VANDALS threw a firework into the doorway of a shop which was selling them. Firefighters were called to the shop in High Street, Rayleigh, at 4.45pm yesterday. Assistant Divisional Officer Martin Powell said: "It appears the fire was started deliberately
THE devastated aunt of murder victim Meredith Kercher has paid a moving tribute to her niece who she affectionately named "Mez". Meredith, 21, from South London, was found with her throat cut in her bedroom in Perugia, Italy, on Friday. The body of
REGULARS at a pub dressed up in their black tie finery for a special spoof Oscars night. Staff at the Hoy and Helmet, in High Street, Benfleet, dished out ten awards for categories ranging from the biggest flirt and the biggest beer belly to the nicest
A WOMAN who claims animals talk to her is set to reveal the secrets Southend's pets have told her. Animal healer and communicator Margrit Coates, 57, is featured on new TV series Animal Roadshow and her exploits speaking to dogs in Southend will be
PUPILS have been giving their casting votes on the work of three authors. St Margaret's Church of England Primary School, Pitsea, is one of only 50 schools in the country to be picked to take part in the Nestle Children's Bookprize. As part of the
FIREFIGHTERS were called to Westborough Primary School in Westcliff this morning (Monday). A fire was started in a disabled toilet and caused smoke damage to a classroom. Police and the fire service are investigating. Assistant Divisional Officer Martin
SEVEN tonnes of food waste a week is being collected as part of a recycling trial - but is being dumped in landfill anyway. Nearly 6,000 households across Southend were chosen at random to take part in the food waste recycling scheme, and were given
ALAN Curbishley issued an ultimatum to Carlton Cole in the summer - "Get fit or get out". Luckily for the West Ham striker, he chose the former and Cole's hard work has been rewarded with a series of impressive performances. The 23-year-old was
Bill Harkness of Delaware Estates, currently revamping the Victoria Shopping Centre, is not the only one who feels let down by Southend Council's blind acceptance of the over-development of a lovely piece of countryside (Oct 31). Take a look at this
BENEFITS cheats, flytippers and filthy food firms can today be named and shamed by the Echo. Basildon Council has exclusively released details of successful prosecutions to show others they will be punished if they break the law. Last month, the Echo
THE day that changed my life was the day I met my beloved Oliver. From the moment I first held him in my arms I knew he was the one for me. Seven years on and he brings me nothing but unconditional love and joy. The funny thing was I had always been
CALOR Gas has ruled out recruiting another partner to relaunch its bid to build giant liquid natural gas storage tanks on Canvey. The company pulled out of a public inquiry after Centrica, one of the partners behind a consortium backing the scheme for
NOTHING beats a bit of pampering. A chance to forget your worries and drift off to a world where deadlines, demanding children and housework don't exist. Wouldn't it be great if you could pass that sense of relaxation and wellbeing on to your children
ANGRY residents fear a parish council will serve as nothing more than a "stealth tax". Residents of Steeple View, Laindon, have repeatedly urged the council to ditch its plan to create a parish council and believe it will be money down the drain. Many
A PROPERTY landlord was arrested and held by police for eight hours for chasing up a tenant who left her home in a horrendous state and hadn't paid the rent. Wendy Batt, 46, from Hockley, who owns and rents out several properties in south Essex, had
In the fight against crime, there are no easy solutions. Imagination, even creativity, are needed. Any victory depends on a spectrum of enterprising schemes, many of them quite small scale. The notion of enlisting street cleaners, currently under assessment
A WOMAN who bounced back from a paralysing stroke is helping to champion a Southend Hospital appeal. Less than 12 hours after being struck down, Maureen Richards, of Runnymede Road, Canvey, was able to sit up in bed and joke with visitors. The first
BASILDON snooker professional Stuart Bingham's involvement in the latest ranking tournament, the Northern Ireland Trophy, proved to be short-lived. For the new towner bowed out at the opening stages at Belfast's Water-front Hall yesterday when he
THOUSANDS of pounds worth of cocaine, cannabis, £9,000 in cash and distinctive jewellery were found in a Pitsea drugs den. Police officers raided the house, in Edinburgh Way, after arresting its occupants on suspicion of theft. They searched the property
GEORGE McCartney should have been the happiest man in the East End after scoring only the second goal of his career in West Ham's 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers at Upton Park. Instead, the Northern Ireland defender was left disappointed after Kevin
A MINI exhibition of wartime artefacts has gone on show at a Basildon funeral home. Angela Glynn, manager of the Co-operative Funeralcare branch in the town has put together the display of old shell casings, a soldier's helmet and photographs of the
SOUTHEND United defender Adam Barrett treated the Shrimpers for a second time in a week after heading home the only goal of the game at Northampton Town on Saturday. The centre back clinically converted a Mark Gower corner to send Steve Tilson's side
A TERRIFIED young mum has gone into hiding after her flat was torched. Tanya Gordon, 20, who has a seven-month-old baby Lily-Jane, says she will never return to her ninth-floor flat in the notorious Royal Court tower blocks, off King Edward Road, Laindon
LATE night cleaners could be placed on the streets of Southend to help fight crime. Southend Council and Essex Police are exploring whether night time street cleaning could be used to increase the presence of responsible bodies in the town centre. The
First published November 2, 2007 THIS week's column is either a comedy of errors or a cautionary tale - depending on how sympathetic you're feeling. It all started as I was driving home the other night and felt the steering stiffen up. It was working
A MAN was rescued after his canoe capsized, leaving him clinging to a moored boat. An RNLI lifeboat was called out to the man in the sea off Westcliff. He was brought to shore suffering from the effects of the cold water at 3.30pm on Friday.
FIREFIGHTERS were called out to a skip fire outside a KFC takeaway. The flames broke out in a skip outside the shop in London Road, Westcliff, at 2am.
A woman and two young children had a lucky escape after the car they were travelling in collided with a bus, then crashed into a house. The car and bus collided in Poynters Lane, Shoebury, at 2.50pm on Friday. The car then crashed into a nearby house
A CYCLIST has died a week after suffering chronic head injuries in a tragic crash. Kenneth Lofthouse, of Fairfax Drive, Westcliff, passed away yesterday. The 55 year-old was cycling along Westbourne Grove, Westcliff, when his pedal bike collided with
LEIGH celebrity Dom Littlewood has been voted off hit television show Strictly Come Dancing. The former used car salesman, who was partnered with professional dancer Lilia Kopylova, failed to impress the judges and the TV audience with his paso doble
