GIANFRANCO Zola admits the return to fitness of England striker Carlton Cole is "vital" to West Ham's battle against relegation. But the Hammers boss will not risk Cole's World Cup ambitions by rushing him back into action too soon.
WEST Ham's Premier League match against Wolves, scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed due to conditions in the area surrounding Upton Park, league officials have announced.
BASILDON United are hoping to arrange a match in August to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their Gardiners Close ground opening. The first team played a match against a West Ham United X1 which attracted a crowd of 3,600. Club secretary Richard Mann
A woman had a lucky escape after her car veered into a roadside ditch and rolled onto its roof. The woman driver, from South Woodham Ferrers, lost control of a green mini in Woodham Road, Battlesbridge, at around 1pm on Saturday (Jan 9).
THE winter vomiting bug is still affecting patients at Southend Hospital and causing problems in the community too. There was a norovirus outbreak at the hospital on Christmas Day and since then it has forced a number of wards to be shut to new patients
WEST Ham manager Gianfranco Zola is hopeful of having midfield pair Mark Noble and Scott Parker back after hamstring problems, while striker Guillermo Franco is available again after suspension for Sunday's match. Jack Collison and Jonathan
A DRIVER knocked over a 12-year-old boy and fled the scene. The boy, from Hockley, slipped on ice while crossing Plumberow Avenue, Hockley, about 10.20am yesterday. The car, described only as black with a male driver, was unable to stop and slid into
A LOCAL water company is warning residents how to avoid pipes in their homes bursting or freezing during the cold snap. Essex and Suffolk Water has produced a Beat the freeze leaflet, with advice and tips to avoid frozen and burst pipes in cold weather
FLOODING from a burst water pipe which it is thought cracked in the freezing cold brought a busy road to a standstill. Both lanes of the Pitsea-bound carriageway in Broadmayne, Basildon, between from the junction with the Fremnells and the
WEST Ham manager Gianfranco Zola believes Patrick Vieira will prove a shrewd signing for Manchester City. "He is 33 years old. I don't see why he cannot do the job. He has such huge experience and personality that he can affect a game positively,"
WOLVES manager Mick McCarthy has warned his players to beware the challenge of wounded West Ham in Sunday's crucial Barclays Premier League showdown at Upton Park. The Hammers are undoubtedly the surprise strugglers this season and they are currently
WEST Ham manager Gianfranco Zola is hoping the club's board will give him the green light to bring in a new striker when he meets them for talks next week. Zola has been linked with a move for Newcastle's former Hammers striker Marlon Harewood and
Only a small fraction of Britain's weekend sporting programme remains intact after the country's severe winter ravaged the fixture lists yesterday. Five Barclays Premier League matches were postponed, leaving only the games at Arsenal, Birmingham and
A FORMER airport worker has been jailed for a year for his part in a £4million jewellery heist. Tom Baisden, 28, who worked for Serco at a warehouse which stored goods coming through Southend Airport, initially pretended to have been beaten and tied
PEOPLE looking for jobs in social care are invited to a careers fair in Basildon on Tuesday, January 12. Employers recruiting social and care workers will be at the fair, along with local bodies offering training. Debbie Young, from Basildon Jobcentre
A YOUNG Parkinson disease sufferer was amazed and outraged to find a police car parked in a disabled bay. Claire Bartlett, 29, was with her friend, Adam Capps, looking for a space at Asda supermarket, in Shoebury, when they spotted the patrol
PARISH councillors fear a narrow country lane could become a rat-run if plans for a one-way system in Crays Hill go ahead. Essex County Council wants to make Harding Elms Road one-way between London Road and Oak Road to reduce the number of accidents
A RECENTLY-BEREAVED widower returned to his home after staying with family to find it had been flooded after a pipe burst. Firefighters from Southend station were called to a property in Ditton Court Road, Westcliff. Sub officer Steve Osborn said: “
HEALTH Secretary Andy Burnham has stressed more work needs to be done to improve standards at Basildon Hospital. In a letter to MPs regarding the under-fire hospital, he said hospital bosses should not rest on their laurels. A damning report in November
A THIEF who stole a mum’s handbag, as she carried her newborn baby to a car, has been locked up for four months. Cheryl Kiley, 31, targeted the woman as she was leaving Basildon Hospital’s maternity ward to return home on June 5, last year. The mother
A COUPLE who stuck by each other through thick and thin celebrated 70 years of married bliss with friends and family. Kathleen and Leonard Terry, of Royston Avenue, Southend, celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary at the Roslin Hotel in Thorpe
DOGS are considered man’s best friend, but many people living in care homes, or receiving hospital treatment, often have to go without the therapeutic benefits of pet ownership. But thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers across the county
A SCHOOLBOY was punched in the face by would-be robbers. The 15-year-old boy was in Radwinter Avenue, Wickford, when the two yobs approached him. They demanded he hand over his mobile phone before punching him in the jaw. However, the duo then fled
A WOMAN is warning homeowners to be on their guard after burglars smashed a window looking for a key to get into her home. Burglars targeted the woman’s home in Swanstead, Vange, by smashing a pane in the back door and trying to force open
