RESCUED girl Serena Wright plans to raise cash for the lifeboat charity which helped save her from drowning on a Southend beach. The 12-year-old, who became trapped in a hole on the seafront as the tide came in on Monday last week, was dramatically saved
COMEDIAN Jimmy Carr wasn't laughing when his audience was evacuated during a gig in Grays. Grays man Ian Allcock, 26, was in the audience at Civic Hall, Blackshots Lane, when he says it was halted for about 30 minutes because of a small fire near the
SOUTHEND Council should press for powers to build new homes to tackle the town's housing crisis, according to Labour spokesman David Norman. Mr Norman, who represents the town's Victoria ward, has welcomed the Government's recently published Green Paper
FANS are fearing stars Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen may not show up at this weekend's V Festival in Chelmsford. Winehouse, 23, has pulled out of two support slots for the Rolling Stones in Germany after being admitted to hospital last week suffering
A HAPPY couple have renewed their marriage vows in the same style as their wedding...with a fast food reception. Sally and Gary Beamish held their party at McDonald's on the Mayflower Retail Park, Basildon, when they married back in 1993. They decided
SPEEDING drivers will end up killing a resident or pedestrian unless they are stopped from tearing round a dangerous bend on Canvey, a worried resident claims. Allan Taylor says he has seen 34 accidents in just eight years at the bend, between Hardy's
MEMBERS of a tenants' group opposing the transfer of Castle Point Council's housing stock to Swan Housing claim the borough council is withholding vital information from them. Campaigners from the organisation, Castle Point Tenants Against Transfer,
CASTLE Point MP Bob Spink has revealed there are 9,000 signatures on a petition against the expansion of the Calor Gas, on Canvey. Dr Spink said he would do everything within his powers to block the proposals for vast liquid natural gas storage tanks
TWO children's playgrounds in Benfleet and Canvey are set to receive a £200,000 revamp. A consultation is being carried out by Castle Point Council so residents can help decide what type of play equipment they would like to see installed in the play
PLANS for backland development on the long rear gardens of houses in Trinity Road, Rayleigh, have been refused under delegated powers by Rochford District Council planning officers. Head of planning Shaun Scrutton said Rayleigh Town Council was against
THIEVES broke into a struggling charity day centre and stole hundreds of pounds set aside to buy food for the homeless. The crooks escaped with two locked petty cash boxes containing £350, after breaking into the Homeless Action Resource Project in Valkyrie
LAKESIDE beat Rye House 67-44 in their Inter-League challenge raced over an 18 heats formula closely resembling that last used in British speedway back in 1993. The visitors added Shane Parker from fellow Premier League side Glasgow and Edward Kennett
WARWICKSHIRE beat Essex by six runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method in their Pro40 clash at Garon Park yesterday. The defeat sent Essex to the foot of the table and completed a miserable festival week of results at Southend. Two interruptions for
A BALL of cast iron isn't the first thing that springs to mind when you imagine the latest celebrity fuelled fitness craze. They usually opt for designer labelled yoga mats or beefed up personal trainers who'll carry their favourite pooch as they run
NOT many children finish their school term by excitedly telling their friends that they're being looked after by the Queen at the start of the holidays. Margaret Goulding's grandchildren did and they weren't telling tall tales either. Margaret is in
AFTER a summer dominated by the Carlos Tevez saga, big-money signings and endless transfer speculation, the new season began in hugely disappointing fashion. Gone was the vigour, verve and passion of the closing nine games of last term, seven of which
THE last two times Southend United suffered a defeat in their opening game of the season they went on to win promotion. For that to happen this time around however, changes must be made to the Shrimpers side, predominantly in attack, where they are
I am very puzzled as to why Southend Council decided to refurbish the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff, right at the peak of the season, with very little notice. I wonder if the council could explain to us peasants who own the Cliffs Pavilion? Is it leased
The article about David Amess' comments on Tony Blair's departure and denigratory comparison to Margaret Thatcher's leaving cannot go unchallenged (July 30). Unlike Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher resigned when she realised her own party was on the verge
Clive Benson said about Cruisers "yet again the cruisers are causing problems with their idiotic and antisocial behaviour" (August 6). It would be nice to target this statement at boy racers and not cruisers. A boy racer drives like a racing driver
A SEX monster who repeatedly raped two young children and filmed the sickening encounters to share with other paedophiles online has been jailed for 12 years. Garry Davies, 36, admitted horrific sex offences against an eight-year-old girl and a ten-year-old
A NEW Premier League season may have dawned, but it seems that old habits die-hard at Upton Park. Without the genius of Carlos Tevez - who completed his move to Manchester United on Friday - this was the West Ham of the first three-quarters of last
THE results of this year's Statutory Assessment tests have had a mixed reaction in Thurrock, despite local children showing continued improvement. Standards are improving at key stage two, but this year's results are still "not good enough", according
SOUTHEND United winger Mark Gower believes Blues paid the price for not building on his well-taken goal against Leyton Orient on Saturday. The 28-year-old midfielder finished off a superb move to hand the Shrimpers the lead against the East Londoners
ALAN Curbishley cut an angry figure after watching his West Ham team outplayed by Sven Goran Eriksson's Manchester City. The Irons boss admitted that he had comprehensively lost the tactical battle with former England coach Eriksson, whose side put
SOUTHEND Council has been accused of neglecting street cleaning in Westcliff, paying more attention to neighouring Leigh. Nicki Howe and her partner Mark Fullick moved from Thundersley to Valkyrie Road, Westcliff, a year ago and are fed up with the amount
SOUTHEND United manager Steve Tilson hit out at Leyton Orient's Sean Thornton after the midfielder's antics helped condemn the Shrimpers to an opening day defeat at Roots Hall on Saturday. Tilson claimed the former Sunderland trainee had conned referee
Mention the word Southend to anyone outside Essex and you get the inevitable jibes about cockles, kiss-me-quick hats and Essex girls. There are positive moves to challenge this stereotype. Gradually, the council, businesses and the presence of the University
THERE will be no criminal investigation after a body believed to be missing Essex teenager Natasha Coombs was found by a railway track. Police believe Natasha's death was suicide or an accident. The 17-year-old's body was discovered in undergrowth
A LAINDON man who retired three times has started work again designing and selling turntables to help people park cars. Bob Torr, 72, of Wash Road West, has just set off on a tour of the UK trying to sell the fruits of his six months labour. He was
A PENSIONER was killed after he lost control of his car. The man, aged in his 70s and from the Wickford area, was travelling in his silver Nissan X-Trail 4x4 when the crash happened. He was driving on the London-bound track of the A13 and was between
A TEENAGER had a lucky escape after arsonists petrol-bombed his home. The 17-year-old was in his second floor flat in Malyons, Pitsea when thugs poured petrol over his door and set light to it. Fire crews from Basildon raced to the scene where they
FAMILIES have been fighting their way through a maze of maize. The maze, which is in its third year, has attracted hundreds of people at Hadleigh Castle Country Park. Senior ranger Steve Bunn said visitors had ranged from toddlers to pensioners and
CANVEY will be awash with runners next month all trying to achieve their personal best times for charity. The fourth annual Canvey 5K and 10K races will take place on Sunday, September 9. All proceeds from this year's event, once again organised by
A MAN found dozens of rare newts sheltering under the decking in his back garden. Dave Sugg, of Felmores, Pitsea, discovered 28 great crested newts, when he pulled up decking behind his house. The 50-year-old was so intrigued, he looked up what species
TEENAGERS perfected their slam dunks during a one-off basketball day on Canvey. The coaching session was organised by sports-mad PCSOs Rob Bailey and Atif Chaudry to give youngsters something to do during the summer holidays. Nearly 30 youngsters came
A YOUNG woman was trapped when a shop sign came crashing down on top of her in Southend High Street. The 20-year-old was walking past the former bedding shop Zoom the Loom when the 15ft high shop frontage above her suddenly collapsed and knocked her
A new post office has opened in a WH Smith store in Grays town centre. The mayor of Thurrock, Diane Revell, officially opened the branch at the store, in Grays Shopping Centre, off the High Street. It replaced the old post office, which first opened
POLICE are handing out free security devices to shoppers to help stop pickpockets. Purse chains, which allow people to secure purses to their bags, are part of an initiatiative to help crackdown on theft. The chains have a clip at each end, which lets
