BRIAN Houssart is well-known as a taxi driver and former Southend councillor. Yet few realise he has spent 37 years doing his best to help others. Since 1972, Mr Houssart has worked tirelessly as president of Southend Taxi Drivers’ Fund for
TEDDY bears are the latest group to give a paws-up to Southend’s Victoria Centre. Steve and Babs Kohler have opened Teddy Station in an upper level unit of the mall, after they came up with the inspiration for the business while on honeymoon at Euro
A NEW Billericay-based business networking group is already doing its bit to boost trade in the town centre. The group holds breakfast meetings at the Deli 37 cafe in Billericay High Street. Organiser David Barnes, who runs Basildon-based Barnes IT
MUSIC lovers have been able to follow a trail of plaques around Liverpool in honour of the city’s most famous sons, the Beatles, for years. Now Canvey is set to follow suit by honouring its own musical heroes, legendary rhythm and blues band Dr Feelgood
NORMALLY an opening night stage full of flappers would be regarded as a disaster, but with Thoroughly Modern Millie it’s what everyone is aiming to achieve. The now classical musical is a colourful pastiche of the flapper era and everything that made
Homegrown songstress Alison Moyet performs at the Cliffs Pavilion this Friday. Alison, who grew up in Basildon, released a retrospective on her 25-year career, Revisited: The Very Best of Alison Moyet, last month. “It’s hard to look back and see how
A SUPERMARKET has won permission to build a second floor selling clothes and create up to 40 jobs. Basildon Council approved plans from retail giant Asda to build a large mezzanine floor in its store at the Pipps Hill Retail Park, off Miles Gray Road
A TEENAGER has been charged nine months after a attack left a man in hospital with serious head injuries. The 17-year-old Tilbury boy was charged with grievous bodily harm with intent, following an attack in Dock Road, Tilbury, on February 20 this year
THE clean-up operation has started in the windswept streets hit by a suspected tornado, with at least one person made temporarily homeless. Residents have spoken of their relief no one was hurt after the whirlwind whipped through Thundersley, tearing
BASILDON Council says it has done its utmost to help residents left homeless by the fire. Spokesman Rab Fallon said the authority has made sure all the people who have been unable to return to their homes, in Bockingham Green, Felmores, have been found
SOUTHEND may have lost out on its bid for Government cash to refurbish the pier because of political considerations, accor- ding to council leader Nigel Holdcroft. In the Labour heartland in the north of England, £2million from the Sea Change scheme
CONTROVERSIAL plans for 326 new homes on green belt land in Rochford have been recommended for refusal. Nearly 300 people have written to object to the plans for Coombes Farm, which have been submitted by developers the Colonnade Group. The plans
A COUNCILLOR has vowed to fight for mobile homes at Thorney Bay Park to be classed as permanent residences and knocked off Canvey’s future housing targets. Speaking in response to a question from a resident at Canvey Island East Neighbourhood meeting
CAMPAIGNERS against plans to redevelop Basildon Golf Course claim a hidden report into the amount of protected wildlife on the site will be the ace card in a legal challenge. Yesterday an emergency Court of Appeal hearing agreed an environmental study
RAMRAIDERS broke into a Canvey estate to escape with two lorries. The crooks cut the wire fence at Piper Fuels, on the Charfleets Estate, and crept onto the site in the early hours of this morning. They then used a truck found inside the site to smash
A FAMILY left homeless by the blaze said they have not been helped by Basildon Council. Tracey Allen, 46, her 83-year-old mum Olive Maryson and son Darrin 24, said they have had to rely on relatives’ hospitality, after being told to leave their
A TRAIL-BLAZING course designed to inform, guide and build the confidence of people with long-term illnesses is continuing its success story. The latest graduates of the Expert Patient Programme in Rayleigh were rewarded for their work over the past
A lucky woman has had a close escape after she became stranded in a Canvey marsh. The 35-year-old woman walked into the marshland between Thorney Bay caravan park and Magnolia Close late on Tuesday night. Fortunately her screams were
Les Harrington (Nov 6) is wrong to attribute the selection of Rebecca Harris as the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Castle Point to “political correctness”. One hundred and twentyseven men and women applied to be the party
I read Basildon councillor Kevin Blake’s comments on the town’s arts scene with little surprise (Nov 2). He says he has found the whole business with Old Man Stan quite tiresome. This is his response, as cabinet member for arts and leisure,
Mike Harvey (Nov 12) says no one noticed the additional flights into Southend Airport during recent diversions because of fog. I did. These were short-term disruptions and the planned expansion will mean a similar level of activity on a regular
The future is looking rosy for Southend’s Priory Park, with the go-ahead for the much-needed renovation of Prittlewell Priory. There is still the hurdle of Government consent to overcome. However, like councillor David Norman, we hope this will
So the leader of Southend Council, Nigel Holdcroft, is furious after spending £36,000 of public money and not winning the “competition” for the £5million of funding after being assured it was “virtually” guaranteed to go through. Don’t you think
ARMED police had to deal with mobs of feuding travellers. Officers with firearms were called after several families from Dale Farm, in Crays Hill, swamped another camp. Families from the Billericay site attended a Catholic confirmation
PEOPLE who park across driveways could wind up with a fine Southend Council has revealed. The council plans to crack down on inconsiderate motorists who make life a misery for the borough’s residents by blocking their driveways. Up until
A major campaign will be launched next week to highlight the help available for those at risk of domestic abuse. Domestic Abuse Awareness Week from Monday, November 23 to Saturday, November 28 will focus on the themes that domestic abuse can
COUNCILLORS have fiercely rejected government demands for more housing in Castle Point. At a meeting of Castle Point Council’s cabinet, members rejected all four options put forward by the East of England Regional Assembly for future growth
Leigh Town Council's planning committee has voted to submit an objection to plans to extend the runway at Southend airport. At a meeting last night, Tuesday, councillors decided to object to the plans for a variety of reasons. Although
JOHNNY Herd feels he has an 80 per cent chance of being fit for Friday’s clash with MK Dons. The left-back missed last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Yeovil Town with a hamstring injury. But he now hopes to be nearing a return to action.
A STORM chaser captured rare footage of the tornado which swept over south Essex on Saturday – from his front garden in Pitsea. Former electronics research engineer John Randall, 51, has spent most of his adult life monitoring storms as a hobby
RESIDENTS are hoping for a new beginning now a troublesome pub has finally closed. The Cutley Lynch, in Hart Road, Thundersley, was boarded up last week following a long-running dispute between the landlady, Fiona Johnstone, and owners Enterprise Inns
CANVEY will get into the Christmas spirit when residents take part in a sponsored fancy dress walk around the island. Everyone will be dressed in Santa outfits or other Christmas costumes, and follow a sleigh provided by Canvey Rotary Club. People taking
A 20-YEAR-old woman has been arrested after an early morning crash in Eastwood. Emergency services were called to the scene in Mendip Crescent shortly before 3.30am today, Wednesday. A red Ford Escort was found on its roof and a 20-year-old woman
FIREFIGHTERS have tackled a blaze in a Canvey flat. Crews were called to a fire in the hallway of a flat in Middlesburgh, off Church Parade, at 10.30pm on Tuesday. Crews used two hose reels and breathing apparatus to extinguish the flames
RYMAN One North leaders Great Wakering Rovers crashed to a 3-0 defeat at pre-season title favourites Lowestoft Town. Rovers are still five points clear of the Suffolk side, who have no fewer than six games in hand. Last night's win saw Adam Smith give
A PROBLEM with an electricity supply has left three sets of traffic lights out of action in Southend. The failure in Queensway, at the junction with Short Street, was first reported at around 6pm last night, Tuesday. The lights remained
THERE were long tailbacks on the A127 this morning following an accident involving a car and a motorcyclist. The westbound carriageway was closed for 45 minutes at Rayleigh Weir underpass following the crash, which happened at 7.30am.
BUSINESSES can shop for some good advice at a dedicated ‘supermarket’. The Burnt Mills industrial estate in Basildon is playing host to the district’s first ever business support supermarket. Held at the Burnt Mills Cafe and the next door unit on Ridley
A FATHER-OF-SIX living in a flat which has been deemed unsafe following a massive fire, is refusing to leave his home. Arsonists caused a blaze on the Felmores estate, in Basildon, which meant 90 people had to be evacuated. All the residents
A CASH boost to the tune of £10,000 will help Parkinson’s disease sufferers. Members of the Billericay and Wickford Parkinson’s Disease Support Group raised the cash by hosting a black tie ball at Orsett Hall in Thurrock. The money was handed over by
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 123 homes on former school playing fields look set for approval. Bellway Homes want to build the new family homes, with up to five bedrooms, on the former Laindon High School ground, off School Avenue. Work is already under
A NEW bus lane linking Bas Vegas with Basildon is set to open next week. The bus lane, which connects Ghyllgrove Close with the Festival Leisure Park, will be offically opened at 11am on Wednesday (November 25) . The route will also
A DOG was cruelly dumped from a car before its owner sped off. The Staffordshire bull terrier was found cold and shaking in the early hours of November 11, after the driver ditched the female dog on the driveway of a home in Rainbow Lane, Stanford-le-Hope
TABLE napkins will be used to give people food for thought during Domestic Abuse Awareness Week. Restaurants will be using the napkins displaying a “don’t suffer in silence” message along with a helpline number to ring. Police will be handing them out
YOUNG musicians heard first-hand about the highs and lows of the music industry from a former X Factor hopeful. Austin Drage dropped in to open day at the Nightfly Studios in Southend to talk to young people considering taking an Access to
BUS shelters recently removed across Southend will be replaced, a leading councillor has pledged. Southend Area Bus Users’ Group complained after the shelters were removed as bad weather set in, leaving people exposed to the rain and wind. For the
A CANVEY secondary school has celebrated its best results at an awards evening. Former Year 11 pupils joined staff at Furtherwick Park School to toast a year where 49 per cent of pupils left with at least five GCSEs graded A*–C. These were the best
PUPILS couldn’t stop talking at Cherry Tree Primary School – but for once their teachers didn’t mind! Youngsters from the school in Church Road, Basildon, took part in a public speaking contest. The annual event, known as the Betty Finch award, sees
THESE men are suspected of punching and robbing a 64-year-old cabbie. Police have just released the CCTV image of the men believed to have attacked the cabbie in Mill Green, Pitsea, at 2.15am on Monday July 27. The driver had picked
MP ANGELA Smith gave an inspiring talk to hundreds of guests at a conference aimed at helping community organisations ride out the recession. The Basildon and East Thurrock MP, who is also charities minister, spoke during a free event, held at Orsett
