IF YOU have ever had a moan about your neighbours, spare a thought for those without any. An empty house in a street can all too often throw up a whole range of serious issues for those living nearby. We are all used to reading headlines about the need
FOR FULL A-LEVELS '07 COVERAGE click here or LEAVE A "WELL DONE!" COMMENT BELOW THOUSANDS of south Essex teenagers are on a high - or low - after finding out their A-level results. After weeks of waiting, students have finally found out if they
SOUTHEND United have been drawn at home to Watford in the second round of the Carling Cup. After seeing off Cheltenham Town 4-1 in the first round of the competition on Tuesday evening, the Shrimpers will again be in action at Roots Hall. The match
MONTHS of hard work have finally paid off for one dedicated Seevic College student after scoring four top grades. Lauren Tansley, 18, of Broad Way, Hockley gained A grades in maths, further maths, physics and economics. She is now due to head off to
Chris Brockington- Hill, 18, will be off to study at Cambridge after achieving a string of A grades. The Rochford student worked diligently at Southend High School for Boys to obtain As in chemistry, geography, maths, physics and general studies. "I
JESSE Panthagani, 18, from Southend High School for Boys, hopes to become a doctor after he achieved four As in chemistry, geography, biology and general studies. "I'm hoping to do medicine at University College London," he said. "I need to be in halls
RUTA Juozaityte, 19, achieved top grades at South East Essex College in Southend, even though English is her second language. The Lithuanian student obtained As in history, law, psychology and general studies despite only moving to England two years
A SEEVIC College student has a glamorous media career in his sights after scoring four top grades. Michael Malone, 18, of Kingsley Lane, Thundersley, gained As in media studies, law, English language and general studies. He is now preparing to head
A STUDENT at King John School has battled through months of ill health to pass her A-levels with flying colours. Simi Kaur, 18, of Corasway, Thundersley, suffered a series of fits after being struck down with hypoglycaemia, a condition which causes dangerously
Kate Craigie, 18, will be going to Cambridge to study English after a gap year. The South East Essex College student will be taking a year out to work before taking her place at Homerton College, in 2008. She won her place with As in English, media
BILLERICAY School student Aaron Bradley was celebrating after picking up a whopping four A-levels A grades. Aaron, 18, of Cavendish Way, Basildon, was ecstatic with his results which he received with friends at school yesterday. He picked up the top
A MUM is planning to organise a petition to protest over cuts in the amount of time her son spends at a special needs centre. Until recently, the Phoenix Centre, based at South Ockendon's Culver Centre, in Daiglen Drive, ran classes five days a week
KELLY Carruthers, 18, had her cake and ate it when she celebrated her birthday and her results at the same time. The student, from Basildon, was presented with a cake in the shape of an "A" by staff at South East Essex College, in Southend, and could
WHEN Lewis Mills nervously opened his A-level results, he quickly scanned the page until his eyes fell upon his most cherished subject. It had been a rough ride for 18-year-old Lewis, a pupil at Chalvedon High in Pitsea. At one point he had thought
JUBILANT students are looking forward to a promising future after celebrating top A-level results. Students across the country ripped open their envelopes to find a quarter had received a grade A. The number of candidates obtaining grades A to E was
cows, pigs, goats, and sheep are still off-limits at South Woodham Ferrers' Marsh Farm Country Park. Visitors to the council-owned show-farm are still being kept way from livestock with cloven hooves, in the wake of the Surrey foot and mouth disease
A STUDENT is pulling on his walking shoes to raise money in memory of his mother. Ryan Gahan, 19, will walk from Basildon to Southend to raise money for Brain Tumour Foundation UK, after his mother Trina died from the condition. He will set off from
PLANS for a new £17,500 children's centre in Great Wakering have been approved by Essex County Council. The new centre, at Great Wakering primary school, in the High Street, is part of the council's children's centres programme, which created a similar
generous staff from Rayleigh Weir's Wickes DIY store have given a run-down preschool play area a Garden Invaders-style makeover. Workers at the Stadium Way building supplies warehouse gave up their own time to revamp Fairways preschool, inspired by the
ACRES of fiercely-defended green belt land in Rochford may end up being built on to meet Government new homes targets, councillors fear. The district council prides itself on its green spaces, but has been told to find sites for 3,800 new homes by 2021
A DISABLED Olympic Games hopeful has launched a damages claim of more than £300,000 against a doctor and Southend Hospital NHS Trust. Wheelchair-bound Robin Womack, 36, who is paralysed from the waist down, is hoping to win a place in the Great Britain
POLICE are no closer to solving the riddle of a Southend man whose death in Spain was allegedly faked. Widow Loocia Aldridge told the Echo her son Fredrico, 41, fled to Spain in May this year because he owed money to loan sharks. She said she spoke
A SPECTACULAR scenic ride 200ft above Southend seafront has been revealed as part of a new multi-million pound investment. Philip Miller, the driving force behind Adventure Island, hopes the new ride will be open by February next year. The ride will
A SOUTH Essex soldier has made an incredible recovery after being wounded in Afghanistan by a rocket-propelled grenade. Private Simon Peacock, 22, from Basildon, still has fragments of shrapnel in his heart and lungs, as a result of the grenade attack
A STYLIST is itching to prove he is a cut above the rest after making it to the final six in the Men's Hairdresser of the Year Award. Jim Shaw, 42, who works in the Essensuals Toni & Guy salon, in High Street, Billericay, submitted four styles to make
A GLAMOROUS business studies student has proved she has beauty as well as brains by taking first place in a nationwide modelling contest. Billie Eadie, 20, is on the path to fame and fortune after beating hundreds of other hopefuls to take the title
A JURY has cleared a DJ of being a drug dealer after accepting his explanation of why he had bags of drugs and almost £10,000 cash in his bedroom. Rickki-Lee Grabham-Smith, 19, had insisted the cocaine and cannabis were for his personal use only during
IT'S time to stand up and be counted. That is the rallying call of Essex club captain Ronnie Irani to his struggling charges. Essex's young team - led by 23-year-old captain Mark Pettini - have won just two of their last 14 matches, marking a sharp
TEENAGE yobs disrupted passengers' journeys after hurling a brick at the window of a bus in Benfleet. The vandals struck as the number 21 First bus was travelling up Bread and Cheese Hill towards Southend with ten passengers on board. The driver stopped
IT was Captain's Day at Garon Park Golf Club and men's captain Lloyd Wright was joined by counterparts lady Barbara Connelly, senior Bob Gaymer and cadet Tom Wells. They joined over 100 members and guests for a round of golf and evening entertainment
A SUSPECTED wartime bomb was unearthed by contractors working at the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff. Staff and workmen were evacuated from the building following the discovery - which turned out to be a lump of granite. Maintenance men were working in
MICHAEL Kightly has been selected in the England under 21 squad. The former Southend United and Grays Athletic winger, who attended Chalvedon School, is one of 21 players to be called up by manager Stuart Pearce for the match against Romania on Tuesday
THE Echo has a few camping tickets left for this weekend's event at Hylands Park. Each yellow camping ticket is £138.25 inclusive booking fee. This is the last chance to book! Call Reader Travel on 01268 270027 now.
A FED-UP resident is calling for extra yellow lines to be installed along a busy cutthrough road to stop drivers parking along the roadside and causing crashes. James Cowlard, 66, of Thorney Bay Road, was forced to clean up shattered glass from the road
ANGRY residents have promised to fight plans for a BMX bike track to be built inside an ancient wood, amid fears it would destroy wildlife and encourage loutish behaviour. Councillors provisionally agreed to create the free ride dirt jump track, in West
WHEN Thorpe Hall Ladies held their open meeting, star guest was Beverly Lewis. Now best known as a BBC TV golf commentator, Beverly struck a blow for the fair sex when she became the first female to be elected captain of the PGA, the game's ruling
A PLANNING application to build a restaurant and a block of flats in the heart of Leigh has been rejected by town councillors amid growing opposition from local residents and business owners. Proposals to demolish a car showroom, in Rectory Grove, and
A BATON- TWIRLING youth group teeters on the brink of extinction. The Wickford Youth Band and Majorettes has been running for more than 30 years and is determined not to fade away into the pages of history, despite dwindling numbers. Chairman Alex Kerr
SOUTHEND Central Library was forced to close for the day today after a small fire broke out in the basement. A small number of library users and staff were evacuated at around 10.30am. Two fire crews attended the library in Victoria Avenue. Two firefighters
THE record £2million paid for a single Westcliff apartment catapults Southend into the top of the UK property league. The prime attraction is presumably the view over the estuary. For everyone except the new owners, however, estuary views are going
TODAY the Echo tells the story of Basildon soldier Simon Peacock. While serving in Afghanistan he received the full blast from a grenade. Shrapnel actually entered his heart. Yet far from being embittered by his injuries, he simply says: "I know I am
POLICE are still investigating the disappearance of a Shoebury man who went missing at the same time as £600,000 vanished from his employers. Officers have been searching for Simon Carroll, 43, since his blue BMW car was found abandoned near Eastbourne
TALENTED young footballer Billy Colton's American Dream has finally been realised. The 19-year-old was originally due to begin a £15,000-a-year scholarship to play football at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania last September. However, despite
A WOMAN has condemned dirt-covered builders who used lifts which transport patients. Jeanette Nichol, 62, told of her disgust at seeing the workmen using an elavator on four separate occasions at Basildon Hospital. She said each time the builders, carrying
A GROUP that helps youngsters who are having trouble at school has been honoured for its work. The Southend Excellence Cluster provides learning mentors for 17 schools across the borough. Learning mentors work closely with children who might have problems
THE weird and wonderful were unearthed by eager youngsters at Norsey Woods in Billericay. Children revelled in yesterday's bugs and beasties discovery session at the forest, off Outwood Common Road. Many young people also made bug boxes to take home.
A WESTCLIFF soldier is serving in Iraq helping to make sure the Army's vehicles are in fighting condition. Christopher Littlejohns, 22, is using his skills on a six-month tour of duty for the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. The former Cecil
WESTCLIFF Hardcourts' Junior Open tournament attracted a record number of entrants this year. The event was held at The Ridgeway club and featured 146 players - up 22 on 2006. More than 300 matches played, with Kent number one Elizabeth Ashworth
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A FORMER bank manager and his wife are celebrating 60 years of marriage. Philip Cole, 84, met Violet, 86, when he was 20 through his older sister Margaret who was friends with Violet's mother. The couple married in Fulham on August 16, 1947, and started
A CHARITY helping victims of crime has revealed radical changes to improve its services. Victim Support Essex helps crime victims across south Essex and supports witnesses appearing in the area's courts. It is one of 90 local sections of the charity
THOMAS the Tank Engine fans were in for a treat when their favourite blue engine pulled into a Southend toy shop. The climb-aboard Thomas is the latest addition to Toys and Tuck in Queen's Road, just off the High Street, and allows children to sit inside
AUGUST is the month for teams to join the six-a-side soccer league on Mondays at Great Wakering Sports Centre. Organisers Soccersixes are giving away loads of freebies to new teams that join. All new teams signing up will get their first game free
A STARVED dog is one of three hounds abandoned by cruel owners. The whippet, nicknamed Whizz by staff at Gemini Kennels where he is recovering, is looking for a new home. Dumped Bull Terrier sisters Mable and Maud are also desperate for new owners.
A MAN told how he feared he would be dragged to his death after his ankle was trapped in the door of a train at Wickford station. Brian Sams, 63, of Jacks Close, Wickford, had just helped his disabled wife on to a London-bound train when he stepped back
TRIBUTES have been paid to one of Basildon's unsung heroes. Rodney Wingfield created one of the country's most popular fictional detectives, Inspector Jack Frost, but many of his neighbours were not even aware of his success. He shunned the spotlight
MORE glitter and make-up than you can shake a pom pom at, more music and dance than you'd find in a nightclub and enough people, young and old, to create a serious racket. It could only mean one thing - carnival time! The Southend Carnival queen and
THE only health concern most 20-year-olds have is nursing a hangover after a night out. But for thousands of teenagers it can be the start of a lifelong and often debilitating illness. An illness that can cause diarrhoea, pain, severe tiredness and
IT MIGHT not have the wall to wall restaurants that Westcliff has, but the Rochford district fares pretty well when it comes to satisfied stomachs. There's the Bull in Hockley, the Cherry Tree in Stambridge, the pubs in Paglesham, and my latest discovery
AMY Winehouse is still scheduled to perform at the V Festival this weekend, despite cancelling a string of gigs after reportedly collapsing from a drink and drugs binge last Wednesday. At the time of going to press, the troubled soul singer was still
MORE glitter and make-up than you can shake a pom pom at, more music and dance than you'd find in a nightclub and enough people, young and old, to create a serious racket. It could only mean one thing - carnival time! The Southend Carnival queen and
ESSEX all-rounder Graham Napier has signed a new two-year contract extension with his home county. The 27-year-old, who has spent his entire 10-year career at the Ford County Ground, will now remain with the Eagles until at least the end of the 2009
I read about NHS patients apparently not getting offered enough food, or the food of their choice. I work on Rochford Ward at Southend Hospital and I have to say on our ward, patients receive the utmost choice. If they are of a specific religion, they
The recent decision from the High Court, on the Alzheimer's drug ban, is in totally perverse. The High Court judgment backed the challenged Nice's decision that the drugs Aricept, Reminyl and Exelon should be banned from prescription to early-diagnosed
I refer to the letter from Allan Davies about the Ford site at Dunton (Letters, August 2). To suggest the Labour Government of the day was responsible for, or even helped in the development of Dunton is untrue. If you refer to the Basildon Master Plan
I Must say I think Parents Like Us Group (Echo, August 7) is a great idea and deserves to succeed. I have met councillor Grace Watson and believe she is truly a community councillor who deserves success. Well done Grace. You are a star! HARRY FARROW
HAVING collaborated with acclaimed producer Mike Nielsen (Jamiroquai, Underworld), played sell-out gigs up and down the country and topped the Indiestore download chart, it's not surprising people are starting to sit up and take notice of Craig Johnston
The Echo recently published a letter in which I raised the fact Castle Point Council had provisionally agreed to allow a BMX track within West Wood in the Hadleigh /Thundersley area. Since it was published, many other residents have become aware of the
ESSEX have moved to quell their fast bowling crisis by signing Middlesex seamer Chris Wright. The 23-year-old has signed a two-year deal at the Ford County Ground and will join his new team-mates for the 2008 season. With Darren Gough departed for
CANVEY Island will be looking to step-up from last season, their first at this level, when they open their 2007/08 campaign with a trip to Northwood on Saturday. They quickly follow this up with home games against Potters Bar Town (Tuesday) and Waltham
KIERON Dyer's on-off move from Newcastle United to West Ham is now back on after talks re-started between the two clubs. The England winger was set to join the Hammers after agreeing terms with the East Enders a fortnight ago, only for the move to
FIVE friends have agreed to strip naked at a charity event for Southend Hospital, where a close friend is receiving treatment for cancer. The group will perform a Full Monty-style show for around 250 lucky punters in Shoebury next month. All money
HAVING waited more than a year for his first Southend United start, goalkeeper Steve Collis is now hoping to keep his place in the side. The former Yeovil Town shot-stopper was an unlikely hero during Tuesday night's Carling Cup triumph over Cheltenham
A TALK on the history of the River Thames is being held on Monday. David Williams, from University of the Third Age, will give a talk entitled: "The flow of history of the River Thames". It is being held at St Aiden's Church Hall, The Fairway, from
A MUM of three, who is a qualified sports coach, has set-up a club to try to keep youngsters active and healthy during the school holidays. Carolyn Blake, 41, of Coker Road, Canvey, is a qualified football, netball, and basketball coach, and works as
FED-UP residents face another six weeks of disruption while essential repairs are carried out on gas mains in Leigh. The North London Gas Alliance has dug 30 holes in Highlands Boulevard and nearby roads in Leigh as part of the work. John Wren, who
Scouts from across the world helped to clean Chafford Gorge as part of the World Scout Jamboree. Scouts from Norway, France, India and Germany joined together to clean the pond, trim hedges and pick up litter at the gorge. Hayley Arnold, Chafford Gorges
A £23,300 hand-out will revamp an education centre at Coalhouse Fort, Tilbury. The centre will show how the original guns would have been manned and operated when the fort was built in 1874. Tilbury power station operator, RWE Npower, donated the money
SPEED cameras will be introduced on the new A130 during an eight-week programme of maintenance. Essex County Council has announced a series of improvements to the central reservation of the A130 near the bridge over the A129 at Rawreth. One lane in
AN open air church service is to be held in the grounds of Rayleigh Methodist Church, Eastwood Road. All are welcome to attend, at 10.45am, on Sunday, August 26. Call 01268 741043 for more information.
THE local branch of Breathe Easy, the national support group for the British Lung Foundation, is holding its first birthday with a cream tea afternoon on September 5. Staff from Southend Hospital and town mayor Daphne White will be among those at St
DEAR SIR TREVOR, before I take a dim view of you, please come and take a gander at what I reckon is one of Britain's favourite views. Bring your helicopter and your cameramen to Southend. You're seeking super views for your new Sunday evening ITV 1
