Archive

  • 25 floats to join carnival procession

    BATON twirlers, street dancers and live musicians are just some of the entertainers set to go carnival crazy tomorrow. As part of the Basildon and Pitsea Carnival, a procession of more than 25 floats, some never seen before at the event, will parade

  • Squeaky Clean at the Alex pub

    IT took a major struggle to get it staged in the first place, but now there’s no stopping Woyzeck. Squeaky Clean’s production of the classic experimental play is being reprised as a highlight of Southend’s first Fringe Festival. The Squeaky Clean

  • Review: Not just one-day wonders

    GIRL groups can seem ten a penny ever since the Spice Girls burst on to the pop scene, but perhaps among the exceptions could be the shapely form of the Saturdays. They seemed just another fivesome of young females in daring frocks ready to pout and

  • Celebrating 21 years together

    TWO decades of dance are being condensed into one night at the 21st birthday of Underground and Saks. Whether you clubbed at the joint venue in the Eighties, Nineties or Noughties, organisers are adamant there’s something for everyone. The free event

  • Skins star at Zero

    YOUNG clubbers will get the chance to meet one of the stars of Skins at Southend’s new under 16s night. Luke Pasqualino, of Channel 4’s award winning teen drama, is appearing at the Zero 6 club, in Aviation Way, tonight. The 20-year-old actor portrays

  • Ladies’ man Dane at Mayhem

    THE atmosphere at Mayhem is set to reach another level when former boy band star Dane Bowers takes to the decks. The 29-year-old singer, turned DJ and record producer, will be performing at the club, in Warrior Square, Southend, tomorrow. Dane made

  • Four days extra at folk festival

    FOLK fans will be floating on air as an extra four days of music have been added to this year’s Leigh Folk Festival. The largest free musical event of its kind in the country – now in its 18th year – starts on Sunday and runs until June 28. The first

  • Get your eyes and teeth checked under one roof

    A NEW dentist has opened in Billericay town centre. Jaspal Kalsi, 26, will run the private Aquila Dental Clinic in the High Street. Mr Kalsi’s brother, Manvir, 25, runs Aquila Optometrists downstairs in the same building. Jaspal said: “I’m the only

  • Arsonists cause £25,000 damage to Basildon skate park

    ARSONISTS have caused £25,000 of damage to a Basildon skate park. The blaze wrecked the ramps and has forced the complex to close. Police and councillors condemned the yobs, branding the attack at Gloucester Park deplorable. Kevin Blake, Basildon

  • Road closed in both directions

    A SERIOUS accident left a major road closed in both directions during the height of rush hour. The A132 in South Woodham Ferrers was closed between the Rettendon Turnpike and the Shaw Farm Roundabout. Firefighters had to cut a man free

  • A friend for parklife

    COUNCIL bosses were so impressed with an environmental campaigner’s bid to stop their hedge-cutting campaign they want to sign him up. Nature-loving Keith Farnish, 38, took matters into his own hands when he spotted contractors lopping the tops off hedges

  • Everything’s coming up potato-shaped!

    PUPILS at Sacred Heart Primary school in Southend have been learning about gardening by taking part in a national potato-growing competition. A gardening club was set up as part of the competition, and now the pupils are ready to harvest their vegetables

  • Celebration for all the Armed Forces

    MORE than 100 people will gather to celebrate the achievements of the armed forces on Monday. The event, at Castle Point Council’s offices, in Kiln Road, Thundersley, will be attended by members of the Air Training Corps, Royal British Legion and Women

  • Another store is set to close at Knightswick centre

    DESPERATE shopkeepers are pleading for help to boost trade in an ailing Canvey shopping centre. There are currently four empty shops in Knightswick Centre, and when Penn Sports relocates at the end of the month it will be five. Storeholders

  • Homelessness unit failed to hit target

    A BASILDON council team that tries to stop families being made homeless has failed to meet its targets. The Preventing Homelessness team at the council didn’t meet its target for dealing with inquiries from residents between April 2008 and March this

  • Jamie hopes to emulate pop uncle

    POP stardom seems to run in the family for Jamie Bartlett – or at least he hopes it does. The 18-year-old has recorded his own pop single which has been written by his uncle Scott Robinson of the boyband 5ive. Jamie, of Byron Court, Laindon, launched

  • Cabbie arrested after man is injured in row

    A CABBIE has been arrested after a customer suffered serious head injuries following a row over a £4 fare. The injured man, a 61-year-old from Basildon, is currently in intensive care in hospital where he is being treated for bleeding on the brain.

  • Palace is the place for films

    I thank Mary Williams for her kind comments about the recent film show at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff (June 12). As one of the White Bus volunteers it’s nice to know our efforts are appreciated. We are enjoying showing films in such a historic

  • Ban daytime booze sales

    During the past few months I have enjoyed visiting Southend High Street on Saturday afternoons. It has always been busy and a nice place for families to visit. This was not the case on Saturday afternoon. I was there at 5pm, a little later than

  • Who paid for the champers?

    Nice to see the recent winners in the local elections. Just wondering if the champagne sprayed all over the place when they were elected came out of expenses? What a waste of champagne. Stuart Bridge Sandown Avenue Westcliff

  • Come on planners, give us a new road and rail bridge

    In My View, Southend councillor Anna Waite made a good point about another Thames crossing this end of the south Essex coast (June 11). I agree with her there should be another crossing this end of the Thames, but why stop there? Why only a

  • Car park won’t curb kerb chaos

    Once again the ongoing saga of kerbside parking in Carlton Avenue, Westcliff, raises its ugly head. Using the newly-built multi-storey car park adjacent to Southend Hospital is the most likely solution reduce to traffic chaos. However, I’m sure

  • Danielle is a real model of success

    AN aspiring model has won a regional competition. Danielle Elven, 13, of Collins Way, Eastwood, won the Miss Teen East Anglia competition, held at Candi Bar, Colchester, on Sunday night. The event also included Miss East Anglia for older girls,

  • Pay doctors footballer wages

    I have long thought doctors, nurses and MPs should get the salaries of footballers, pop stars and celebrities and vice versa. The latter groups seem to spend their excessive money on drink and/or drugs, setting a horrific example to the young

  • Only honour the deserving

    Congratulations to all the local people awarded honours in the Queen’s birthday honours List. They should be justifiably proud of themselves. To serve their communities for many years is something that deserves to be recognised. Unfortunately

  • Can you recall WVS clothes exchange?

    Can any reader remember as far back at 1945-46 when Southend clothing exchange was run by the WVS, the Women’s Voluntary Service. My brother and I would be taken there as young children by our mother. She would take along all our washed and

  • Not snobby to dislike swearing

    Tom Parkes has got it wrong when he said people are snobs if they don’t like the way Essex people talk (June 12). The point is some can’t speak a line without swearing. I have heard more swearing on the streets of Essex in the past few years

  • MP Mackinlay spent £46,000 over four years on rent

    MP ANDREW Mackinlay claimed £46,000 to cover rent at his London flat over the past four years. But he rarely splashed out on luxury items, with a £44.99 outlay on a digital set-top box, one of his few non-essential purchases. The Thurrock MP says he

  • Basildon MP spends £13,900 on food over four years

    BASILDON MP Angela Smith has spent £13,900 on food over the past four years – mostly on eating out. The Labour MP says with Parliament finishing up to 11pm each night, the last thing she wants to do is cook. She spent an average of £289 a month on food

  • Duddridge spent £8,000 kitting out second home

    MP JAMES Duddridge claimed more than £8,000 of taxpayers’ money kitting out and decorating his second home, when he was first elected as an MP. The items he bought included a radio at £79, just under £230 in one store for kitchen equipment and £21 for

  • Baron's mortgage interest claims on second home shoot up

    MONTHLY mortgage interest claims on Billericay MP John Baron’s second home leaped up by 40 per cent in one financial year. In April 2004, his monthly claim was £860, but by October it had increased to £1,205. Mr Baron says he has an interest-only tracker

  • Spink gets new flat-screen TV and £3,000 worth of furnishings

    WITH a £1,000 flat-screen TV on the wall, surrounded by £3,000 worth of swanky new soft furnishings, Bob Spink’s plush London pad sounds like a wonderful retreat from the pressures of modern life. A sift through the Castle Point MP’s claim forms for

  • Snack-loving Tory has one of lowest expenses claims

    RAYLEIGH’S Tory MP Mark Francois is one of the lowest spenders as far as his second homes allowance is concerned. He rents a flat in the London Borough of Southwark for which he paid between 2004 and 2008, a consistent figure of £1,516.66 each month.

  • MP Amess: All my claims are made in good faith

    All the claims that I have made since I was first elected to Parliament in June 1983 have been made in good faith and I have always consulted the Fees Office about their appropriateness. It is unfortunate the rule book now seems to have been rewritten

  • Man jailed for minimum 12 years for Rayleigh shooting

    THE armed robber who shot commuter Adam Mapleson in the chest has been sentenced to at least 12 years in prison. But Brian Wall, 62, could spend the rest of his life behind bars after he was found guilty of shooting Mr Mapleson during a robbery on a

  • MP Amess claims £250 a month in petty cash

    SOUTHEND West MP David Amess claimed £4,950 in petty cash over the past four years, but has refused to explain how it was spent. Mr Amess began claiming odd amounts from petty cash in 2005, but every month since October 2006 he has taken £250

  • Prince Edward opens safety centre at fire station

    PRINCE Edward visited south Essex to open a new £432,000 community safety centre at a fire station. Edward, the Earl of Wessex, yesterday arrived at the Corringham station, in Fobbing Road, by car, after his helicopter landed at the nearby Pegasus social

  • Scout group volunteers rewarded for their work

    OUTSTANDING members of a Scout group have been rewarded for their voluntary work. Eleven dedicated volunteers who run and make 1st Hullbridge Scout Group the success it is, have been given Rochford and Rayleigh Voluntary Service outstanding achievement

  • Scout group volunteers rewarded for their work

    OUTSTANDING members of a Scout group have been rewarded for their voluntary work. Eleven dedicated volunteers who run and make 1st Hullbridge Scout Group the success it is, have been given Rochford and Rayleigh Voluntary Service outstanding achievement

  • The nursery webcams keeping children safe

    FOR many parents, the thought of leaving their child at a day nursery is enough of a wrench without having to worry if they’ll be safe. Recent events at the Little Ted’s nursery, in Plymouth, Devon, have thrust the issue of security into the spotlight

  • Half of Basildon council homes fail to meet standards

    MORE than half of Basildon’s council houses are sub-standard, worrying new figures have revealed. Alarmingly, 94 per cent of council tenants in the Fryerns East estate will live in a home which does not meet basic national standards in five years unless

  • Traders angry about cycle race

    SOUTHEND is getting ready to host a top cycle race next week. The Tour Series is going to ten cities across the UK and comes to Western Esplanade on Thursday, June 25. The road will be closed between Maxims Casino and Adventure Island on the seafront

  • No apology over councillor's nob quip

    A SOUTHEND councillor has refused to apologise for calling the mayor a “nob”. In a letter to the Echo published last month, Lib Dem councillor Ric Morgan said he had been working on the seafront during the airshow when the “nobs” were having lunch at

  • Buoyancy aids are fin-tastic!

    CHILDREN across Basildon will take to the water like sharks under a new scheme. The council has started using a new tool called SwimFin at the district’s pools in Pitsea, Gloucester Park and Wickford in a bid to boost standards of swimming by 2012.

  • Advice on offer to beat food poisoning

    ADVICE on eating food safely has been provided to tackle the problem of food poisoning. Rochford District Council held a roadshow outside the Civic Suite in Rayleigh where council officers answered questions about food safety and other issues. The

  • Fundraiser Tim’s beside the seaside

    A HULLBRIDGE man is cycling thousands of miles for a cancer charity. Timothy Smith, 40, of Burnham Road, set off last week on a 2,500-mile trip all the way around Britain’s coastline in aid of Marie Curie cancer care. Mr Smith trained for three months

  • Greensward sixth formers get taste of the Apprentice in class

    YOUNG businessmen and women of the future competed to prove they were the ones that should be hired not fired. Greensward Academy in Greensward Lane, Hockley, held its own version of hit BBC show the Apprentice. And the winning six-person team enjoyed

  • £10,000 gives rescue boats new lease of life

    KIND-HEARTED Rotarians have handed over almost £10,000 to Southend’s lifeboat station. The £9,800, donated by Rayleigh Mill Rotary Club to Southend Royal National Lifeboat Institution, will be used to buy replacement engines for its Atlantic 75 lifeboat

  • Family fun on offer at Burstead festival

    A FABULOUS village fete, jam-packed with activities to entertain the whole family, is being held next weekend. The Festival at Burstead will take place in the grounds of St Mary Magdalene Church, in Great Burstead, on Saturday, June 27. The fete will

  • Field set to be transformed into £80,000 playground

    CHILDREN will soon have an £80,000 playground to enjoy in Nutberry Field, off Long Lane, Grays. The scheme is the latest in the council’s Playbuilder programme, which is upgrading play areas across the borough. In addition, the council’s community forum

  • Project to help children found out in the dark

    MORE children found wandering the streets of Southend at night will be taken to a safe place as part of a series of crime-fighting projects. The Home Office has granted £350,000 to run seven initiatives trialled over the past year to tackle antisocial