham believes patience could be the key for Ipswich Town in tonight's UEFA Cup showdown against Avenir Beggen. The Blues hold a slim 1-0 lead from the first leg of their qualifying round tie after a night of frustration in Luxembourg. Beggen
Billericay golfers Mary Pierce and Eileen Scarratt got into the swing of things to support Marie Curie Cancer Care. Mary of Laindon Common, Little Burstead and Eileen from Billericay competed against 15 other women in the regional final of Marie Curie
Motorists are being put at risk by people moving traffic cones and warning signs along roadworks near Braintree Essex Police has now increased patrols along the A120 after a spate of incidents in which traffic cones and warning signs were moved. Contractor
Pete Watts won the second and final leg of the Basildon and District Angling Society's Neil Peck charity match at Moat Lake. Thirty anglers competed at the event, held every year in memory of young fisherman Neil Peck, who died in 1993. But it was Pete
Police investigating an attempted rape on an eight-year-old girl in Colchester have arrested a boy. The 14-year-old boy was arrested in Sussex last night on suspicion of attempted rape. He was brought to Colchester for questioning about the incident in
Canvey's teenage karate king David Elmes has just returned from Italy with his seventh world championship -- thanks largely to the skill of staff at Southend Hospital. David, 17, of Hornshead Road, looked set to miss the big world event, which took place
Daniel Brooks won the 36-hole Basildon Golf Club championship by a seven-stroke margin. Brooks, a 15-year-old pupil at Woodlands School, gave a brilliant afternoon display in which he broke the amateur course record with a score of 65, seven under par
Controversial plans to introduce charges at previously free Tendring car parks have been given the all-clear. Five car parks are involved two at Harwich and Brightlingsea and one at Dovercourt the new charges are set to bring in £28,000 with initial start-up
Canvey teenager Lisa-Anne Gore has made a triumphant return from the karate world championships in Italy with four gold medals and two bronze. The 17-year-old was competing against people from 52 different countries. Golden girl - Lisa-Anne Gore shows
A developer's hopes to build flats at the side of Dovercourt Railway Station has again been met with objections. The application to build six one-bedroom flats in Kingsway had mixed reactions from town councillors. Dave McLeod, mayor, supported the application
More than 130 teachers due to start work next week in Southend schools, have still not been cleared as suitable to work with children, it was revealed today. The Criminal Records Bureau, the Home Office agency set up earlier this year for background checks
Colchester United will be without their club captain Scott Fitzgerald for at least another five weeks. The former Republic of Ireland Under-21 and B international centre-back is today recovering from a shock cartilage operation after having surgery. Fitzgerald
Television personality and ex-MP Gyles Brandreth unzipped a new Mercury Theatre following a dramatic summer makeover. The former MP for Chester was in town with his new musical Zipp, which started its ten-night run at the Colchester theatre last night
Essex's under-15 girls team have won the South of England title for the second year running but, as in 2001, have been pipped for the national crown. Last term they went down by just 11 runs to Yorkshire and this time Worcester were the county to end
Arena Essex were in action in the West Country last night suffering a 49-41 defeat against the Somerset Rebels in the Premier League. The Hammers trailed from the opening heat when Leigh Lanham split the home pairing of Mario Jirout and Graeme Gordon
Three Ipswich Town players are set for their first action of the season in today's UEFA Cup clash against Avenir Beggen. John McGreal, Martijn Reuser and Wayne Brown are poised for recalls to face the Luxembourg minnows at Portman Road. The trio returned
Residents fear a massive clean-up operation will be needed when a large group of travellers leave a green field site in Clacton About 30 caravans turned up on the land in Burrs Road over the weekend. The site, which is next to Burrs Cemetery, is owned
Colchester Citizens Advice Bureau will be promoting its work during September. The bureau will be at Asda in Turner Rise, Colchester, next Tuesday until Frida and the following Monday and Tuesday. They will be visited by both Colchester MP Bob Russell
A lottery grant of more than £12,000 will help bring carnival festivities to Boreham, along with a festival of music and dance and a wealth of creative arts workshops for the community. The action packed arts programme, taking place at the end of September
Many Canvey residents clasped their ears to protect their hearing from the dins of flood sirens yesterday morning. The alarms, which are tested annually, were activated at 9.45am and rung continuously for four minutes. Out of the 36 sirens only one remained
Colchester's annual county cricket festival is safe for another year. And there could be another of the popular floodlit games at Castle Park as well. Essex County Cricket Club's chief executive David East today confirmed the news following recent speculation
One-time Billericay star Johnny Herbert and his former Grand Prix colleague Emanuele Pirro will take a break from racing their 220mph all-conquering Audi R8 sportscars to turn back the clock at Goodwood's revival meeting next month. Monaco based Herbert
A row has erupted over the use of town hall parking spaces for guests at Clacton's popular air show. Tendring councillor Roy Smith claims he was prevented from gaining access to the official space he regularly occupies because it was needed for people
Police today warned Castle Point residents to be alert and on their guard against con artists operating in the area. Leslie Bramhill, the borough's crime reduction advisor, told how it was important for people to take every precaution possible to avoid
Club members have voiced their views about a sports development for the Braintree district. Clubs, including Braintree and District Athletic Club and Braintree Canoe Club, and other parties with interests in sport, such as parish councils, gave their
An intrepid group of four youngsters completed a 100-mile walk to the sea from Silver End to Harwich two days ahead of schedule. Teenagers Luke Piller, Jamie Wicks, Kevin Foakes and Rob Nugen, all 15, are all regulars at Silver End Youth Centre and decided
Work colleagues who took part in a charity parachute jump have helped to raise £10,000 for the Polio Eradication Scheme. Eddie Hall, 21, of Armiger Way, Witham, Simon Tompset, 45, of Augustus Way, Witham, and Stefan Cydichowsk, 40, of Coggeshall Road,
Great-granny Parris Perry had her head in the clouds today after becoming the oldest person to skydive with the world-famous Red Devils. Parris, aged 80, of Hornby Close, Westcliff, did a tandem leap with the parachute team to add to her reputation as
Europe's first on-line lottery millionaire has revealed he is to use his cash to find a cure for his crippling illness. Ian White, 58, scooped £1million on the website which runs a free National Lotto-style game on the internet. The osteoporosis sufferer
A pub has been granted a public entertainment licence - allowing it to offer live music and similar entertainment until late at weekends. The Dog and Pheasant, in Nayland Road, Colchester, was allowed a licence until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays
Essex Police officers have been told not to take up invitations to go out on patrol with New York cops while they are in America. Men and women from the county will be travelling to march alongside their New York colleagues at a special memorial service
Fire investigators say the blaze which gutted a Westcliff charity shop and led to three people being evacuated from their homes was started deliberately. More than 40 firefighters worked through the early hours of yesterday to bring the fire at the Mind
A "chronic" shortage of social housing has seen 377 households staying in bed and breakfast accommodation in Colchester. Colchester Council's overview and scrutiny panel heard that Colchester had a substantial increase in the number of people needing
The Co-op turned back the clock to celebrate 100 years in Dovercourt. A re-enactment of the grand opening of the store was held beneath the clock tower, Kingsway, yesterday to mark the occasion. Kevin Baldwin, manager, spoke on the history of the building
It may have been a wasted athletics season for Canvey's Dean Macey, but he's certainly fallen hook line and sinker for the sport of angling. During his absence from the world of athletics -- Macey missed both the Commonwealth Games and European Championships
A sex shop's bid to renew its licence has been approved by councillors. Colchester's oldest sex establishment - the Private Shop in Butt Road - has been given permission to remain open. An objection to the plans had been raised by Roger Buston (Con, Christ
Huge gates bearing the name Wick Country Park in gold lettering adorn the entrance to the district's newest attraction. The park, on the southern edge of Wickford, in Tresco Way, is set to open in November after five years of preparations, negotiations
A jeweller was today counting the cost after thieves broke into his shop and stole antique jewellery worth more than £20,000. Stolen items include an unusual bangle and ring set, styled in the design of a leopard. Owner Geoff Davison is confident police
Marcus Bent is confident Ipswich Town can ease past 'abysmal' Avenir Beggen into the next round of the UEFA Cup. The Blues are only 1-0 in front after coming up against a resolute, nine-man defence in the first leg in Luxembourg. But Bent, keeping his
Young footballers have a new goal next weekend. Members of Kingsdown Rangers Football Club will be planting a 30ft flower bed at Tarpots to perk up the area. Castle Point Councillor Dave Blackwell said: "It's a big overgrown flowerbed right in the shopping
An international consortium of casino experts is offering developers the chance to turn resorts like Southend into gambling havens to rival Las Vegas. With the proposed relaxation of outdated gambling laws, business chiefs behind the new Casino Solutions
Police today slammed drivers who drove the wrong way up a slip road to avoid queues following a road crash. The accident, on the London-bound carriageway of the A13 by the Stanford-le-Hope turn-off, happened when a maroon Ford Sierra collided with a broken
A group of friends are "geared-up" for a bike ride to raise cash for teenage cancer sufferers. The eight cyclists, all members of the Bocking Mountain Bike Group, will ride 220 miles from St Bees, Cumbria, to Robin Hood's Bay, in North Yorkshire, for
Southend United defender David McSweeney has targeted a three week recovery period from his knee injury. The 20-year-old, who can play at centre-half or right-back, has been forced to sit out the start of the Third Division season after making an unwanted
Rising Thorpe Bay player Joe Levey added a hat-trick of trophies to his cabinet after success at the Westcliff Lawn Junior Tournament. The Southend High School for Boys pupils claimed the under-18 singles and doubles titles, along with the under-16 singles
The local education authority is hoping to keep ten temporary classrooms in place at a Colchester school where a mystery smell was detected and asbestos removed. Extensive tests have been, and will continue to be, carried out at St George's Infants School
Shoppers facing a three-week shutdown of a town's only big supermarket say it is about time the area had a second one. Bosses at Somerfield, in London Road, Wickford, are spending about £200,000 on a major refit of their store which will shut from October
Storm-chaser John Harrison went 6,500 miles around America for a glimpse of a tornado then came back and saw one just 900ft from his home. Mr Harrison, of Birch, has been an avid enthusiast of storms and bad weather since he was a little boy. In fact,
Southend United are holding a golf day at Canewdon's Ballards Gore club on Thursday, September 19. The day starts with bacon rolls and coffee, followed by a nine-hole Texas scramble competition. And after a ploughman's lunch the afternoon Stableford takes
A much-needed new sports pavilion on a Rayleigh playing field could become a reality if councillors give the go ahead at a meeting tonight. Members of Rochford District Council's planning committee are being recommended to approve the scheme being put
Basildon based Phoenix Karate Club are celebrating the award of two new black belts. Benfleet duo Carly Astley (10) and 12-year-old Daniel King were awarded their 1st Dan black belts in Edinburgh. A couple of belters - Carly Astley and Daniel King Picture
Admirals Reach residential and Nursing Home in Chelmsford is celebrating the opening of three new areas, a sensory garden, a sensory room and a reminiscence room, with an open day on Sunday, September 1. Charities including the Alzheimer's Society, British
