CONCORD Rangers wrote another chapter in their history after crushing Conference Premier leaders Barnet 6-2 in the FA Trophy. The Beach Boys had recorded an admirable 0-0 draw on Saturday and proved more than a match for the Conference Premier
More than 100 schoolchildren greeted Prince Charles as part of his tour of Essex. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales spent the majority of the day at various events across the county, including a visit to West Hanningfield. He was met
HUNDREDS of villagers gathered to greet Prince Charles as he planted a tree to celebrate an affordable rural housing scheme. His Royal Highness was cheered as he planted the D'Arcy Spice apple tree in Pandan Close, West Hanningfield, before being
FORMER Radio 1 DJ Chris Denning has been jailed for 13 years for sexually assaulting 24 boys - including one allegedly at Jimmy Savile's house. Denning, 73, from Basildon, who was one of the founding presenters on the flagship station, "used the
An 86-year-old man suffered smoke inhalation in a kitchen fire in his home. Firefighters were called to Beatty Lane in Basildon just before 3pm today. They had put the blaze, in the ground floor flat, out within 30 minutes. The man was
FOND tributes have been paid to a former Echo chief photographer who disarmed everyone – from royalty to rampaging rockers – with his humble charm. Dave “Cookie” Cook, of Thundersley, who went from taking reconnaissance photographs for the RAF
FIRST Essex has announced its Christmas timetables for passengers over the festive period. The timetables will affect passengers in Southend, Castle Point and Rayleigh over Christmas and New Year. There will be normal service on Monday, December
THE owners of a luxury pet hotel threw a Christmas ball to raise nearly £10,000 for Little Havens Hospice. More than 200 guests attended the event, at Stock Brook Manor, in Billericay, to enjoy a three-course festive dinner and live music from
All M25 lanes anti-clockwise have been reopened between Junction 30 on the A13 (Lakeside) and Junction 29 on the A127 (Romford). The Dartford Tunnel has also been re-opened. The tunnel was temporarily closed following an earlier accident between
DANNY Cowley believes tonight’s FA Trophy replay between Concord Rangers and Barnet will be a very different encounter to last year’s face-off at the Hive Stadium. The two sides met in the final qualifying round of the FA Cup last October, with
A COUPLE who have fostered nearly 300 children described their delight at meeting Prince Charles as they were appointed MBEs. Edna and Edward Pratt, of Mountdale Gardens, Leigh, began fostering 36 years ago. They were joined by eight of their
WESTCLIFF remain in the bottom three after suffering a 22-13 defeat against Chichester in National Three London & SE. Westcliff had fought back to cut the visitors’ lead from 17 points down to just four as the game entered its closing stages
ROCHFORD Hundred slipped from first to fourth in the London Two North East table after suffering a surprising 12-3 defeat at Enfield Ignatians. Hundred had gone in to the game on the back of nine wins in their last 10 games. But they were unable
CANVEY Island ended a run of four successive defeats to beat Writtle Wanderers 18-5 in Essex One. However, the Islanders made hard work of the win. Canvey spent the first 20 minutes camped in the Writtle 22 but were only able to score a single
SOUTHEND Saxons’ director of rugby Chris Green offered no excuses for his side’s poor display in a 40-11 defeat at Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday. Saxons crashed to a second National Two South defeat in three games after failing to reach the standards
A FAMILY are heartbroken after discovering a huge mound of mud has been dumped on the grave of a loved-one. Rebecca Luff, 20, discovered vases had been removed from her great-grandparents’ plots and strewn across the grass when she went to pay
BRITAIN'S most successful ever gymnast Beth Tweddle believes anything is possible for Max Whitlock as he looks to build on an incredibly successful 2014 season. The Basildon based Whitlock won medals at the European Championships, Commonwealth
JAKUB Sokolik has ended his loan spell at Southend United after it was revealed he will be out for at least three months with a knee injury. Sokolik picked up the injury when running on a treadmill and has now returned to his parent club Yeovil
THE Echo is backing homeless charity Harp in its drive to raise £10,000 to serve 1,000 Christmas dinners to the homeless this festive season. With our help last year, Harp raised in excess of its £7,000 target in its ten-day Christmas appeal, with
KERRY Smith has resigned from Ukip after being forced to quit as a prospective parliamentary candidate. Mr Smith, who was selected as the anti-EU party’s parliamentary candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock just last Wednesday, has now
ECHO photographers have been into dozens of schools in the past two weeks taking pictures for our annual nativities and school pictures pullout. Don't miss today's Echo for our 32-page supplement packed with pictures.
A RESTAURANT boss fears he may have to lay off staff because a phone line blunder has cost him customers. Riccardo Burzotta, 38, says customers trying to book a table at La Pizzeria, in London Road, Westcliff, have been unable to get through to
PLANS for the multi-million pound regeneration of Hadleigh are being described as the town’s “last chance saloon”. Developers will be given until January 19 to send in proposals to redevelop the town’s “gateway,” including the former Crown
THIS is a first look at plans to renovate Montgomerie Primary School in Rushbottom Lane, Benfleet. Parents of pupils at the school, and nearby residents, are being invited to a consultation on the plans, which would see the infant and junior schools
A SCHOOL cake sale raised more than £560 for Cancer Research UK. Teachers at Felmores Primary School, in Davenants, Pitsea, got creative in the kitchen baking their own tasty, colourful designs in aid of the charity. Some of the cakes were
AN investigation has been launched after a rubbish truck was seen reversing without a lookout just weeks after an elderly woman was hit in a similar incident. Sita UK has launched a probe after pictures of the reversing lorry were posted on Facebook
A COLLEGE principal has threatened to sue the deputy leader of SouthendCouncil in a row about the town’s football team. Neil Bates, who is in charge of Prospects College, has threatened legal action against Lib Dem Graham Longley, after the politician
THREE men have been jailed for beating up a 78-year-old taxi driver over an £11 fair. Thugs Adam Rhuebell, Axl Gilbert, and Charlie Laidlaw left cabbie Kenneth Wolfe with a broken eye socket and two missing teeth, after the brutal attack. Gilbert
PAUL Downton concedes Alastair Cook is enduring a "terrible" run of form, but he is still confident England's selectors will confirm him as their World Cup captain next weekend. Cook has not made a century in his last 44 attempts in one-day international
