ESSEX clinched their place in the Royal London One-Day Cup quarter-finals with a thrilling five-run win over Hampshire at Chelmsford. Half-centuries from Jess Ryder, Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara had laid the foundation for their imposing total -
A police officer who was based in Basildon District, has today been dismissed from Essex Police for misconduct. A panel, chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Maurice Mason found the officer to have breached the expected standards for duties and
FOOTBALL fans are gearing up for a new addition to Southend High Street – a Tottenham Hotspur club shop. The pop-up store, selling Spurs’ merchandise, will open on Saturday, opposite Specsavers, and continue until January 31. The Premier League
JESSICA Judd will race for a place in the European Championships 800m final in Zurich tomorrow night. The 19-year-old from Canvey came through her heat on Wednesday morning to seal her place in the semi-final which will take place live on BBC2
A grocery store has been rapped to the tune of £10,000 after a number of food-hygene breaches. Grocers and Halal Butchers Southend Bangla Bazaar, in London Road, Westcliff, was raided by officers from Southend Council earlier this year. They
TEENAGERS and their parents face anxious hours ahead of A-levels results day. Schools across south Essex will be filled with A-level students as they collect their results tomorrow. The qualifications could determine which university they attend
A BIKER has been taken to hospital following a crash. Emergency services were called to Noak Hill Road, Billericay at about 3.57pm today following a collision between a car and a motorcycle. The motorcyclist, a man aged in his fourties, has
SOUTHEND smokers are being targeted by a con-artist who promises to sell cigarettes on the cheap, but then runs off with their cash. The man has taken up to £50 a time from people hoping to get a deal, but never returns with their products.
Simon Meecham has been found guilty of the murder of his former partner Leanne Meecham on February 13, 2014. My deepest sympathy is with the family and friends of Leanne. Every domestic homicide is a tragedy. It is a tragedy for everyone who knew
CONCERNED residents say Shoebury cannot cope with 172 newhomes and four-storey offices. People living around Old Gunner’s Park are rallying against Garrison Development’s plans to build 172 family homes and 15 office blocks up to four storeys high
Hesson ready to step up for GB FORMER Essex Pirate Myles Hesson knows the spotlight is on him as Great Britain’s men gear up for a must-win game Bosnia in the EuroBasket 2015 qualifying campaign. But Hesson insists he is not worried about the pressure
DETECTIVES will continue to investigate the death of a man found outside a caravan as murder despite an inquest today reaching an open verdict. Samuel Garcia, 26, was found by paramedics laying on his back near the steps of the caravan at Bullers
A SWIMMING school could be named as the best in Essex just 18 months after being set up by two mums. Aquabelle Swim School, based at Ramsden Park Road, Ramsden Bellhouse, has made it through to the final ten of the Essex Mums’ best swimming school
SWIMMING: Basildon & Phoenix Swimming Club had six swimmers compete at the National Youth Open Championships and Multi-Classification Disability Championships in Sheffield. Charlotte Hartin was the club’s sole medal winner when she lifted bronze
THE BP Big Screen series has been proving massively popular, so be sure to put the last one – a live screening of Verdi’s Rigoletto from the iconic Covent Garden stage direct to Southend – in your diary. It will take place on Wednesday, September
A man has been found guilty of the murder of his former partner who died after being stabbed at her home in Westcliff. Simon Meecham, 43, had denied murdering 26-year-old Leanne Meecham but was found guilty today, Wednesday August 13, after a trial
DOZENS of art lovers turned out to see Southend’s new civic gallery open in the town’s former central library. The Beecroft Art Gallery opened in the building in Victoria Avenue on Saturday. Clare Hunt, curatorial manager for the gallery, said: “The
TWO goals in the last five minutes saw Basildon suffer their first defeat in pre-season to a strong Charlton Athletic side, who play in the FA Premership South. Basildon’s Karissa Rodney and Amy Nash both saw shots clear the crossbar when well
SOUTHEND Diving youngster Connor Van Dal is dreaming of following in the foot-steps of his training partner Oliver Dingley. Van Dal, 13, won gold at the Bimbingamba international event in Italy, last month. And he now wants to go on and secure
Five flooding hotspots in Rochford will have vital works carried out to prevent a repeat of last month’s deluge which damaged homes. Essex County Council has £1million available for parts of the county badly hit by the torrential rain of July 20
I called 999 last week for the third time in my life. The first time was when I thought Vicky was dead. The second was when I spilt coffee on my phone at work. The third was last Thursday when there was a hit and run outside my house. Let me
A YOUNG Southend diver has been labelled “exceptional” by a former Commonwealth Games gold medalist and backed him to compete at the 2020 Olympics. Tyler Humphreys, 11, is seen as one of the brightest prospects British diving has seen in a generation
SOUTHEND United have missed out on a loan swoop for Manchester City defender Adam Drury. Shrimpers boss Phil Brown had been keen to bring the youngster in on loan to provide cover and competition in the full-back positions. But Drury has opted
DRUNKEN louts getting into fights will be treated with zero tolerance by police this weekend as part of a campaign to stamp out violent crime. An eye-catching laser campaign will see images warning how a drunken fight could cost everything.
SOUTHEND United midfielder Ryan Leonard took little satisfaction from his wonder goal against Walsall on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old smashed a stunning 25 yard shot in to the roof of the net at Roots Hall. But it was not enough to stop Blues
THE jury in the trial of a man accused of murdering his former partner were due back in court today to continue considering their verdict. Simon Meecham denies killing Leanne Meecham at her Westcliff home in February. He told Chelmsford Crown
A MAN is out of pocket by more than £1,500 after chopping down an oak tree - which was on his own land. Haulage contractor Peter Seales, of Juliet Way, Purfleet, was ordered to pay £667 fine as well as £828 costs and a £66 victim surcharge after
A DETERMINED mum is encouraging people to grab a blindfold and take part in a sponsored walk for her blind son. George Stanbrook-Evans is completely blind after being born 16 weeks early, weighing only one pound 12 ounces. The five-year-old
OLIVER Dingley is proud to have been Southend Diving Club’s first ever Commonwealth Games medalist. But he soon expects others from the Garon Park club to work their way on to the rostrum. Dingley won a memorable bronze medal on the three metre
By GRAHAM BARRETT A SUPERB 8lb brill was the highlight of a Channel Island trip which saw Basildon angler Mick Toomer also boat tope to 60lb, a cod of 17lb, turbot, bream, pollock, bull huss and a host of smaller species. Toomer had travelled
A GIRL said goodbye to her long locks for charity. Jorja Hickin, ten, of Ashingdon, donated her waist-length hair and £213 in sponsorship to the Little Princess Trust, which provides realistic wigs to children suffering with hair loss. Her
A GROUP of talented performers are bringing their hit production to Halstead. Vicki V’s Theatre Productions will perform Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the Queen’s Hall on Saturday and Sunday The colourful, fun-packed musical –
SARAH Walker will head into the World Badminton Championships with renewed confidence later this month. The Basildon-born 24-year-old, who first learnt to play the sport at Hockley’s Clements Hall, impressed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
SOUTHEND Swifts’ under-18 team enjoyed a weekend of action against Dutch club HSV and the Sheffield Hatters. Southend beat their visitors from Haren in the Netherlands twice but were pipped by Sheffield in their fixture at Seevic College in Thundersley
IF the magic of theatre fashion and costume design makes you want to immediately whip out your sewing kit, the Royal Opera House has a great opportunity for you. It comes in the form of a special Inspiration Day, where you can tour the production
BASILDON United are aiming to put the trials and tribulations of the opening weekend behind them and look to chalk up their first points of the new season tonight. The Bees take on Ilford at the TLM Stadium, having suffered a 1-0 loss at home only
ESSEX host Hampshire in the One Day Cup today knowing a win would put them into the quarter-finals. The Eagles go into the game at Chelmsford in high spirits following their outstanding victory in the clash with pace-setters Yorkshire at Scarborough
A CRICKET club is looking for the next crop of new talent. The Summer Cricket Programme, run by Essex County Cricket Board and Wickford Cricket Club kicks off later this summer, at Wickford Memorial park. It will also feature Street Chance,
BRITAIN’S most famous distance runner Paula Radcliffe has tipped Canvey’s young star Jessica Judd to win a medal at this week’s European Championships – but only if she takes some of the pressure off herself. Radcliffe, who has been acting as a
A MAN caused £5,000 of damage after smashing up a hotel in a drunken wrecking spree. Romanian national, Michai Ichim, 36, had been in the country just a few months when he trashed the Campanile Hotel, in Miles Gray Road, Basildon, as he walked
FIREFIGHTERS tackled a huge blaze at a yard. Crews were called to Tiffaynes Farm in Burnt Mills Road on the Burnt Mills industrial estate, Basildon, at about 5.10pm yesterday. Essex Fire and Rescue Service’s incident support unit was also
FED-UP residents claim resurfacing work carried out by Essex County Council looks like the work of “cowboy builders”. Neighbours in Bedford Road, Laindon, have complained to council bosses, after contractors tarmaced over grids, splashed black
FLYTIPPERS will be prosecuted for clogging up drains and dykes, a councillor has warned. In the wake of flash flooding across Canvey last month, the Environment Agency has found piles of rubbish blocking vital dykes and drains. An office chair
SOUTHEND Hospital A&E staff are jubilant after successfully cutting waiting times which means they are now outperforming other Essex hospitals. The hospital came under fire from health regulator Monitor after consistently failing to meet a Government
A BOY has been left scarred for life after a holiday “Henna” tattoo went horribly wrong. Liam Sayer, eight, had a temporary tattoo of his favourite Star Wars character, Darth Maul, painted on his shoulder at the end of a two-week holiday, at a
LIGHTS in dingy underpasses across Basildon are still broken more than three weeks after a woman was raped in one when it was unlit. The Echo found damaged lights at two underpasses beneath the roundabout at Roundacre, Basildon, yesterday.
THE age of do-it-yourselfdiesel has arrived, thanks to the innovative work of a Southend company. LiquidNRG, based on a site by the A127, allows drivers to make their own biodiesel at a fuel tax and VAT-free rate of £1 a litre – compared to the
A FATHER who had acid sprayed in his face said he feared he would never see his children again. Darren Pidgeon, 27, from Rayleigh, spoke out in a desperate appeal for information after the unprovoked attack. Mr Pidgeon, a carer, was hospitalised
