Back-to-back Coca-Cola Championship defeats have not left Ipswich Town boss Joe Royle deflated ahead of tonight's visit of Southampton. Instead the Blues chief is surprisingly upbeat on their current plight as they look to get one over freshly-relegated
Billericay Town have been given extra incentive to triumph in tonight's FA Cup first qualifying round home replay with Spartan South Midlands League St Margaretsbury. Justin Edinburgh's men were held to a draw in Stansted St Margarets on Saturday and
N0 family could be more deserving of the tag "cricket nuts" than the Tibbenhams of the Hadleigh and Thundersley Club where sons Paul and Mike both play and mum Mary is first team scorer. Mary admitted to being glued to the final stages of the Fifth Test
ESSEX Police have spent £4,000 sponsoring a Southend exhibition featuring Holocaust victim Anne Frank, which is designed to fight race and hate crime. South East Essex College, in Luker Road, will host the free show called Anne Frank + you, from Friday
A NEW £100,000 "one-stop shop" will be built in Northlands Park, Felmore. Residents will soon be able to pay their bills, receive advice and hold meetings at the new community centre. Basildon Council's cabinet gave the go-ahead for the resource centre
VICTIMS of the New Orleans disasters were remembered as owners of classic American cars drove up and down Southend seafront to raise money for the survivors. Seafront residents, who are more used to loud music, modified Ford Fiestas and Vauxhall Corsas
Horrifed shoppers today told of the moments when a man was fatally injured. Witness - Fred Spinks at the shopping centre, in Greenstead, today. Picture: STEVE BRADING (45078-d) The man was hurt while he was standing at a cash machine in a busy Greenstead
Vandals poured liquid through the letterbox of a family home. They struck on Sunday at a house in Abdy Avenue, Dovercourt, as four children and two adults were inside. A liquid, believed to be turpentine, had been poured inside the building and destroyed
A community warden will continue keeping Witham's Templars Estate litter free and a more pleasant place to live after his contract was renewed. Making a difference - Steve Howard with Cllr Michael Gage and Valerie Ahern, chairman of Templars Community
Jubilant Essex skipper Ronnie Irani today added his congratulations as England enjoyed the limelight of their sensational Ashes victory against Australia. Michael Vaughan's men won the series 2-1 after the fifth and final Test ended in a draw at The Oval
On first inspection, beach cleaner, Jamie Cornes, thought it was just another bottle. Message in a bottle - James Cornes and kiosk-owner Paul Barnes, read the message Victoria Hand put in the sea on the Isle of Wight. Picture: TERRY WEEDEN (44753-1) But
FED-UP residents today demanded Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet are no longer "ignored" by Basildon Council. Parish priest the Rev Ron Wiffen has accused the council of doing the two historic villages an injustice by classing them as part of Pitsea,
Spriralling petrol prices may mean motoring misery on most filling station forecourts but it's wonder-fuel news for one budding businessman. Fat of the land - record high fuel prices are a bonus for Jason Cattrell's biodiesel business. Picture: NIGEL
ECHO business reporter Tom King will be showing off his general knowledge tonight when he appears on TV show Mastermind. Tom will also be answering questions on his specialist subject, Dad's Army. Although he is sworn to secrecy about whether he won his
A newsagent was subjected to a racial attack in Colchester. The shopowner was punched and his jacket ripped in the assault, which took place after he pursued a shoplifter, a court heard. The man was working at Golden News, on Maldon Road, at 8.30pm on
A fresh start was made in the court martial of seven Colchester-based paratroopers charged with murdering teenager Nadhem Abdullah and violent disorder in Iraq. The hearing started last Monday but a member of the court martial panel recognised a defendant
A company has been cleared of unfairly sacking a worker who made a 360-mile daily round trip to a construction site in Yorkshire. Bosses at C A Blackwell (Contracts) discovered that for a week Jim Butcher used his company van to make the journey while
A SCHOOL has banned pupils from eating sugary or fatty snacks at breaktime to promote healthy living. Children at Grove Junior School in Rayleigh, get fresh air, exercise and an energy boost from bananas, apples or carrots or anything else from the healthy
Warming the bench was no barrel of laughs for Fabian Wilnis at Sheffield United. And you could understand if the Ipswich Town defender was slightly miffed at his exclusion - seeing as he has been one of the Coca-Cola Championship side's star performers
A fire chief has urged a community to give information about arsonists blighting a seaside resort. Residents in Jaywick are still living in fear that their homes could be the next to be gutted after a spate of deliberate blazes over the summer. Kevin
TALENTED artist Doris Walker is exhibiting her latest works at a south Essex library - at the age of 93. The exhibition began on Saturday at Benfleet library and features watercolours and hand-painted greeting cards. Mrs Walker, of Crowstone Road, Westcliff
A mother is refusing to send her son to lessons after he was denied entry to his nearest school. No room at the school - Tracey-Anne Beckett and son Joshua who must travel from Manningtree to Colchester. Picture: STEVE BRADING (45068-a) Although living
Southend maintained their indian sign over Old Patesians as they got their home campaign off to a successful 30-10 winning start on Saturday. The Seasiders have now won all five games against their Cheltenham based visitors since jumping into the National
Panic-buying has broken out on petrol station forecourts amid fears of blockades in protest against spiralling prices. Queuing up - drivers at Sainsbury's Tollgate filling station. Picture: NIGEL BROWN (45026-7) Motorists were today queuing up to fill
The remains of a Roman tomb have been unearthed beneath a Colchester school. Burial find - two members of Colchester Archaeology Trust show the scale of the "significant" find in the grounds of Colchester Royal Grammar School. The discovery was made by
THE threat of a fuel blockade has sparked petrol panic buying across south Essex. Queues of more than 50 cars could be seen stretching across forecourts and down roads as motorists tried to fill up before threatened protests take place this week about
THE final stage of the re-development of the once-notorious Five Links estate has been given the go-ahead by council chiefs. Basildon Council's cabinet voted unanimously in favour of stage three of the plans, which will see nearly 600 new homes built
A HOUSING complex in Hadleigh could mark the beginning of a three-stage rejuvenation project for the town centre, it has been revealed. Designers Third Dimension revealed plans for its plush Steeple Gate apartments in Castle Lane, which could take advantage
Cricket fever has taken over schools and cricket clubs in mid Essex as youngsters were gripped by the Ashes. As the England team celebrated its historic win with a parade in Trafalgar Square today, local people told how the final day of the Test captured
The head of Tendring's police force has warned people not to take the law into their own hands. A 59-year-old Jaywick resident said she would lay traps to stop yobs riding Mini-Motos and motorbikes in the resort. Pauline Aldridge, of Broome Way, said
Three heroes who rescued a drowning woman and her granddaughter from the sea at Clacton have picked up top awards. Both senior beach patrol officer Ryan Carvey and seasonal waterfront warden Jamie Sacre were on duty at the town's West Beach when they
A MAN fears he will be scarred for life after being pushed through a glass door in Southend. The 28-year-old, from Hockley, suffered a deep puncture wound to his lower abdomen and horrific facial injuries which needed 60 stitches. He was pushed from behind
A worried mother has warned parents to be vigilant after a "very suspicious" man asked to take photographs of her young sons. The man could give no credible explanation of why he wanted the shots and police have added their own warning for people to be
Inconsistency might have cost Westcliff their Premier place, but skipper Jon Pratt believes they can bounce straight back next season. Westcliff were relegated long before their final game of the season, but they made a decent fist of their last appearance
A SCHOOL has banned chocolate and crisps from lunchboxes and axed its tuckshop as part of a healthy eating drive, it was revealed today. Whitmore Junior School in Basildon took the decision to ban high fat and sugar foods at school to improve the diets
