SNEAKING out of your bedroom window under the cover of darkness for a secret date is something most teenage girls can relate too. New pop starlet Pixie Lott is no exception, and that’s just one of the tales she’ll be singing about when she drops into
THE ROOF of a flat collapsed during a fire in Pitsea. Two appliances from Basildon fire station went to the blaze which broke out in a first floor flat in Wickford Avenue, Pitsea, at around 7pm. The blaze is thought to have been caused accidentally
A CURRY house in Rochford has been fined by Southend Magistrates after health inspectors found it infested with cockroaches. Taj Uddin, the owner of Royal Tandoori, in West Street, Rochford, pleaded guilty to six counts of contravening food hygiene
BLUES, folk and skiffle specialists Split Whiskers feel their way around two venues this week. The band play the New Crawdaddy Blues Club, Crays Hill, tomorrow night, before dropping into Blues at the Farm, Billericay, on Saturday afternoon. Split Whiskers
ACOUSTIC Alchemy will be working their magic at Churchill’s Cafe Bar on Sunday afternoon. The jazz group’s funky smooth grooves bring the curtain down on the lunchtime season at the Southend venue, which opens up again for business in September. Acoustic
THE Deep South Essex sound of the Flavours shot a large smile across the faces of a charity fundraising crowd lassoed in aid of the Depression Alliance. Tying up outside the Ship pub, Leigh, on Sunday, the eccentric quartet played a tribute
THIS is a special year for a local company as it marks its 60th anniversary of producing more than 200 shows. Rayleigh Operatic and Dramatic Society first began meeting in 1949 to stage Goodnight Vienna the George Posford musical of the Thirties The
BRITISH ska pioneers the Beat head to Chinnery’s, in Southend, on Friday for an evening of two-tone nostalgia, writes Charlie Foster. The band exploded out of industrial Birmingham in the late Seventies during a period of mass unemployment
POLICE have stepped up patrols in Leigh after burglars stole car keys from several homes. They struck in Marine Parade, Station Road, and at another home in Eastwood by forcing windows. In each case they stole the keys but left without taking the car
THE world’s largest wind farm will be built in the Thames Estuary, after funding was secured yesterday. The London Array farm will see 341 turbines installed across 90sq miles of Essex and Kent coast. Energy firm E.ON, one of the project’s main backers
FUNDS of a Basildon charity are set for a boost after being nominated as a shop’s charity of the year. St Luke’s Hospice co-founder, Trudy Westmore-Cox, dropped into Grays Shopping Centre to open a new shoe store. Trudy cut the ribbon at Exit Shoes
ROCHFORD Bowling Club have held their open day. The club’s president, Peter Rouse, and men’s captain Peter Parsons — along with ladies’ captain Doreen Wood — opened the 2009 Season with a club roll-up. A total of 70 players attended and enjoyed the
HULLBRIDGE Sports Youth Football Club, in conjunction with the Essex County Football Association, have set about maximising interest in young girls’ soccer. It is part of the FA’s 3 Lions Club which aims to start-up a brand new girls’ team for youngsters
ALLOTMENTS near Warners Bridge in Southend are set to be saved if the council’s cabinet agrees an officers’ recommendation. Originally, the council had planned to use the land as a waste transfer station, but the proposals have now been dropped. The
CASTLE Point’s new mayor has been officially appointed at an annual council meeting. The meeting, held every May, is where councillors are appointed to cabinet or to committees. Cliff Brunt, councillor for Victoria Ward, in Hadleigh, and deputy mayor
CANVEY’S former Woolworths store is set to reopen as a bargain hunters’ paradise – and create 30 new jobs on the island. National chain, the 99p Store, sells a range of household goods, food and gardening products, and is holding a grand opening at the
A SECOND case of swine flu has been confirmed on Canvey. A second pupil at Castle View School tested positive for the swine flu virus. The two pupils are in the same year group at the school. The second pupil, together with all
Tuition Centre Comes to Lakeside We’ve teamed up with the new Explore Learning education centre at Lakeside Shopping Centre to give one lucky reader the opportunity to give their child extra, fun tuition for free. Explore Learning are giving away two
A LEIGH man says his uncle was chosen to launder the proceeds of the 1963 Great Train Robbery. Find out how he did it and what happened to the cash - 3-page special in Thursday's Echo
RESIDENTS on Shoebury’s new Garrison estate have started a petition to have a coastal path near their homes diverted to protect their privacy. They organised the petition with traders in Shoebury High Street, and presented it to ward councillor Mike
BOY racers have been intimidating elderly people in a Southend seafront car park. Grandmother Rita Lowe raised concerns after she was blocked in the car park opposite the Kursaal by a group of drivers. She spoke out at a meeting of the Leigh Crime Prevention
HE may be 75, but sprightly pensioner Tony Perry is about to embark on a 60-mile cycle ride to raise awareness of a rare medical condition. Mr Perry, of Scrub Lane, Hadleigh, is setting off on Sunday. The keen cyclist has been in training
VANDALS attacked a teen shelter by pulling down the guttering. They targeted the brick-built shelter at Clements Hall sports ground which had been set up for young people to enjoy. The yobs pulled down guttering in the third attack on
THE float fishermen are still landing good mixed bags at Doggetts, with the better tench being found by those using the cover of the back pool to the best advantage. Tony Mills landed seven tench from three to seven pounds on float-fished corn from the
CHALKWELL Group of Churches has raised money to buy books for Westcliff Library. Each year, the group of 16 local churches raises cash for a branch of Southend libraries. This year, it donated £160 to buy books for the Westcliff branch in London Road.
THE mother of a boy, who contracted swine flu on holiday in Mexico, has spoken of her anger over the lack of medical guidance her family received after they flew home. Joe Bland, of Broomfield Green, Canvey, caught the dreaded virus while on holiday
THE Seitou Ryu Karate Club have produced two European Champions this year. James Lockhart, 11, from Wickford and George Boyd, 9, from South Ockendon, came home with three gold medals and one bronze between them at the Malympex European Championships
GRAYS Athletic have named Craig Edwards as their new first team manager. It will be his second spell in charge at the New Recreation Ground, having previously lost the job during the 2002-03 season. He takes over from Gary Phillips after stepping down
STARTING at a new school is daunting enough for any young pupil. But imagine having just turned up in a foreign country with unfamiliar customs and unable to speak the language. For immigrant families recently arrived in the UK, language and cultural
A MAN has suffered severe facial injuries after being battered by two thugs in broad daylight. The 31-year-old local man was attacked in East Street, Southend, after the two men approached him just after 11.30am yesterday. The victim
SOUTHEND-based St Aidan’s/ Leigh have won the Essex County Badminton League Men’s Championship at their first attempt. Promoted last year, Saints strengthened their squad by signing Essex Number one James Anderson and John Masheter, from Leighway, and
BASILDON angler Mick Toomer has now returned from the Florida Keys, having caught a mountain of enormous fish. After landing bull sharks to 500lb and tarpon to 180lb on his first two days, (Angling Echo , April 29), he decided to extend his visit and
HOCKLEY Kestrels flew away with the top prize when the Southend League staged their cup finals at Deanes School, Thundersley. Kestrels won the Division One Cup with a 43-38 success over SWF Hullbridge, but at least the losers had the satisfaction of
FORMER England and Southend United manager Peter Taylor was the guest of honour at Rochford All Stars’ medal presentations which was held in the Rochford Congregational Church. The team, who welcome players of all standards for their under nine, 12 and
There seems a general belief views against the expansion of Southend Airport are in the minority, and those who haven’t expressed a view are, by default, in favour. I suspect the truth is the vast majority of people feel powerless and take the
I recently bought tickets for two shows at the Towngate Theatre in Basildon. The first were for We’ll Meet Again for my parents and the second for a puppet show for my wife to take our children. My parents loved their show and raved about all
Jodie Blunden, from Great Wakering, complains she is unable to obtain Government funding to rent a flat near her college, to save bus fares from home. What is her opinion of the second home allowances paid to MPs? W H Diment Church Road Laindon
Why, after this Labour Government has been in power for 12 years, are the Gurkhas not treated in the same way as other Commonwealth troops? The excessive expenses claims of the current MPs would go a long way to pay for them. It looks to me like
Castle Point Council website tells us the council’s toilets are open from 9am until 7pm between Easter and September 30. It also says the automatic toilets are open 24 hours a day. There is a separate page about the “new high-quality toilets
BILLERICAY Town have added to their strike power for the forthcoming campaign with the signing of James Baker. The 22-year-old 6ft 2in front-runner was with Blue Square South Welling United last season. Previous clubs include Chelmsford City, Braintree
A GRIEVING widow has had her purse stolen. Sometime between 9.30am and 10am on Sunday May 10 her purse was taken from the car park near Tesco Express at Bentalls Shopping Centre in Colchester Road, Heybridge. The woman had dropped her
ORSETT has been selected by Anglia in Bloom to represent the region in a new In Bloom Champion of Champions competition. Sheila Fursedonne, chairman of Orsett in Bloom, said: “It is a great honour for the village to have been invited to enter this new
THE refurbishment of Aveley’s war memorial looks set to go ahead thanks to the generosity of villagers. Last year, plans were made to honour Nicky Mason of the Parachute Regiment, who was killed in Afghanistan last September. Residents
TWO men are appearing in court today charged with burgling a house. It follows the break-in of a house in Southchurch Road, Southend, just after 4am yesterday. Officers arrived at the scene and arrested Michael Steward, 28, of Jones Close, Southend,
MOST youngsters would be in heaven if they were told they had to tuck into endless bars of chocolate and plates of chips – but for Sydney Bohannan it’s a bit of a bore. Ten-year-old Sydney must have a high fat diet to improve her health because
SHOCKED spectators have spoken of their disgust after a vicious brawl broke out at a youth football game. Adults watching the game are believed to have got involved in the fight, which broke out between players at the final of the Southend
AS the media frenzy around MPs second home expenses deepens, the Echo invited south Essex MPs to take part in an “amnesty” and come clean about any claims which may embarrass them when full details are made public in July. Day-after-day
A NEW £50,000 marketing strategy for Southend has been revealed as council leaders try to rebrand the town. The council, working with other groups has come up with a series of logos including Smiles-on-Sea, and Safety-on-Sea to try and publicise
SOUTHEND United manager Steve Tilson and his assistant Paul Brush have just returned from a scouting mission in Spain. The Shrimpers are keen to bolster their squad ahead of the new season. And their pursuit of new players has now expanded to beyond
MORE than 200 people turned out to watch talented youngsters show off their BMX skills and compete to be named top in their field. The fourth annual Legacy XS BMX jam was held at the youth group’s skate park, in Richmond Park, Benfleet.
MORE than 120 people took part in the third Thurrock 5K Fun Run, in Chafford Hundred. The run raised money for the Ryan Cassar Appeal, Parkinson’s Disease, the Royal National Lifeboat Institute and a host of other charities. Event organisers
AN Englishman’s home might be his castle, but for one Southend grandfather it’s his shed that claims the title. Reg Miller, 64, has spent the past 18 months converting his garden shed into a Caribbean pirate ship paradise, complete with dead
history pupils from Hassenbrook School, in Stanford-le-Hope, recently returned from the First World War battlefields of Ypres, in Belgium, and the Somme in France. Anglia Battlefields tour guides accompanied the group to the various sites and cemeteries
CORRINGHAM is set for £229,000 worth of road and safety improvements. Councillors have welcomed news that work will start this summer. It is expected the first improvements will start in June, and eventually include footpath and road resurfacing and
EXTRA police will be drafted in to help control crowds at Southend’s Talk nightclub, under tough new conditions imposed after an incident in which 1,000 teenagers fought to get into a student party night. Police suggested a review of the
