Archive

  • Underage driver, 15, who wrecked house locked up

    A BOY aged 15 who crashed a stolen car through the front of a house causing up to £100,000 damage has been locked up. The teenager, from Colchester, admitted burgling a house for the keys to a Land Rover Discovery, before smashing into a semi-detached

  • Old court could be become restaurant

    A FILM set, a restaurant or a training centre for barristers have been suggested as uses for Colchester Magistrates’ Court when it closes. Colchester Council has set up a panel to discuss plans for the court after a new court costing more than £16million

  • Teen thrown from car fights for life

    Police are appealing for witnesses after an incident left a 19-year-old Sible Hedingham man fighting for his life with serious head injuries. The incident in Christmas Field, Sible Hedingham, involved the teenager and a blue Vauxhall Corsa.

  • Prisons must learn from our Simon’s cell suicide

    THE family of a Colchester man who hanged himself in a cell say they hope the prison service has learnt from its mistakes. Simon Gregory, 36, of Sycamore Road, took his own life at Chelmsford Prison days after he was arrested for allegedly stealing clothes

  • Pupils fight school over academy bid

    STUDENTS are protesting at proposals to turn their Colchester secondary school into an academy. Members of Philip Morant’s sixth form council have launched a petition against the school becoming an academy, saying the move would reduce accountability

  • Steve says farewell to town with gig

    IT really will be the end of an era when recently-formed Colchester band Out of Nowhere take to the Victoria Inn’s stage this weekend. That’s because it will be frontman Steven Allenby’s last gig in Colchester before he and his wife move to the Outer

  • Secret millionaire is poised to pull funds

    A SECRET millionaire who offered to invest in community facilities in Wivenhoe is on the verge of pulling out due to a lack of interest. The mystery man offered to contribute towards a £1.4million sports, leisure and community project in Broad Lane,

  • Pair jailed after abducting man and torturing him for £10k

    A TERRIFIED chip shop owner thought he was a dead man when he was captured and tortured while making a delivery. Adnan Eskisan was set upon by two men. A belt was put around his neck and tightened until he frothed at the mouth. Chelmsford Crown Court

  • Prince Charles hands out medals at Colchester Garrison

    PRINCE Charles honoured the families of paratroopers killed in action when he visited Colchester for a medal parade today. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall came to Colchester Garrison to hand out operational medals to hundreds of paratroopers

  • Hospital runs its own gym classes for patients

    THEY’RE sweating their socks off on the treadmill, but these people aren’t complaining. Both are fighting back against cancer, and doing it by attending weekly exercise classes at Colchester General Hospital. The Cancer Exercise Group, set up by physiotherapists

  • Four injured following three-vehicle collision on A12

    A CAR ended up on its roof following a three-vehicle smash on the A12 in Kelvedon. Emergency services were called to the London-bound carriageway at 10.55am. A blue Ford Fiesta was left on its roof following the incident, which involved

  • £20k a month bill for housing the homeless

    HOMELESS families being housed in bed and breakfast accommodation are costing taxpayers £20,000 a month, figures reveal. Colchester Council has 37 families in temporary accommodation in Clacton and Ipswich. The number has more than trebled in a year

  • Mum’s hi-tech help for patients

    A WOMAN whose daughter died from a brain tumour is spearheading a hi-tech bid to help other sufferers. Hollie Bell, 23, from Great Bentley, died three years ago after a 12-month fight against the illness. Mum Lesley Glover has since raised £28,000 for

  • MEP honours Helping Hands

    A VOLUNTEER who has driven more than 20,000 miles to help elderly and disabled people get out and about has had his efforts recognised by a Euro MP. Albert Reid, 72, of Thomas Road, Clacton, was one of ten drivers at Helping Hands to receive a certificate

  • U's to renew rivalry with Chairboys in Carling Cup

    Colchester United have been handed an away tie against League One new boys Wycombe Wanderers in the first round of this year's Carling Cup. The game will give the two clubs an early chance in the season to renew the rivalry between them that extends

  • School seeks parents’ views on academy bid

    PHILIP Morant School and College in Colchester has submitted an application to become an academy. Parents and staff have until July 6 to have their say on the proposals and a final decision is expected to be made by governors on July 13. About 40 parents

  • Classic rally draws big crowds

    STEAM engines, vintage tractors and buses were among the hundreds of exhibits at a popular rally. Earls Colne Scout and Guide Group and the North East Essex Tractor and Engine Club held the 31st Aldham Old Tyme Rallye and Fayre. The

  • Modelsearch leads to agency signings

    A WINNER of the Gazette’s Modelsearch competition has been signed up by an agency. Benjamin Tabone, 13, from Lexden, Colchester, has been given a one-year contract with the Truly Scrumptious Child Model Agency. Benjamin, who won the 11 to 15-year-old