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Praise - Customers recommend Sokuri

New Southend High Street Asian restaurant proving a hit with customers after opening

St Vincent's Centre Manager Daniel Cauchi is leading a campaign to help hundreds of Southend families this Christmas.

Echo backs Southend charity’s campaign to help more than 300 families this Christmas

Popular - Zinnia, in Clifftown Shore, Western Esplanade

Seafront restaurant is 'booked weeks in advance' as it proves a huge hit in Southend

Demands - Maryam Yaqub calls for clear plan over possibility of residents being forced out of Brooke House temprarily to repair stairwell

Brooke House residents need 'clear plan' over possible temporary departure

History - Adventure Island

105 years of fun, laughs and screams: a history of Southend's Adventure Island

Back in action - Southend United host Hampton & Richmond at Roots Hall this afternoon

Blues beaten by Hampton & Richmond on penalties in FA Trophy

Visit - Coca-Cola truck in Basildon

IN PICTURES: Iconic Coca-Cola Christmas truck comes to Basildon

News

Disrepairs - Many houses across Basildon have suffered issues with disrepair

Ageing council homes could force Basildon Council half a million over budget

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Team - Bobby’s Big Heart

Canvey family donate Christmas presents to 50 struggling families

Rating - Frankie and Benny’s

Festival Leisure’s Frankie and Benny’s and 10 other venues given new hygiene ratings

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Maya Jama will host the new spin-off series, Love Island: All Stars

Love Island: All Stars teaser clip revealed as Maya Jama hosts spin off show

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Storm Fergus is expected to bring further bad weather

Storm Fergus to sweep UK prompting road, rail, air and ferry transport fears

Arrests - Across south Essex

Eight arrests made by police tackling ‘high-harm’ crime in south Essex

Here are nine European ski resorts you can fly to from Stansted that aren't on everyone's radar

The European ski resorts you can fly to from Essex which might not be on your radar

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Sentence - Man ‘racially abused four cyclists’ in Essex

Man ‘racially abused four cyclists’ before ‘reversing into them’ in Essex

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Figures - Covid in south Essex hospitals

Figures: Number of patients being treated for Covid at south Essex hospitals

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Appeal - Dock Road, Grays

Police appeal after two runners left seriously injured after hit and run in Grays

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Check out this week's key planning applications, received or decided by Basildon Council this week.

Plans for four new houses in Basildon village plus five more planning applications

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Figures - Suspensions in Essex schools

REVEALED: Record number of suspensions at schools in Essex, figures show

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Round-up - tribute act shows at the Towngate Theatre next year

Listed: Tribute shows coming to the Basildon Towngate Theatre next year

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Incident - In Chelmsford

Man charged with attempted arson after ‘major incident’ in Essex

Busy - Argosy Toys

Legendary Southend toy store has its busiest five days EVER in Christmas frenzy

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Restaurant - The Enya Lounge and Grill

All we know about Basildon's upcoming luxurious Turkish restaurant

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Retirement - David Dadds, councillor responsible for Billericay East

Basildon councillor and former mayor announces retirement after 21 years

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Re-bailed - 'Road rage' incident in Basildon

Essex Police provide update on Basildon 'road rage' incident last year

Weather - Hour by hour forecast

Hour by hour forecast with Southend and Basildon in for wet and windy weekend

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There were nine postcodes in Halstead which were named winners in November

Revealed: The Essex winners of the People's Postcode Lottery's November draw

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Check out these festive events happening in and around Southend next week.

What's On in Southend? Christmas quiz nights, carols and more next week

Opening - Unique Ink, in the Victoria Shopping Centre

New tattoo parlour run by 'renowned artist' opens in Southend shopping centre

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Power station worker Fred Wheeler married wife Pauline (nee Codling) in 1963, but they divorced in the early 1990s.

‘Powerless’ family’s plea after Rochford dad’s death linked to by asbestos exposure

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Stunning - £2.75 million

Quirky Grade II listed Farmhouse on the market for £2.75 million in Essex

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Sport

Full of praise - Hampton & Richmond boss Mel Gwinnett

Hampton & Richmond boss hails team's attitude after win at Blues

Frustrated -Southend United skipper Nathan Ralph

Blues skipper Ralph reacts to FA Trophy defeat

Frustrated - Southend United boss Kevin Maher

Maher reacts to Blues' FA Trophy defeat

Frustration - for Southend United

Match report: Blues beaten on penalties in FA Trophy tie

Back in action - Southend United host Hampton & Richmond at Roots Hall this afternoon

Blues beaten by Hampton & Richmond on penalties in FA Trophy

Starting - Southend United midfielder Oli Coker

Blues' starting line-up for Trophy tie with Hampton & Richmond

Heading to Blues - Mel Gwinnett

Hampton & Richmond boss Mel Gwinnett always knew Blues chief Maher would do well

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National Sport

Shohei Ohtani has confirmed he is to leave the Los Angeles Angels for the Los Angeles Dodgers (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Shohei Ohtani agrees to join LA Dodgers in record 700m dollar deal

England’s captain Jos Buttler walks off the field at the end of the loss in Bridgetown (Ricardo Mazalan/AP)

West Indies loss ‘start of a new journey’ for England insists Jos Buttler

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Nicolas Otamendi (left) scored the winning goal for Manchester City against Manchester United in 2017 (Martin Rickett/PA)

On this day in 2017: Man City edge derby victory to equal Premier League record

England’s captain Jos Buttler walks off at the end of his side’s loss against West Indies (Ricardo Mazalan/AP)

England lose ODI series as West Indies chase reduced target

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, centre, lifts the NBA Cup while celebrating with team-mates (Ian Maule/AP)

Los Angeles Lakers defeat Indiana Pacers to win inaugural In-Season Tournament

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Blues

Full of praise - Hampton & Richmond boss Mel Gwinnett

Hampton & Richmond boss hails team's attitude after win at Blues

Frustrated -Southend United skipper Nathan Ralph

Blues skipper Ralph reacts to FA Trophy defeat

Frustrated - Southend United boss Kevin Maher

Maher reacts to Blues' FA Trophy defeat

National News

Police attend the scene in Collingwood Road, Sutton (Yui Mok/PA)

Mother charged over fire which killed her two sets of twins

Elon Musk has restored the X account of Alex Jones (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

X boss Elon Musk restores account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Rwanda president Paul Kagame (PA)

Rwanda president Paul Kagame like ‘Putin of Africa’, Bill Browder claims

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan criticised Scotland’s Pisa scores (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Keegan blames ‘nationalist’ policies for Scotland’s falling education scores

(Left to right) Paul Fenning and Michael Fenning in their Wonka themed home in Doncaster (Danny Lawson/PA)

Couple adorn home with Willy Wonka-themed Christmas lights

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A woman casts her vote in the presidential elections at a polling station in Cairo (Amr Nabil/AP)

Egyptians vote in election set to give El-Sissi another six years as president

A Chinese coast guard ship uses water cannon against Philippine coast guard patrol ship, BRP Cabra as it approaches Second Thomas Shoal (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

Chinese coast guard ships blast Philippine vessels with water cannon

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