ARMED police have swooped near a post office in Leigh today. Officers arrested a suspect at gunpoint near Belfairs Post Office in Eastwood Road North, Leigh, at about 9.50am today. Eye witnesses reported a hold-up on a post van outside
DOCTORS spend their lives surrounded by sickness and death, but when it comes to having to watch your grandson die of a brain tumour and then losing your wife of 55 years to a long-term illness, no amount of experience can soften the blow. That
A BILLERICAY girl has bagged a major squash national title. Alice Green, 12, blitzed her way to the under-13 crown at the event in Manchester. The Club Kingswood player – who made the leap from tennis to squash just over 18 months ago – was
THOUSANDS of property owners will have to pay council tax on second homes as soon as they become empty, under new plans. Basildon Council’s cabinet passed proposals to start charging 50 per cent council tax on 7,055 empty homes in the borough from
TWO 11-year-old boys were accosted by drunks who stole their food and demanded money in broad daylight. The incident has left Louie Prin and Cameron Walters wary of going out in their own town and a grandmother demanding town centre drinking is
SOUTHEND High School for Girls teams dug deep to ensure the school will be fully represented at the English Schools Cross Country Cup final on their own turf later this month. Both their junior and intermediate girls teams made it into the top
A FURIOUS landowner is threatening to sell ten acres of land to travellers after a row with council planners. Neighbours in Southend Road, Fobbing, near the Five Bells roundabout, fear the site could become another Dale Farm if Denis O’Callaghan
A TREE-LINED lagoon could be created at Three Shells Beach, in Southend, under new plans. The lagoon would allow children to bathe all day long and would be almost the size of a football pitch. Seafront traders, councillors and tourism officials
WORK has finally started to convert Leigh’s long-derelict Bell Hotel into flats – after eight years of planning wrangles. The 100-year-old Leigh Hill landmark is getting its new lease of life courtesy of Southend developer Robin Levy, after Southend
A MAN had to be cut free from his car following a crash at Sadlers Farm roundabout in Benfleet. Firefighters from Rayleigh Weir spent 30 minutes safely removing him after the accident, which took place at about 2.30pm.
VIEWERS of Channel 4 word game Countdown were left gasping when it hit a peak with a near-the-knuckle answer. Letters chosen during one round of the long-running show were capable of spelling the word "orgasmed", with the eight-letter contribution
STUART Bingham joked he might have drawn the “worst professional on the circuit” after he was handed an opening round match against Qatari’s first-ever professional player at the UK Championship. Bingham, the world number 10 from Vange, will face
A MIDDLE-AGED man was found dead on railway tracks from unknown causes, his identity as not been confirmed and his family have not been tracked down. Now, as the 13th anniversary of his death approaches, police have released this sketch of the
HAVING ended one hoodoo last weekend, Southend United’s Luke Prosser now wants to end another at Exeter City on Saturday. Prosser will make his 100th appearance for the Shrimpers should he figure against the Grecians. And the 25-year-old centre-back
ESSEX prospect Tymal Mills may be in Australia putting the Ashes touring party through its paces, but ECB performance director David Parsons insists there is much work to do before he can start dreaming of a test debut. Mills was discovered by
A road in Rochford was closed in both directions this morning following a crash which saw a car turned onto its side. Two cars were involved in the incident at Malting Villas Road, Rochford, near the junction with Stambridge Road. It was closed
A MUM has been jailed for three months after her teenage daughter failed to turn up at school. The mum, from Basildon, who has a string of convictions, was sentenced to three months behind bars at Basildon Magistrates’ Court. She faces being in
COLCHESTER band Killatrix haven’t even been going a year and they’ve already notched up some pretty impressive achievements. Take their first ever gig, supporting Manchester electro pop punk outfit Sonic Boom Six at Chinnery’s in Southend.
POLICE are appealing for witnesses following the theft of a £6,500 Cartier watch in Southend. The watch was stolen from a gym locker at David Lloyd, in Snakes Lane, on Thursday, October 24. The locker was forced open at approximately 11.30am
A SOUTHEND road was blocked due to a road traffic collision involving one car. The smash has took place at Cambridge Road, near its junction with Scratton Road around 9.15am. The road was clear within minutes.
A MAN was taken to a specialist surgical unit after suffering a serious hand injury during an apparent row about parking in Pitsea. Police arrested a man, 39, on suspicion of assault, after the incident, outside Barclays bank in The Broadway yesterday
BURGLARIES in Castle Point have shot up by more than 18 per cent in the last year. Residents have been warned to take extra measures to avoid being a target for raiders as police try to get a grip on the escalating problem. New figures show
A WOMAN fighting to improve dementia care in hospitals is trying to turn her foundation into a fully-fledged charity. Caroline Dearson, of Chesterfield Avenue, Benfleet, started the Mickey Payne Memorial Foundation in 2010 in memory of her dad,
ONE of the first businessmen to import goods through the DP World superport says he had to use the new rail line because the roads are not good enough. David Mawer, director of Hillebrand Group, which imported the first container of wine through
A MYSTERY tenant has been found to take over a cafe which has lain empty for most of the two years since it was built by Southend Council at a cost of £624,000. The Echo can reveal a tenant is expected to sign a long-term lease for the cafe, in
MEDICS have warned diabetes cases in south Essex are set to rocket even further as people are getting fatter. Figures from Diabetes UK have revealed 172 more people in Southend are living with diabetes than a year ago. Across Essex, the number
A “SENSITIVE” and “beautiful” punk fan took his own life, an inquest heard. Ben Fletcher, was found at home in Britannia Road, Westcliff, on October 30, last year. The 30-year-old was a hugely popular local punk rock fan and was known as Punk
THE festive future is looking bright in Wickford. With the festive season almost upon us, the Light Up Wickford community group has been given a grant of nearly £20,000. The group, which is made up entirely of volunteers and each year organises
A COUPLE living in a block of flats have been told they must only speak to their neighbours through a solicitor following a string of complaints. Paul Stone and his girlfriend Kamla Sangha have been given a warning letter by police because of their
CONTROLLED airspace could be introduced in Southend for the first time in 20 years. A 12-week public consultation has been launched to decide whether all aircraft in the vicinity of the airport should be obliged to talk to air traffic control.
SPOTTED. Damon Albarn buying chips at a snack bar. Dermot O’Leary selling shoes and a Neighbours actor enjoying Colchester’s nightlife. It is the kind of observation you would expect to appear in glossy magazines. But the truth is we all
NINE burglaries took place in Stanford-le-Hope within just two days. Homes on Prospect Avenue, Butts Lane and Old Jenkins Close were all hit on Tuesday, November 5 and Wednesday, November 6. Burglary victim Don Taylor said: “We feel as if we
MANAGERS at the McDonald’s drive through restaurant off the A127 in Dunton have asked Basildon Council for planning permission to open an hour later for the third time. It is open from 6am to 11pm, but management want to keep it open until midnight
SOUTHEND Clinical Commissioning Group’s governing body meets on Thursday, November 28, between 1.30 and 4pm in the boardroom at Suffolk House, 102-104 Baxter Avenue, Southend. The meeting is open to the public and will be followed by an open discussion
A COUNCILLOR is urging residents to stay vigilant on identity theft after falling foul of a scam himself. Pitsea North West Labour councillor Gavin Callaghan said some of his constituents had spotted crooks rummaging through rubbish bags to get
Gary Foster, 45, of Crouch Street, Basildon, admitted two counts of breaching a restraining order by contacting a woman in Basildon in October. He was given a 12-month condtional discharge, ordered to pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. Zowie
A NUMBER of changes to selected bus services in south Essexwill come into force from Sunday. Bus provider First Essex has announced changes affecting services in Southend, Canvey, Basildon, Rayleigh and Hullbridge. The services are the 20 –
A NEW takeaway looks set to open on Southend seafront. Planning officers have recommended Southend Council approve plans tomorrow for a kiosk on the pavement beside Adventure Island in Marine Parade. The 2.6m high, 12m wide timberclad building
A PUB in Pitsea has undergone a £150,000 renovation. The Winged Horse, on Luncies Road, has been closed since Sunday, October 20, while owner Punch Taverns carried out works. The family pub now has a new kitchen, TVs, a pool table and a darts
RESIDENTS should study crime figures to keep their street lights switched on, according to Essex’s police and crime commissioner. Nick Alston gave the advice as Castle Point residents raised fears their streets would become hotspots for drugs and
