Former servicemen have condemned plans that could mean the demolition of a church hall built as a memorial to First World War soldiers. The proposals are for the landmark Clifftown United Reformed Church, in Nelson Street, Southend, which has been
A school has been kitted out for the New Year thanks to a donation from a local company. Football players at the Appleton School, in Benfleet, have been boosted by the donation of 45 new football shirts from Wickford-based Morbec Sports. PE teacher Jamie
A computer programmer was jailed for four months after being caught with 285 photos of children being sexually abused. Frank Taylor, 56, of Greenways, South Benfleet, was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to eight counts
A leading councillor is claiming a powerful quango is trying to gag him because of his outspoken views on development. Bill Sharp, Castle Point planning committee chairman, said the Audit Commission intended to take away powers from his committee because
The Basildon Sea Cadets branch has clawed its way bank from the brink of closing to be named the fourth best unit in Essex. The squad, of about 30 members aged 10 to 18, has jumped from last place to number four in the past two years and branch chairman
A new healthy eating project is giving people of all ages something to sink their teeth in. The All About Centre in Laindon has launched the campaign as part of the Healthy Start scheme, run with the help of South West Essex Primary Care Trust. Denise
Brave Ellie May Challis has won her battle to get physiotherapy on the NHS. The two-year-old toddler lost her arms and legs to meningitis, but received new £20,000 artificial limbs thanks to the generosity of people from Basildon and across Europe.
Police found unlocked homes and even keys left in front doors during an operation aimed at thwarting burglars. Operation Midwinter was set up following a spate of break-ins across the Chalkwell, Westcliff and Leigh areas. Police community support
Jordan Carpenter has proved she is more than able to blow her own trumpet by passing her grade eight music exams with honours. The Year 11 musician has been playing the trumpet since she was just seven years old. She said: "My older brother was
A paedophile who targeted two single mothers before sexually abusing their children was locked up for 32 months. Keith Smith, 50, of Sandpiper Close, Shoe-bury, was also banned from ever working with children. He was given a sexual offences prevention
Plans to build nine flats and a restaurant in Southend's High Street have been rejected by councillors. Members of the development control committee decided to turn it down over fears that a lack of parking spaces would cause a problem in the town
A scheming woman who got her long-term partner's bloody clothes cleaned after he knifed a father-of-two to death was today starting a 10-month jail sentence. Natasha Davies, 35, formerly of Tilney Turn, Vange, set off the chain of events which led
A supergrass whose evidence helped convict the Leigh allotments murderer has been sentenced to five years in prison. Damon Alvin, 33, formerly of Rushbottom Lane, Benfleet, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, burglary, conspiracy
Winds reaching speeds of up to 50mph whipped round south Essex yesterday. Rubbish collections in Basildon have been delayed for a day after the Pitsea tip was closed by the Environment Agency. The tip in Barling was also closed, but Cory collected
Critics have hit back at the county's top health boss after south Essex health services were forced to hand over millions of pounds. Neil McKay, the newly-appointed chief executive of the east of England Strategic Health Authority, reassured patients
Gloucester Park swimming pool would be the perfect home for a new art gallery, according to arts enthusiast Vin Harrop. Mr Harrop, chairman of the Foundation of Essex Arts, described the pool building as "a post-modern masterpiece" which would make
Brave Ellie May Challis has won her battle to get physiotherapy on the NHS. The two-year-old toddler lost her arms and legs to meningitis, but received new £20,000 artificial limbs thanks to the generosity of people from Basildon and across Europe.
Extra police officers are to be moved into schools across Essex in an effort to crack down on troublemakers. An undisclosed number of PCs will take up posts around the county in September. The extra officers are thought to be coming from backroom
National criminal gangs have been homing in on south Essex carrying out violent armed robberies on security guards. The south of the county has suffered eight such crimes in the past four months, including four in December alone. Hundreds of thousands
Early tomorrow morning Kristina Schmidt will be mucking out her horses as usual - 12 hours later she will be hoping to be crowned Mrs Great Britain. She will swap stable wellies and shovel for high heels and slinky dresses to contest one of the UK's
Dangerous dogs are back on the political agenda after two recent attacks that have killed young children. Campaigners are calling for the laws governing dogs and their owners to be tightened, to try and control the threat of the animals. In south
Youngsters will be getting off the streets and grappling their way out of boredom with the launch of a new judo class. Parents on the Craylands estate called for a martial arts club to be set up, to get youngsters off the streets and out of trouble
Billericay Town welcome back striker Joe Flack for the latest in a series of key Ryman Premier games at New Lodge tomorrow. Matt Jones's men, having moved into a play-off spot with Tuesday's goalless home derby draw with Heybridge Swifts, host Boreham
West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green has called on the struggling Irons to rediscover the form they showed against Arsenal and Manchester United in tomorrow's crunch Premiership clash with Fulham. Green believes the Hammers' victories over the two giants
The appalling conditions at Stubbers for the Essex Championships suited some Thurrock athletes but left others fighting for breath. The second day of this split event - part one was held in December - saw the Thurrock Harriers' senior women have possibly
It is round two of three in the battle of the Essex potters this weekend when Basildon's Stuart Bingham takes on Tiptree's Ali Carter in an opening round match in the Saga Masters at Wembley. The two did battle in the Maplin UK Championship late in
Table topping Southend have signed flanker Andrew Saull from Saracens. The 18-year-old will be on the bench for tomorrow's trip to Havant. Seasiders coach Kevin Harman is delighted to have captured the youngster's services from the Hertfordshire
Steve Hammell is desperate to see Southend United avoid another drubbing at the hands of Cardiff City tomorrow. The Bluebirds recorded a comfortable 3-0 victory at Roots Hall earlier on in the season. And Hammell is anxious for a different story
A supergrass who-se evidence helped convict the Leigh allotments murderer has been sentenced to five years in prison. Damon Alvin, 33, formerly of Rushbottom Lane, Benfleet, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, burglary, conspiracy
Southend United boss Steve Tilson will hand Luke Guttridge the chance to prove his worth at Cardiff City tomorrow. The midfielder had seemed set to quit the Championship strugglers after spending the last month on loan at Leyton Orient. But he has
Police found unlocked homes and even keys left in front doors during an operation aimed at thwarting burglars. Operation Midwinter was set up following a spate of break-ins across the Chalkwell, Westcliff and Leigh areas. Police community support officers
Basildon Council is supposed to represent the townships of Basildon, Billericay, Wickford, Pitsea and Laindon. In the 1980s the then Labour-controlled council decided to ditch the title of Basildon District Council and just be called Basildon - at the
R Pedder (Jan 8) suggests selling off green belt at £5,000 an acre to allow young people to build cheap homes. Why does he/she think housing is so expensive? Because inadequate laws allow property developers to take advantage. Housing was expensive
Grahame King blames the poor driving of young drivers on their instructors (Jan 9). Driving instructors do not themselves choose the level of skill to be passed on to their pupils. They are trained to teach a specific syllabus set by the Driving Standards
Congratulations to Jon Austin who has revealed what we all know, but what the authorities will not admit - the travellers are not poor homeless people who have been forced to move on to green belt because they have nowhere else to go. They are a well-organised
Pitbulls should be extinct. The breed was developed for one purpose only, violent attack. There is no shortage of other breeds on the Kennel Club register. The pitbull genetic strain should simply have been faded out. At the time of the 1991 Dangerous
