Real-life robo-cops could be used to tackle crime in Colchester Council chiefs and Essex University boffins are set to join forces on a cutting-edge project, the first of its kind in Britain. It would see robots trained to spot suspicious behaviour on
Betterview Windows have been confirmed as the new sponsors of Southend United. The Wickford-based company have agreed a undisclosed six-figure sum to support the Shrimpers over the next two seasons. The cash injection comes at a vital time as manager
Passionate Colchester United fans will be able to get their hands on a rare piece of the club's history at an auction of sporting memorabilia. Two valuable programmes from the U's first games as a football league club were due to go under the hammer at
A 66-year-old angler who passed out in his tent after soaring temperatures turned it into a furnace owes his life to a pal who raised the alarm. Ambulance crews arrived within three minutes of the call yesterday afternoon to Warren Fishing Lakes in Stanford-le-Hope
Frustrated staff at a Braintree store were forced to open four hours late after vandals damaged a door lock. When manager Rebecca Thompson turned up at the Co-op Welcome store, in Panfield Lane, her staff were unable to get in and open up as usual. She
Thurrock Council has agreed to consider extending the lease of a local sports and social club after members presented it with a 400-name petition. It has written to secretary of Thurrock Borough Council Sports and Social Club, Mick Camp, saying that the
The hottest day of the year so far sent trippers swarming to Southend's beaches. Beach baby - Grace Crickmore, three, at Three Shells beach on Western Esplanade A warm sea heated by temperatures that soared to 28C (82 F) soon had people of all ages dipping
A motorcyclist who suffered serious head injuries after a collision on the A127 yesterday has died. The identity of the rider, believed to be in his 30s, hasn't been released. He died last night following emergency surgery. His bike crashed into a lorry
Southend Council officers will be seeing how long it takes to get from Leigh railway station to the Civic Centre under a special competition which is being organised to mark Green Transport Week. On Thursday, June 17, the Southend Travel Challenge will
A Colchester-based software provider has won a major contract to supply information technology to a key project in Milton Keynes. The firm, Nesstar, based at Wivenhoe Park, will provide statistical solutions for data analysis for Milton Keynes Observary
Neighbours used brute strength to lift a car off a young girl who was trapped underneath after a road crash. They managed to lift the car off the five-year-old's body within seconds of the smash in Essex Close, Rayleigh, saving her from more serious injuries
Pensioners in Maldon have hit out at the state of their sheltered home. Residents at The Charter, in Wantz Road, say maintenance, cleaning and care at the site has "gone to pot" in recent months. They claim their rubbish sacks have been left stacked up
Regeneration group Canvey 2000 is celebrating after work on a £130,000 cyclepath was finally completed. Easy riders - Dennis Williams and Ray Howard Picture: MAXINE CLARKE The 2,000 metre path at Canvey seafront, along Western and Eastern Esplanade, is
Southend-based Essex Senior League chairman Robert Errington has hit out at the "dreadful injustice" of the Ryman League having been given permission by the Football Association to "steal" one of their major clubs - Ilford. The Senior League had grudgingly
A first half performance described by Eels Coach Stuart Hogg is "inept at best" cost the Eels dear in the sweltering heat at Basildon. The Eels held an enthusiastic and young Stags team for the first ten until winger Peter Clarke found his way over the
The man who is hoping to take over from Sir Teddy Taylor as Tory MP for Rochford and Southend East after the next election has joined the row over the proposed closure of the Cluny Square post office. Southend Council has unanimously opposed the closure
Liam Chilvers said today he had no hesitation in signing a new contract for Colchester United that will tie him to the club for the next two seasons. Speaking exclusively to the Evening Gazette from his holiday beach in Marbella, the former Arsenal defender
Half of firms in Essex would crack down on sick days off and count them as unpaid leave, according to a survey of UK financial directors. The survey by Reed Accountancy found backing for the supermarket chain Tesco which counts the first three days off
Plans to change to the site of Braintree's £4.5m swimming pool will mean work has been put back to next year. Braintree Council revealed after talks with Real, the representatives of Hermes, the new owners of the Freeport site, it has been recommended
The onslaught of flat building in Leigh will have to continue despite the concerns of the town's council. Government guidelines dictate about 300 new dwellings a year must be built in Southend in a bid to cut housing shortages. Members of Leigh Town Council
Owners of a bar who planned to extend their opening hours have had their application rejected. CO9, in Market Hill, Halstead, is currently open until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights. But the owners had hoped to extend the opening until 2am at weekends
Water suppliers to south-east Essex say they have no immediate plans to use sea water as a source. On the hottest day of the year, Thames Water announced it was looking at desalinating Thames water to supply the borough of Newham in East London. But despite
Greenpeace activists will hold the first of a summer of Essex activities in Southend on Saturday. They are part of the ongoing campaign against petrol giant Esso, which Greenpeace has been waging since 2001. Greenpeace claims Esso is the No 1 global warming
Council officers banned the Evening Gazette newspaper from a crunch waste collection meeting with angry residents. The new refuse vehicles, costing £750,000, were launched in April with the aim of gathering rubbish and recyclables, including plastic bottles
An angry mother has hit out at the state of Central Park Swimming Pool after the council closed it following the discovery of the killer lung bug legionella. The pool, in Gooshays Drive Harold Hill, was closed after tests revealed dangerous levels of
A group of travellers have moved on to Holland Haven Country Park. One-and-a-half ton granite blocks put down to prevent travellers moving on to the cliffs have been pulled aside. The five caravans arrived at the coastal beauty spot at the weekend. The
Elmstead Grasshoppers' top place and unbeaten run in division one was maintained with a comfortable 88-run victory over Boxted. Having lost the toss and been asked to bat first, Elmstead amassed 262 for six. Captain Mark Perrin continued his good form
Intrepid Hadleigh firefighters are limbering up ready to climb "Mount Everest" in tropical temperatures on Friday. The team from White Watch are bidding to undertake at least 730 trips climbing their 40 foot ladder, in aid of Little Haven Children's Hospice
Real-life robo-cops could be used to tackle crime in Colchester Council chiefs and Essex University boffins are set to join forces on a cutting-edge project, the first of its kind in Britain. It would see robots trained to spot suspicious behaviour on
Residents have voiced their fears over the proposed Bathside Bay development They spoke out yesterday at the public inquiry into the £300m container terminal. Beryl Cann explained that many people were worried about the proposals and what would happen
An angry councillor has accused planning officers of "Stalinism" during a public meeting in a row over a planning application. District councillor Nigel McCrea (Con, Yeldham) made the comment during Braintree Council's Halstead Area Committee last night
Karl Duguid said today he will still go ahead with his big testimonial game against West Ham - despite clashing with a similar match between Ipswich Town and Newcastle on the same night. The popular Colchester United captain learned this week that his
Drunken hooligans looking for trouble in Maldon's pubs will be in for a shock after the launch of a new scheme offering zero tolerance on anti-social behaviour. The debut of Pubwatch, supported by Maldon police, means any drinkers who cause upset in one
Course records were smashed as hundreds swam, cycled and ran as part of the prestigious Braintree Triathlon. The individual winner was Stuart Dinwoodie, of Wilthshire Police, who completed the course in 55 minutes and 15 seconds - two minutes better than
A man who glassed a woman and then fled by train was thought to be on the loose in Colchester today. The public were being warned not to approach the man, who was seen in the town following the attack this morning. He is believed to have attacked his
A new option is being put forward as a site for Clacton's multi-million pound health centre. Land which has been declared surplus by Essex County Council at The Windsor School, in Holland Road, would provide the ideal location. That's the view of Tendring
Arena-Essex face Peterborough tonight at their Purfleet Raceway in an Elite Speedway League "B" fixture. The meeting, which will be shown live on Sky Sports, will be the second time the two sides will have met at Purfleet, with the earlier match resulting
A cracking mirror carp of 24lb put a smile on Mitchell Cook's face when he fished a short session at Basildon Northlands Park Lake. The fish was followed by a smaller specimen of 17lb 2oz before Mitchell decided it was time for a late breakfast! Mitchell
Three determined teenagers have launched a campaign for a state-of-the-art skatepark to be built in Rochford district. Josh Buck, 15, Darryn Wood, 16, both from Ashingdon, and Bradley Moss, 16, from Rochford, have spent the past year working hard gathering
Graham Napier, the 24-year-old Essex allrounder, has signed a one-year extension to his contract which will keep with the county until the end of the 2005 season. It is reward for the way the Colchester-born players has progressed with both bat and ball
A Tiptree mother and son, Gisele and Paul Falltrick, were among a selected group of salon owners from around the world to attend the first Global Hairdressing Salon awards in London. And they picked up the award for entreprenaurial spirit. Paul, who owns
A man who glassed a woman and then fled by train was thought to be on the loose in Colchester today. The public were being warned not to approach the man, who was seen in the town following the attack this morning. He is believed to have attacked his
Celebrations are under way after a Maldon brewery was voted much more than just "ale-right" Cheers - John Boyce with a pint of his winning ale Picture: ROB SAMBROOK The Mighty Oak Brewing Company, in West Station Yard, Spital Road, has received the rare
Basildon's Denise Van Outen was named Theatre Actress of the Year at the Glamour Awards last night. In a stunning white outfit, the Essex star picked up the award at the showbiz bash at Berkeley Square, London. She scooped the award for her one-woman
Ravinder Bopara played the starring role as Essex lifted themselves off the bottom of the National League First Division table at Chelmsford last night with a 35-run victory over Hampshire. Recalled to the side for his first competitive game of the summer
Alcohol could be banned in one part of Braintree town centre if a new bylaw is introduced An alchohol no-go zone is being proposed by Braintree Council for an area around St Michael's Church and the fountain to stamp out anti-social behaviour The council's
It has been a contrasting few weeks for two Southend sprinting stars as, following 18-year-old Katie Flaherty's International debut, Sarah Wilhelmy has confirmed she is close to quitting the sport. Wilhelmy, who competed at the Sydney Olympic Games in
A town's football club has been shown the red card over its unsightly new floodlights. Residents have complained about scaffolding on the pavilion at Frinton's Jubilee Way playing fields the home of Walton Town FC. The club has put up six floodlights
A boy aged five sparked a police search by hiding in a wardrobe. Michael Iveson hid after his mother put him to bed. When Tina, 36, of Fenners Way, Basildon, checked in on him the horrified mother found no sign of her child. She immediately began a frantic
A council has expressed fears that a beauty spot could be damaged by heavy goods vehicles. Maldon Town Council's planning committee has strongly objected to plans to improve the town's Promenade Park, saying vehicles could damage the parkland, as they
Two robbers claiming to be armed with knives robbed a jewellery store stealing handfuls of expensive chains and rings. Crime scene - shutters were down at Warburton today after the raid The men raided the Warburton jewellery shop, in the Broadway, Leigh
Bottle feeding 22 fox cubs night after night is not a task many people would relish - but for Veronica Mepham it's all in a day's work. Dedication - Veronica Mepham spends seven days a week looking after animals Picture: NICK ANSELL UQCJE4 Veronica, 64
Fed-up residents are calling for action to improve the highways and paths in their area. Pot-holed roads are causing problems for residents in Audley Way, Frinton and Rainham Way on the border of Frinton and Walton. Bob Mills, a member of the Walton Residents
Skipper Mark Jones heaped praise on man-of-the-moment Ryan ten Doeschate after his heroics in Clacton's eight-wicket success against Vauxhall Mallards. The Norfolk heavyweights - reigning champions - were brought crashing down to earth in Saturday's pulsating
