Archive

  • Staff safety fears led to Colchester care home probe

    CONCERNS over staff safety prompted an investigation into a Colchester care home, the Gazette can reveal. Current and former employees of Maple Court, in Berechurch Hall Road, have come forward as an invesitgation by Essex County Council’s social services

  • Rapist lived 100m from Colchester primary school

    A RAPIST, who had fled to England from his native Poland to escape trial for robbery, was living just metres from a primary school. Slawomir Blasiak has been sentenced to an indeterminate prison sentence for brutally raping a suicidal teenager in Colchester

  • Pictured: Burglar who spent six hours in block of bedsits

    THESE images have been released in a bid to catch a burglar who spent up to six hours in a secure block of bedsits. The man was spotted on CCTV footage outside Jackson House, in Honorius Drive, High Woods, Colchester, on Sunday, December 6, at 12.40am

  • GCSE league tables reveal mixed results for north Essex

    A SCHOOL which posted one of the worst GCSE pass rates in England has been praised for having a positive impact on its pupils. Colchester’s schools have appeared at the top and bottom of education league tables, published today. Colchester Royal Grammar

  • Celebrities lend their support to help save Roman circus

    CELEBRITIES have been queuing up to get behind the Save the Roman Circus campaign. Actor Tony Gardner, who starred with comic Jack Dee in Lead Balloon and was the father in kids’ show My Parents Are Aliens, turned out in the snow for the Gazette

  • Circus project is vital to keep tourists coming

    SORTING out the future of Colchester’s Roman circus could boost tourism in the town even further, as figures show how much it is worth to the local economy. Tourist attractions in the borough brought a record £200million into the town’s coffers

  • Circus fundraising target is possible

    THE fundraising challenge facing campaigners to save Colchester's Roman circus might initially seem a tall order. But the bid has already attracted hundreds of thousands of pounds of potential investment. The plan is to house the heritage

  • Healy completes his loan move to Falkirk

    Out-of-favour Ipswich Town midfielder Colin Healy has completed his loan move to Falkirk. The Irishman will spend the rest of the season at the Scottish Premier League side. Meanwhile, the Football Association have officially credited

  • Bruce saddened by Klug's departure from Ipswich Town

    Alex Bruce has revealed his sadness following long-serving coach Bryan Klug’s departure from Ipswich Town. The former academy director and first-team coach is leaving after more than three decades at Portman Road. Town defender Bruce said: “We worked

  • Curtain up on teen's stage dream

    ANEW musical has been written and composed by a 16-year-old boy who suffers from ME. When the curtain comes up on Wanted – the Legend of Robin Hood, it will be the culmination of two years’ hard work for Edward Court. It will be staged at Colchester

  • Thugs took victims to store cash machine

    TWO men were attacked by robbers and marched to a cashpoint in Colchester. The men, both 19 and from the town, were attacked in Barrack Street by a pair of thugs, who punched them, and ordered them to empty their pockets. They were then marched to

  • Lexden church could become special needs school

    A FORMER church could become a school for children with behavioural difficulties. Essex County Council and education firm the Continuum Group are looking to convert the former Kingsland Church in London Road, Lexden, into a school for up to

  • Phone cables partially block road

    TRAFFIC was disrupted after a lorry hit telephone cables in Old Heath Road, Colchester. The vehicle dragged down the cables, pulling a BT pole at an angle.

  • Police say organised gang are responsible for burglaries

    AN organised gang of burglars is believed to have targeted the rural Colchester region. Detectives dealt with six burglaries in Mile End Road on the outskirts of Colchester, Great Horkesley and Eight Ash Green. All of them were reported between early

  • Thank you to bus drivers

    I would like to show my appreciation for all the bus drivers who came to work and had to drive in extremely difficult conditions to get us all to work. Many thanks to one and all. Without their help, it would have been much more hazardous for

  • It’s not easy for schools to open in snow

    To those who feel it is an easy option for schools to close due to ice, snow and freezing temperatures, just ponder the following: Staff have to travel, often long distances, to reach their schools, risking their cars and life, given some of

  • Clive was star at the Palace

    I would like to thank Clive Owen for his continued support of the Electric Palace cinema in Harwich. Last Sunday my wife and I were lucky enough to attend the charity screening of his latest film the Boys Are Back (which isn’t released until

  • Don't listen to the scientists

    “The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt.

  • Circus is a winner for the town – Vaf is loser

    I invite readers to contrast and compare the following – the Visual Arts Facility and the Roman Circus. Which one is most likely to put Colchester on the national and international tourist map? The Vaf will be one of around 300 publicly-funded

  • Prince's Trust award winner is spared jail

    A PRINCE’S Trust award winner who acted as a burglary lookout has been spared jail. Ricky Ingram, of Hythes Hill, Colchester, helped two friends carry out a house burglary, which involved stealing car keys and driving away a couple’s Chrysler vehicle

  • What next for fallen star Bopara?

    However hard England’s chief selector Geoff Miller recently tried to put a positive spin on Ravi Bopara’s international snub – from the Test and One-Day squad in South Africa and the England Lions trip to the UAE – it is clear the Essex star’s career

  • Knifeman stopped by police stun-gun

    POLICE had to use a stun-gun on a man after he attacked his ex-girlfriend and threatened to cut his own throat with a knife, a court heard. After hearing about the terrifying incident, a judge has decided not to send Daryl Piper, 20, of Septimus Drive

  • Taiwo's Colchester United move is put on hold

    Solomon Taiwo's loan move from Cardiff City to Colchester United has been put on hold. The former Dagenham and Redbridge midfielder was set to join up with the U's on a temporary basis. However, a hamstring injury suffered by Gavin Rae

  • Cowling confident derby will pass without a hitch

    Colchester United chairman Robbie Cowling is confident that Saturday’s big East Anglian derby with Norwich City will pass without any problems. Canaries fans who had bought tickets in the home ends have now had them cancelled. Those

  • Care home in investigation over welfare

    A CARE home in Colchester is being investigated after allegations over the welfare of a resident. The complaint about Maple Court, in Berechurch Hall Road, has been lodged with both the Care Quality Commission and Essex County Council’s social services

  • Three car crash blocks road

    EMERGENCY services were called to a crash in Tolleshunt Major. Three vehicles were believed to have been involved in the crash on Tudwick Road at about 7.50am. Firefighters from Tollesbury and Tiptree, supported by Colchester's Rescue