ANTON Ferdinand is convinced Southend United have the character to get their season back on track. The Shrimpers head into Satiurday's clash with Fleetwood Town on the back of seven defeats in their last eight games. But Blues captain Ferdinand
CALLUM Chafer believes that Bowers & Pitsea should be targeting promotion after pulling off two penalty saves in the last minute win over Tilbury. Chafer stopped second half penalties from Adam Vyse and Toby Aromolaran, before John Easterford
BILLY Bricknell says he has plenty more goals in the tank after taking his tally to 20 for the season as Billericay Town booked their place in the Essex Senior Cup semi-finals. The striker started his first match since November 20 against Harlow
EAST Thurrock United assistant manager Neil Gray praised the ‘commitment and effort’ of the players after they defeated Concord Rangers to book their place in the Essex Senior Cup semi-finals. A first half Montel Agyemang goal was enough for Rocks
A man has been sprayed in the face with an unknown substance while helping a member of staff who was being assaulted. The 48-year-old customer was in Tesco Express in Silva Island Way, Wickford, at about 7.30am on Sunday January 7. While he
COULD it be magic? Well yes, if you happen to be a Take That fan, because new dates and venues have been announced for the UK tour of Take That musical The Band - and Southend is among them. Written by Tim Firth and featuring the music of the famous
Three more men have been convicted during Essex Police's Christmas anti-drink and drug driving campaign. 148 people were arrested during the month-long campaign that ran throughout December. We are releasing the pictures and details of those
Campaigners have launched a petition against a proposed merger between three south Essex Hospitals. The Echo revealed Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals are poised to rubber stamp plans to operate under one trust. The move has angered
Anyone planning to get a quick pint before their early morning flight at Southend Airport could soon find their hopes grounded. New government rules are being considered which would look to end 24-hour drinking at airports. The change comes
Plans are afoot to launch a community speed watch team in Canvey to battle speeding drivers and subsequent accidents across the island. The proposal was put forward during Canvey Town Council’s community relations meeting. It was agreed that
Police are still hunting for the driver responsible for ploughing into a restaurant and causing serious damage – as it was confirmed it would be closed for at least a month. The motorist lost control and smashed into the front of Douro Valley,
A MAN accused of murdering a drug user had trained as a competitive fighter, a court heard. Lloyd Deacon had taken part in amateur Muay Thai and boxing matches and had been trained by professional coaches. Robin Griffiths, prosecuting, cross-examined
Police are clamping down on a group of yobs that are terrorising a town centre by throwing eggs and intimidating shoppers. Officers put in place a 48-hour dispersal order in the centre of Leigh at 4.30pm on Tuesday after a group of youths had been
YEAR 9 Product Design students at a Benfleet school have taken part in a national challenge run by the Design Museum in London. Pupils at the King John School, in Shipwrights Drive, worked in teams to design a product that would “make life easier”.With
A WOMEN’S group have donated a colourful array of handmade blankets to St Luke’s Hospice.Seven members of the Wickford Women’s Institute have hand knitted two specially made patchwork blankets to donate to the hospice in Nethermayne, Basildon.The Wickford
MORE than 60 flats could be built in a former office block in Basildon’s town centre.Two separate applications have been submitted to Basildon Council in relation to Acorn House, in Great Oaks.The first application is change the use of the office block
SOUTHEND United chairman Ron Martin has revealed the Shrimpers are keen to sign two midfielders and two strikers. Martin met with manager Phil Brown and his backroom team yesterday and will now push to bring new players to Roots Hall. “The
BASILDON Council will discuss proposals to invest £150,000 to create two new teams to tidy up unkempt areas across the borough.In July last year, the council agreed to increase the amount of Pride Teams it has from one to three. The teams have since been
Southend's flagship Forum Library is set to expand thanks to a £2.7million council investment. The council is set to help fund a four-year programme to deliver the second phase of development at The Forum on Elmer Square. The contribution would
The retailer collaborated with a top plus-size blogger to get the designs just right. Katie Wright finds out more. Marks & Spencer has announced the launch of a huge new plus-size collection featuring more than 100 products. Called M&
A man armed with a gun made off with a four-figure sum of cash at a betting shop. The incident happened in Betfred in London Road, Southend, at around 9.25pm yesterday. The man fled on foot towards Queens Road. A member of staff who was in
Two men have been charged in connection with an armed robbery at a confectionary shop. The incident happened at around 6.10am on Sunday, January 7 at M&S Confectioners in London Road, Rayleigh. Two men were arrested yesterday. Alan
A Southend golf club has raised more than £7,000 for a homeless charity. Garon Park Golf Complex, of Eastern Avenue, donated £7383.89 to homeless charity HARP.They held fundraising events throughout the year, including quizzes.Garon Park Ladies Club Captain
A MAN has denied robbing a 94-year-old woman in her home, insisting he was getting drunk and high with friends at the time. Lewis Onwuchekwa, 25, of Newton Road, Tilbury, told Basildon Crown Court yesterday he could not have committed the offence
TWO self-confessed adventurers are looking to conquer the Atlantic - by rowing boat.Joshua Peck, 26, and Michael Brown, 27, from Basildon, will be rowing from New York to London in July.The journey will see the pair row more than an estimated 6,000km
The highly anticipated BBC documentary “Canvey: The Promised Island” has shown two starkly different communities can overcome differences, say those involved in the show. The show aired on Tuesday night and followed 25 Hasidic Jewish families from
PROBLEMS with flooding on Southend seafront are set to be addressed with a £2.25million flood prevention scheme.Cash for the works, with half of this coming from external sources, will see new underground tanks, and increased gulley capacity created on
A MAN whose house was invaded by masked robbers in a raid that left a man dead said the cash stolen was from his dad’s inheritance, a court has heard. Glen Mottram arrived at his home in The Drive, Hullbridge, with family and friends when they
[STANDFIRST] Remember when people ate a grapefruit before every meal? Lauren Taylor delves into diet trends of the past.A new year means one thing for many people - standing on the scales, wishing the number revealed was a few pounds (or stone) lighter
AS a Celebrity MasterChef winner and mum, actress Lisa Faulkner is more aware than most of how important healthy food is for children. And healthy food doesn't just mean eating well at mealtimes, it means eating healthy snacks too. Lisa, 45
TWO state-of-the art health centres are unlikely to go ahead any time soon, it has been revealed. The NHS Southend Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has admitted it is reviewing plans for a community health centre at the St Luke’s surgery in Southend
A PAIR of Essex food producers have once again been shortlisted for the East of England Co-op's annual awards. East of England Co-op members and customers will again be invited to take part in a public vote to back the best of Essex produce as
One lane has been blocked after two cars crashed on the A13 Londonbound. The accident just after Orsett Interchange (A128) where queuing traffic goes back to the Five Bells Interchange. A13 Londonbound – one lane blocked by an accident involving
Two people have been identified in connection with an incident where a shop worker was racially abused. The incident happened at around 5.30pm on Friday December 8 at the Co-Op shop in Sutton Road, Southend. A woman entered the shop and then
CONCERNED parents were horrified to find the body of a horse had been left near a school for about five days. The horse is believed to have died last Friday on a field behind the Our Lady of Ransom Catholic School, in Little Wheatley Chase, Rayleigh
A MAN from Basildon has been jailed for his part in a £614,000 money laundering ring which targeted vulnerable and elderly people all over the country. Philip Montague, 61, of Sandon Road, was found guilty of money laundering offences, including
A mother of two from Southend has been missing from her adopted home in southern Spain for more than a week. Rebecca Muldoon, 35, who is originally from the seaside town, went missing from her home in Marbella on Tuesday January 2, after it is
FORMER Castle Point MP Bob Spink has lodged an appeal against his conviction for electoral fraud. Basildon Crown Court confirmed Mr Spink’s appeal has been received and will now be forwarded to the Court of Appeal to be heard. Spink was spared
