THICK black smoke could be seen billowing from a Benfleet trading estate following a scrap yard blaze. Firefighters from Canvey and Rayleigh Weir were called to Manor Trading Estate after a pile of scrap was set alight. A mechanical
THE fat lady has still not sung so we do still have a slight chance of securing automatic promotion. But, being realistic, I think she may be breaking in to voice this weekend. To keep alive the opportunity of a top three finish we have to hope Hereford
A THIEF stole sentimental family items after breaking into a home in Southend. The man forced his way into the property in Woodgrange Drive between 9.30am and midday on Friday before leaving with several items of jewellery and small electrical goods
A YOUNG woman was punched in the face after she refused to hand over her mobile phone to a thief. The 22 year-old was walking by Hamstel Infant School, Southend, talking to a friend on the phone when a passing male cyclist attempted to steal
FREDDY Eastwood does not want another Southend United promotion push to be derailed at Oxford United tomorrow. Eastwood was part of the Blues side who suffered a costly 2-1 defeat at the Kassam Stadium back in April 2005. And the striker wants to
RESIDENTS can now get a bird’s eye view of how work on the new £27million Southend library is progressing. The Forum has launched its own website which gives minute by minute updates on the building work, thanks to a webcam set up on the side of the
POLICE are hunting a man who tried to abduct a teenage girl. The 13-year-old was walking along Wash Road in Noak Bridge, Basildon when a car pulled up alongside her. A man grabbed the girl's arm before trying to pull her into the vehicle. Thankfully
A COLD-CALLING company claiming to be working with the police has been offering free house alarms. The caller states they can install an alarm which is connected directly to Essex Police. They then request a large amount of money for the alarm to be
A WOMAN whose disappearnce sparked a huge police missing person inquiry has been traced after she was arrested in east London. Kariss Clarke, 22, from New Waverley Road, Basildon, was reported missing after last being seen on Friday, April
SOUTHEND United striker Elliot Benyon has his sights set on continuing his fine scoring record against Oxford United tomorrow. The 24-year-old has netted six goals in his last four meetings with the U’s. And, having now completed a three match suspensions
BURGLARS caused £1,500 damage breaking into a cafe and stealing cash from the till and from two charity boxes. Barbara Power, 59, owner of the Bay Cafe, in Western Esplanade, Canvey, says she is devastated by the break-in. The thieves
BRAVE post office staff tried to fight off robbers during an armed hold-up. The raid happened at the sub post office in Grange Road, Billericay when two men entered the store. The two men burst in and got into a fight with staff who tried to tackle
A footballer who was left partially paralysed after an assault will walk out on to the pitch with his team mates and help them lift the championship cup. Nicky Morgan, 26, will be joining the Billericay Town players at New Lodge for their last game tomorrow
SOUTHEND’S Director of Rugby Chris Green wants his side to end their season in style at relegation threatened Westcombe Park tomorrow. The Kent club are currently second from bottom in the National Two South standings, five points from safety. But
A BUSINESSMAN with big dreams hopes to open the first roller skating rink in Basildon. Scott Hales, 36, is hoping to bring a bit of Eighties glamour back to the town, by transforming an empty industrial unit at the Burnt Mills Industrial Estate into
A GROUP of Southend United fans braved wet and windy weather during a 120-mile walk to raise cash for charity. The nine season ticket holders, led by Bob Mays, plan to hand deliver the match ball for Blues’ away match clash with Oxford United tomorrow
Democratic system? What democratic system? I often wondered why Rayleigh seems to get the wrong end of the stick from Rochford Council. Then I read things in leaflets from local sources and councillors which implied Rochford is in one of these
I am very disappointed to see Conservative Party literature for the local elections in Basildon misleading the public by suggesting the UK Independence Party “doesn’t have a policy” on travellers. Memories are very short among Basildon Tories
In the Echo Comment on Monday mention was made, with regard to the airport, “speed is the keynote ...”. Another area where this applies is rail journeys. There is currently a golden opportunity to improve the situation on the Essex Thameside
A MAN had a successful operation to treat appendicitis at Basildon Hospital, only to die when he was given a penicillin-based drug, despite being allergic. Peter Jex, 58, went into cardiac arrest and died in intensive care after being given the drug
Tory cuts to the police are taking their toll on Rochford. The closure of the police station has left angry residents travelling to Rayleigh or Southend to track down a police officer. Essex police numbers have been slashed by 1,000, many of
I see Southend has been awarded the Purple Flag, to show our local nightlife is safe and entertaining. I must say, having been a street pastor in both London and Southend, I can only agree with the judges’ comments about the level of cooperation
So, the chief executive of Southend Council has agreed to a 7 per cent pay cut. What great news. Instead of earning £3,542 per week he will take £3,288 – far more than the majority of workers in Southend earn in the course of a month! And so
AN evil, possessive one-eyed mum who dominates her three sons and lets nothing get in the way of her craving to control their lives, is the key figure in Trinity Players’ latest production. The Southchurch-based group is presenting the black comedy
THESE men are wanted on suspicion of shop-lifting from Boots. It comes after at least £520 of goods was stolen from the branch in Hamlet Court, Westcliff. The first happened at 2.30pm on March 30, when a man distracted staff whilst the
LUKAS Volskis is itching to get to Manchester as Leopards look to round off their season with a third piece of silverware. The Big Cats face Leicester Warriors on Saturday afternoon in the play-off semi-finals as they look to add to their Division One
TORY MP David Amess caused cackles in the Commons yesterday when he asked the Prime Minister to congratulate his mother on reaching her 100th birthday. The MP for Southend West brought laughter from across the chamber during a heated Prime Minister’s
BILEL Mohsni is looking to continue his scoring streak when Blues head to Oxford United tomorrow. Mohsni bagged a hat-trick in last Friday’s 3-0 win over Barnet to take his season’s tally to 12. And he is now aiming to again hit the
FOR more than 30 years, the East Anglian Film Archive has been thrilling audiences all over the region with its sights and sounds of times gone by. And, despite retiring from running the archive in 2004, founder, and former director, David
MOTORISTS were left facing lenghty rush-hour delays after a car fire. The car caught ablaze on the northbound track of the A130 between Rettendon and the junction of Howe Green. The fire broke out on Friday morning. *Did you see the car fire or take
RESIDENTS told how a thunder-bolt “as loud as a bomb” caused havoc. Some properties in Wythefield, Pitsea, were without TVs or phones for days following the lightning strike. It is thought the chaos was caused when a billion volts of lightning hit
A GOVERNMENT minister says sex offenders must remain at Felmores bail hostel until a new site for the contoversial halfway-house can be found. Minister for Justice, Crispin Blunt, said he felt it was more dangerous to remove paedophiles from
FED-UP traders are calling for Southend Council to review the use of its spy car because they say it is driving away business. Business owners in Wood-grange Drive, Southend, have raised a petition urging councillors to look again at the way
THE future of as many as 1,000 jobs at the Coryton oil refinery remain in the balance, with administrators revealing a deal to save the plant has yet to be struck. If a buyer is not found by May 14 the refinery will face closure, and the loss
HOSPITAL bosses have shelled out about £8million a year on temporary staff since 2009. Figures released following a Freedom of Information request have revealed Southend Hospital chiefs splashed the cash to ensure they had enough doctors and nurses to
