A FAMILY in Southend have been reunited with their son after 12 days. Paul and Lesley Ruta's son Adrian, 23, had been missing since Friday, April 4. He was found alive and well in London on Wednesday evening. His parents had been concerned about his
TWO years ago Gail Ditchburn refused to leave her home and cut herself off from other people. Today, she is happy to chat, gets on a bus to Southend from her home in Westcliff, and enjoys the opportunity of trying new activities. The turnaround in her
ONLY two wickets fell at Chelmsford today as Essex reached 323-2 by the close, a lead of 43 runs on first innings. Jason Gallian and Ravinder Bopara composed a third wicket partnership worth 266 runs thus far. Gallian, on his Essex championship debut
ONE of the most popular running events in south Essex is getting a new look to tie in with the 25th anniversary of the charity it supports. The Jim Peters Southend Half Marathon benefits Havens Hospices through entry fees and sponsorship. Havens Hospices
SWIMMERS have demanded a pool is kept in Southend town centre at a protest outside Warriors swim centre yesterday. Hundreds of people have joined a campaign to keep the pool at Warrior Square after Southend Council revealed plans to knock it down and
A POLICEMAN has found an inventive way of using the internet to get through to youngsters on his beat. PC Steve Joynes, from the neighbourhood policing team in Hockley, said he was struggling to engage with young people when he had a "lightbulb" moment
SAM Cook will make his first Southend start when they travel to Blaydon tomorrow looking to make a late surge up the National League Two standings. The 18-year-old will replace the unavailable Daniel Legge in the second row. And coach Kevin Harman
Joe Stevens picked up two wins when he fought David Jones in London. The 14-year-old Laindon fighter defeated Jones, who boxes for the Apex club, by a unanimous verdict in the three-round bout. And he was also named as the best stylist on the night
GREAT Leigh's race course will hold its first event on Sunday - but it will be an invitation-only event. The course to the north of Chelmsford is due to open to the public on Wednesday, May 28. But it is holding six meetings on the all-weather track
STEVEN Durrant will be looking to build on his successful start to the 2008 Formula Renault BARC season when he heads to Rockingham this weekend. The Rayleigh driver is currently third of the Club Class drivers in the championship after two rounds at
THORPE Hall tournament pro Richard McEvoy had a top 10 finish in his latest excursion on the secondary European Challenge Tour. In the Colombian Masters in Bogota, McEvoy, 28, fired rounds of 68, 72, 72 and 67 for a 279 five-under par aggregate to finish
JAMES Smith and Matt Tumbridge were celebrating after winning the three-day The Deanes Thunderball Tournament. The duo defeated Adam Grimmett and Ryan Bright 7-6 6-3 in an exciting final at the indoor tennis centre at the senior school in Daws Heath
CASTLE Point Council has refused to reinstate a grant of £2,000 to help budding sports stars. The cash handout was axed in 2004 because of financial difficulties at the council. At a full council meeting on Monday, April 14, Canvey Independent councillors
ELDERLY residents in Benfleet want their full-time warden back. Council-run Gowan Court, in Gowan Close, will no longer have its own warden and residents will have to make do with two, hour-long visits each day. If there is an emergency residents must
A MAN found guilty of rape yesterday is a serial sex offender already serving a life sentence. A jury at Basildon Crown Court found Richard Rose, 49, guilty of raping a young woman between 1973 and 1975, while he was living in Grays. Rose was also convicted
A DOCTOR has been struck off and branded a "serious risk" to patients because of poor levels of competency. Dr Satya Das was suspended from Basildon PCT in 2006 after failing to improve standards at his two surgeries in Falstones and Lower Street, Noak
A MUM has told of her agonising wait after her 20-month-old-baby was wrongly given a second Measles Mumps and Rubella jab. Sarah Lewis, 23, is furious at the Neera Medical Centre, on Wharf Road, Stanford-le-Hope, who gave her son Samuel another dose
THE LTA National Club League has got underway with mixed fortunes for Thorpe Bay and Westcliff Hard. Thorpe's ladies got their campaign off to a winning start with an 8-4 victory over Harpenden in Nation-al Division One Group F. Helen Parish, Mel Hall
A HAIR salon is £16,000 out of pocket after thieves broke in and grabbed everything they could - even pairs of scissors. They smashed in a rear metal fire door at Confidence Hairdressers in London Road, Leigh, and smashed mirrors and windows in the
THE COST of reclaiming lost dogs in Thurrock has rocketed since the council took over the service this month. The council's contractor Gemini Kennels, in Wickford, call-out charges range from £50 to £70, depending on what time and day of the week. There
BELFAIRS Golf Club played host to Southend in the bi-annual Roger Foreman challenge and for the second successive occasion the match went right to the wire. Thirty-two players from each club took part in the greensomes event and the match produced excellent
HAVING led the qualifiers, Thorpe Hall's Martin Blake put up a great performance in the match-play stages of the Essex Keating Trophy before losing 2 and 1 to Daniel White (Chigwell) in the final. On his way to the final Blake had beaten Jamie Jones
THE exhibition that has taken over three entire rooms at the Beecroft Gallery must rank as one of the most ambitious Southend has ever viewed, let alone owned. In 70 separate paintings, it provides a sweeping visual history of the pleasure steamers
SOUTHEND based Ekco Whitecaps want to hear from footballers keen on joining next year's under-14 team, which will be playing either Premier or Division A soccer depending on how this season pans out. Call Ricky on 07879 453871 for details.
BASILDON Ladies April medal was won by Margo Longman with a net 75. Vi Madle was the victor in the three club competition on 36 points and Shirley Clayton took the Rose Bowl (33). There have been mixed fortunes in the inter-club matches with a depressing
THREE days of horrifying reports in the Echo have exposed the exploitation of vulnerable people by some sections of the travelling community. The term slave labour, used by the exploiters themselves, is wholly apt. The response has been predictably
HOCKLEY policeman Steve Joynes has found a way to connect with young people by opening a MySpace site. Teenagers are communicating with police via social networking in a way they never did on the streets. Perhaps police should consider extending it.
A MAJOR crime-fighting force has vowed to tackle "slave labour" head on in the wake of our revelations. The UK Human Trafficking Centre, set up in 2006 by the Home Office to combat human trafficking and forced labour within the UK, was already aware
A NEIBOUHOOD Watch scheme is going from strength to strength in Hadleigh. More than 700 new homes have signed up to the scheme. Recent recruitment efforts by neighbour specialist officer PC Sharon Lawrence and the Hadleigh Neighbourhood Policing Team
A BUSY month at Thorpe Hall saw the Secretary's team beat off the Lady Captain's team. Elsewhere Beverly Bonora and Alison Cotgrove qualified for the Coronation Foursomes with a score of 37 points. The Bradban Cup was run over 13 holes with Mandy Grant
SOUTHEND Swifts' three girls teams have their biggest weekend of the season approaching with the final fours taking place at RAF Cosford. For the second year running, Southend have their under-18, 16 and 14 teams competing at what is the biggest basketball
IN glorious weather Ballards Gore hosted the Essex senior ladies' meeting which attracted a field of 48 playing in perfect conditions. The overall winner of the Joy Wooster Cup was Chelmsford's Maureen Quinn with 34 points. The trophy was presented
The only debate concerning Southend swimming pools is among ratepayers. There is no debate with Southend Council. My assessment of what is planned is to demolish Warriors pool and replace it with flats, a mini park and an oversized bath and paddling
John Baron MP rather peevishly takes me to task - rather too peevishly from his position I think - over the issue of second home allowances for members of Parliament. (April 8) All because I had pointed out the curiousness of three identical claims
I am sure all council tax payers are pleased Anna Waite has been fully cleared of any wrongdoing in terms of her election expenses (April 9). I wish her well and am pleased she has been exonerated. Why does the leader of the council, however,
My face lit up when I recognised the photo of the old Shoebury cinema - such memories it brought back. In the late Twenties and early Thirties I lived in what was known as the village end of Shoebury, now better known for its East Beach. The place to
A RANGE of schemes has been announced by Essex County Council in an £11.8million programme to tackle traffic gridlock. They include: * The widening of some junctions to reduce bottlenecks and accommodate traffic more efficiently * Installation and
I have been reading with great interest the comments made about the new bus passes. My husband and I received ours on April 2, only one day late, so don't think Southend Council have given us cause to complain. Of course, it may be because our surname
An interesting article (April 10) seemed to have one mistake. It said a Dakota aeroplane could carry 25 holidaymakers and five cars. No way! I flew as a navigator on Dakotas. We carried a maximum of 22 parachutist plus the dispatcher and a crew of four
I was interested to read, on April 4, about environmental health inspectors checking food outlets across Basildon for standards of hygiene. However, when I read the results, I was not impressed with one particular outcome. I am a frequent visitor to
I have lived in Rectory Road, Hawkwell, for less than two years. The thing that has always worried me is the speeding drivers who use parts of it as a race track. The other night a vehicle came crashing through a neighbour's wall at some almighty speed
I must take issue with the editor's comment (April 9) stating people at Camp Bling are now rebels without a cause. As a founder member of Parklife I have met and discussed the reasons for our campaign with hundreds of people. Their support has been outstanding
THE FAMILY of a man who died when his car smashed into a set of traffic lights outside the council offices in Benfleet have spoken out in memory of their son. Electrical engineer Andrew Coe, 46, of Saxonville, Benfleet, suffered a brain aneurysm at the
YOUNGSTERS in Basildon are celebrating after clocking up 200,000 hours of volunteering. More than 2,000 teenagers have given up their time to help the community as Millennium Volunteers. The scheme, which was launched in 1999, saw young people from
THREE sports shops in south Essex could be under threat of closure. The JJB Sports chain has announced the closure of 72 outlets across the country, with a loss of 800 jobs. This came after the sportswear company, which operates 420 stores acoss the
Properties to Let in South Essex CHALKWELL 1 bedroom & Dressing room, complete top floor of shared house, with en-suite, single occupancy, balcony over looking estuary, 3 mins from Chalkwell Station, 4 min to beach £520 pcm bills inc (01702
FOUR players from the Southend and District League featured for Essex in their final three Premier League matches of the season at Milton Keynes. The prestigious headquarters of Badminton England was the venue for some top class badminton. Many of the
BASILDON Sunday League division two champions Fusion lost 2-0 to Waltham and District League Larsen at Harlow Town's ground in the Essex Sunday Junior Cup final.
THE Section C final of the Southend Charity Cup takes place at Eastwoodbury Lane at 7.30pm tonight when AFC Horndon face Rhodesia United. The two teams will be battling for the Sid Roberts Memorial Cup.
WEST Ham's new stadium may not be ready for another decade, supporters have been told. Attending a fans' forum, chief executive Scott Duxbury and finance director Nick Igoe admitted problems with gasometers on a site near to West Ham Tube station had
THE Southend Junior League cup final season gets underway at Great Wakering Rovers' Burroughs Park home tonight (7.30pm) when Golden Manor meet Fairfax Rangers for the under-18 prize.
A TEAM of sports scientists will interview everyone from West Ham manager Alan Curbishley to the chef in a bid to get to the bottom of the club's injury problems - according to the woman leading a week-long investigation into the crisis. A group of four
ANDRE Nel jetted in from South Africa to spearhead the Essex attack on the opening day of the County Champion-ship season. The paceman wasted little time announcing his arrival with a wicket in his third over as Northamptonshire were bowled out for 280
ROCHFORD Hundred cadet Arthur Leonard tasted double success in two big club competitions over the weekend. First he won the Saturday April division one medal and the next day stormed to victory in the John Lockhart scratch trophy. Leonard fired nine
CANVEY Island soccer star Chris Bourne is returning to international duty with Guyana. The former Southend United youngster made two friendly appearances for Guyana earlier in the season. He flies out on Saturday to play for them in a friendly match
SIMON Francis is hoping Southend United can avoid a hair-raising end to the season - by securing the point they need at Carlisle United to allow the superstitious right back to finally shave. The Shrimpers will secure a top-six finish should they draw
ESSEX Police are celebrating figures showing a drop in crime levels. Between April 2007 and April 2008, the total number of offences in the county, ranging from theft to murder, dropped by just over 6 per cent. Robberies fell by nearly 15 per cent,
FANS of historic aircraft can board one of the final flights of a Second World War Dakota. The transport planes were first used in 1941 by the RAF. The Dakota Farewell Pleasure Tour will see the last flights of these historic aircraft from airports
PLANS for a new state of the art £3.5million community education centre in Wickford have been unveiled. The Collaborative Learning Centre, which will be based at Bromfords Secondary School, in Grange Avenue, will include space for music, art, technology
A NEW weapon in the fight to stamp out under age drinking has been unveiled. Officers in Castle Point have been issued with special drink testing strips which detect alcohol in soft drinks. The strips, which do not contaminate the drink, have been paid
HOMELESS people were given an opportunity to appreciate the colours of spring as part of a new scheme organised by South Essex Homes. People living in the council's hostels, joined young people from the YMCA and people with learning difficulties from
PATRIOT Olly Browne urged people to have pride in their country as he welcomed his son back from Iraq. The 53-year-old painter and decorator from Tattersall Gardens, Leigh, decorated his house with flags and banners and even painted a George Cross on
A WOMAN who was left with horrific injuries after a brick was thrown in her face, has spoken about the attack for the first time. Kathleen Owen, 60, said she was lucky to keep her eyesight after yobs threw a brick over her fence, which left her with
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an accident that happened on Hart Road, Benfleet, on Tuesday. A 71-year-old woman was knocked down by a blue Honda at around 10.45am. She was taken to Southend General Hospital where she is in a stable condition
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a robbery at a social club. Thieves escaped with nearly £10,000 after attacking a 33-year-old member of staff at the back entrance of Winston Social Club, in Northumberland Avenue, Laindon, on Monday morning. Essex
YOUNGSTERS learnt about stranger danger when they received a visit from PCSOs. The children, from Seymour House Nursery, in Silva Island Way, Wickford, were shown how fingerprints are recorded, they made masks and listened to a talk during the visit.
HUNDREDS of people across Thurrock have signed up to work with the Royal Opera House. The wave of artistic enthusiasm has been fuelled by the Opera House's plans for a production workshop in Purfleet to create the stage sets for its shows. As part of
RETIRED residents have seen a whole new world open up to them by learning how to use a computer. The pilot scheme at Adams Elm House, in Leigh, has seen a group of pensioners use a computer, some for the first time in their lives. Hannah Fischer, 79
A NEW cafe, kiosk and restaurant looks set to be built at Shoebury East Beach after a developer came forward with an offer of at least £300,000 to buy the lease. Current tenant Nigel Gabbitas put the lease up for sale on the former beachside cafe after
READERS have been posting their responses revelations that more than £1.8m has been spent drawing up Priory Crescent road plans. The Priory Park Preservation Society said the figure up to July 2006 came from a Freedom of Information request to the Department
FAMILIES who live along a busy stretch of road in Southend are calling for a 30mph speed limit after another serious accident. Residents living in Victoria Avenue say the reduction from a 40mph limit is needed as they have "lost count" of the number
A FUNDRAISING campaign has been launched to help collect cash for improvements to Rayleigh's historic church. Fourteenth century Holy Trinity Church needs to raise £350,000 for restoration work. There will be a sponsored teddy parachute jump on Sunday
A THURROCK schoolgirl has scooped a handful of medals at the Blain Merrison Dance Festival. Taylor Walker, who attends William Edwards School, Grays, also danced away with top marks in her age group in the cabaret performance and won the most promising
PEOPLE are being warned to be on their guard after a woman had her bank account plundered by crooks in Basildon. The 64-year-old was using the cash machine outside Marks and Spencer, in Town Square, when she was distracted by two men who approached her
HE spearheaded the eighties psychedelic renaissance with legendary Southend band, Le Mat, now guitarist Pete Helmer is back in Essex with his new outfit self procliamed quintissentialy English' Reilly Peacock. The band bring their own brand psychedelic
MEMORIES of a revolutionary way of life have been brought up to date. The Bata Reminiscence and Resource Centre in East Tilbury has received a £973 grant from Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation to provide an electronic archive of the Bata
VISITORS to Rayleigh Library bumped into some unusual and prehistoric animals. The library held a Dinosaur Day for families with activities including a dinosaur treasure trail, learning about fossil and enjoyed a dinosaur themed storytime. There was
ALL the fun of the circus came to Castle Point to keep children's minds off their return to school this week. The Sandown Clowns and their Circus Party entertained youngsters and their parents at Runnymede Hall in Thundersley. The touring show from
ERIC Clapton and Roger Waters, two of the biggest rock stars in the musical universe, are considered to be his friends. He has spent nearly half-a-century working in the music business, which includes a number one single and three world tours, plus
CAMPAIGNERS bidding to restore Grays State cinema have another event planned in the town centre this weekend. Volunteers will be outside the State from 9.30am, on Saturday, urging passers-by to sign their petition to save the iconic listed building.
TODDLER Brandon Evans-Doyle wasn't scared when he got to meet a giant puppet dog. The two-year-old and his mum Kiristina, from Pitsea, were introduced to Bradley the dog. The cuddly puppet with the floppy ears, under the supervision of puppeteer Steve
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to promote Southend seafront's free wristband scheme to keep children safe. The wristbands, created by Southend police, allow parents to write their mobile number on them, so if their children go astray, a phone call can
