Archive

  • Residents say bus figures are flawed

    FIGURES used to justify cuts to bus services are flawed, says a residents’ group. The 7 and 8 routes from Southend to Hockley and Rayleigh are being cut by operator Arriva, from six per hour to just two, from February 9. Arriva has said

  • Barrett fumes at late postponement

    SHRIMPERS skipper Adam Barrett has blasted the bizarre late decision to call off last night’s clash with Scunthorpe United. Referee Keith Hill postponed the League One clash at Roots Hall because of a frozen pitch just 20 minutes before kick off.

  • New flat plans submitted

    A DEVELOPER has revealed fresh plans to build a block of flats just a month after their previous plan was thrown out. Sandhurst New Homes has applied to Rochford District Council to build 19 flats in Bull Lane, Rayleigh. The plan involves demolishing

  • 150 Coryton workers walk out in the snow

    AROUND 150 workers went on strike at Coryton oil refinery yesterday. The walk-out is in protest at the employment of foreign workers and follows the Total-owned Lindsey oil refinery strike which started last week. Wildcat strikes have since spread across

  • Comic Kane gets gig at college career night

    COMEDIAN Russell Kane has no problem entertaining a late-night club audience full of drunken oil rig workers. But his latest gig offered a rather more formidable audience when he was asked to talk to students at Cecil Jones Business and Enterprise College

  • Day I met the Queen, my BBC show and why I love to teach

    NOT for nothing is it called the Belgravia, after London’s poshest district, home of Buckingham Palace. The Belgravia Flower School may be in South Benfleet, but clients get the royal treatment. The tutor is Katy Geddes, a 28-year-old florist and entrepreneur

  • No jobs? We can't fill all our vacancies

    RECESSION? What recession? For one Laindon recruitment agency, the problem isn’t finding the work, it’s finding workers. Bekham Resourcing still has well-paid jobs on its books across a range of careers, including IT, engineering, accountancy, and shipping

  • Strippers love our military uniforms say Dipple brothers

    THESE days if you see someone in an army, RAF or naval uniform, and they’re not a soldier, airman or submarine commander, the chances are their military uniform has been supplied by a Basildon firm called Field Textiles. Based in a 40,000 sq ft warehouse

  • Classic US hits roll into Palace Theatre

    ROUTE 66 motors through the centre of the Palace Theatre, Westcliff, on Friday, February 20. This show allows you to cruise along the world’s most famous road on a musical journey through the best of American country, rock, pop and other classic sounds

  • Bus windscreen shot by yobs with BB gun

    YOBS armed with BB guns fired four times at a bus. The single-deck First Essex bus was travelling along Southend Road, Billericay, when the thugs took shots from the roadside. Some ball bearings shattered a window and others went through the windscreen

  • Caretaker retires after 23 years at special school

    A CARETAKER has retired after devoting 23 years to a school. Mick Cantwell, 66, of Bromfords Drive, Wickford, has retired from Castledon Special School, Wickford. Staff and pupils were sad to see Mr Cantwell leaving and threw a party for him at the

  • Blues' clash with Scunthorpe called off

    TONIGHT'S match between Southend and Scunthorpe United at Roots Hall has been called off. Ground staff and fans had spent the day clearing snow off the pitch in a bid to ensure the game went ahead as planned. Scunthorpe travelled down

  • Log stove starts house fire

    A LOG-burner set a fireplace alight at a home in Chalkwell. Firefighters were called to Galton Road at just after 9.30am yesterday. Heat from the burner set firelighters alight, which then spread to the hearth and a pile of logs. A crew from Leigh

  • Volunteer to help others recycle

    GREEN-minded Southend residents are being sought to encourage their neighbours to recycle and do their bit for the future of the planet. Householders in the borough already recycle around 40 per cent of their waste, but Southend Council wants to recruit

  • Off licence owner held at gunpoint

    A ROBBER threatened to shoot a shop owner with a gun during a raid on an off licence. The hooded man burst into Eastwood Off Licence, in Rayleigh Road, and showed a black handgun he had in his pocket. The 38-year-old owner, who is from Leigh, handed

  • Rush-hour crash on A127 halts traffic

    A RUSH-hour crash on the A127 has caused traffic chaos. The accident took place about 6.30pm at the Nevendon flyover near Basildon on the London-bound carriageway. Police have set up a rolling road block while the damaged vehicles are cleared away.

  • ‘Glucose overdose’ tot’s death probed by police

    THE premature baby at the centre of a police investigation at Great Ormond Street Hospital has died of a suspected glucose overdose. Poppy Davies sustained severe brain damage after undergoing a minor operation at the top London hospital last month.

  • Matt's out to make a song and dance

    A FORMER barman is hoping a prestigious musical showcase will launch his career in the West End. Classically-trained singer Matt Ibbotson, 23, was a member of all-male choir Only Men Aloud which won BBC talent show Last Choir Standing last August. He

  • Captain Mannering's last orders

    DON’T panic, don’t panic! Southend’s oldest and biggest spelling mistake is finally being put out of its misery. For 25 years, the Captain Mannering pub sign has stood as a local landmark in Campfield Road, Shoebury. The pub was named as a tribute

  • Man, 87, left without power or heat 7 times

    FAMILES say they have been hit by repeated power cuts over the past four months and are calling on their electricty company to fix the problem. More than 30 houses in Northumberland Road, Southend, were left shivering without electricity during freezing

  • Kovac lured by Zola factor

    CZECH Republic international Radoslav Kovac has admitted that manager Gianfranco Zola's presence at West Ham played a big part in persuading him to join the club. Kovac has joined the Hammers on loan until the end season from Spartak Moscow but revealed

  • £1.4m bid to revamp industrial estates

    INDUSTRIAL estates in Benfleet and on Canvey could be in line for £1.4million of improvements if Castle Point Council wins a Government grant. The council wants the money to spend on Charfleets Industrial Estate, in Northwick Road, Canvey

  • Davenport joins Sunderland on loan

    SUNDERLAND have signed West Ham defender Calum Davenport on loan until the end of the season. The 26-year-old passed a medical on Wearside today before becoming manager Ricky Sbragia's second short-term signing in 24 hours following Tal Ben Haim's

  • Electricity supply surge ruins electrical goods

    STARTLED residents woke with a bang before being left without power and heating for nearly two days. A total of 84 homes were affected by a massive power surge in the Chase, Billericay. Carole Brown awoke with a fright when about 20 of the electrical

  • Weather wipes out non-league football

    WEATHER conditions have wiped out tonight's last non-league soccer programme. All 14 matches scheduled in three divisions in the Ryman League have been called off - including the Canvey v Margate and Billericay Town v Harlow Premier clashes. Postponements

  • Funeral date set for ‘wonderful’ policeman

    THE funeral of Southend policeman Steve Leese will be held in two weeks. The father-of-two died suddenly at Garon Park golf course, in Southend, after suffering a suspected heart attack. Sgt Leese, 51, from Shoebury, was well-known in the town for his

  • Non league games postponed due to snow

    THE wintry weather has already wrecked Tuesday night's non-league soccer programme locally. Among 10 Ryman League matches off are the Premier Division clashes between Canvey and Margate and Billericay v Harlow. And postponed in Division One North are

  • Woman, 30, tricked by gardening conman

    A WOMAN was conned out of £30 by a man who called at her house, posing as a gardener. The man knocked at the home of the 30-year-old woman, in Wickford Court, in Wickford Avenue, Pitsea. He told the woman he offered a garden clearing service for £30

  • Cats mew up the property ladder

    A CAT adoption day proved a resounding success for a Southend charity with all the animals on show finding new homes. The event, on Saturday at St Michael and All Angels Church, in Leigh Road, Leigh, was run by the Cats Protection branch. All 17 cats

  • Funding confirmed for £6m regeneration plan

    AMBITIOUS plans for the regeneration of Southend town centre are set to go ahead following confirmation of £6.1million funding for the project. The Government money will be used to develop the Farringdon car park, in Elmer Approach, and the old South

  • Tackling obesity is child’s play for NHS

    A GROUNDBREAKING scheme is aiming to defuse the ticking timebomb of childhood obesity by getting more children across south Essex up and active during their schoolday. As figures show more than a quarter of UK children are now overweight, health

  • Noodles of Chinese new year fun

    The Chinese welcomed in the Year of the Ox in Southend High Street in colourful style. The festivities marked the Chinese New Year, which fell on January 26, as it is based on the lunar calender. The streets were filled with people enjoying

  • The latest weapon in green belt battle - art

    ARTISTS are showing their work in support of the high-profile campaign against building in Castle Point’s green belt. The Hands Off Our Greenbelt group has been organising protests since last summer, over plans to allow as many as 750 new homes to be

  • Youngsters' West End debut

    PERFORMING arts students at King Edmund School, Rochford, are to join forces with a top dance school for a special variety show in London’s West End. Pupils are teaming up with the Urban Street School of Dance and Drama to perform the number, All that

  • Cannabis raid: Couple charged

    POLICE have charged a Vietnamese couple, following a cannabis raid in Southend. Long Nguyen, 46, and Huong Pham, 41, both of no fixed address, are each charged with being concerned in the production of a controlled, class B drug and using electrical

  • GPs voice concern at plan to cut surgeries

    DOCTORS have voiced concerns about the way NHS officials plan to thin out the number of GP practices in the area from 81 to 48. The proposals are a key part of a new strategic plan issued by NHS South East Essex, the trust responsible for GP practices

  • Teachers’ delight at £6.5m schools boost

    HEADTEACHERS in Wickford have spoken of their delight at a £6.5million grant to improve facilities in their schools. Eleven primary schools and one special school in the town have been given the cash by Essex County Council’s Pathfinder scheme

  • No butts as anti-cig litter officers patrol streets

    CIGARETTE butt patrol officers hit the streets for the first time yesterday with those caught facing a possible £2,500 fine. Basildon District Council’s latest anti-litter ruse saw environmental health officers on the look-out for smokers dropping cigarette

  • Jo’s mission to help deaf charity

    A POLICE officer is raising money to help deaf children after being touched by the plight of her boyfriend’s niece. Joanne Kerly, 24, from Basildon, is hoping to raise £1,500 for the National Deaf Children’s Society by running the London Marathon and

  • Travellers’ army to help repel eviction

    TRAVELLERS are recruiting an army of organised protesters to stave off eviction. Campaigners for the massive Dale Farm site at Oak Lane, Crays Hill, are appealing for far-left activists to take part in “direct action” and “civil disobedience” if bailiffs

  • Boy, 12, arrested in police operation against burglaries

    POLICE arrested a 12-year-old boy as part of an operation to combat house burglaries in Southend. Officers made six arrests over the weekend as part of Operation Avenue, which seeks to crack down on a rise in burglaries in the town.

  • Boris Johnson’s estuary airport plan is ‘mad’

    A TORY councillor has dismissed Boris Johnson’s plan for a new Thames Estuary airport, arguing south Essex’s roads would be unable to cope. Rochford district councillor James Cottis, who represents Rochford ward, rejected fellow Conservative

  • Adults keen to improve their maths

    A GROUP of adults have gone back to the classroom to improve their maths skills. Seven people have signed up for the ten-week budgeting maths course at the Trinity Family Centre in Westcliff. Co-ordinator Stuart Hitchcock said: “This is the fifth course

  • Troop training will raise noise levels at Shoebury Ranges

    SOLDIERS who are about to be sent out to the world’s trouble spots are training for the job at Shoebury ranges. Army bosses have confirmed the ranges will be noiser than usual while the vital training takes place over the next three days. Defence Minister

  • Ruth drives the crowds wild at Toomey Motors showroom launch

    SPANISH songstress Ruth Lorenzo proved she still had the X Factor when she performed to adoring fans. The ITV reality show sweetheart was greeted by hundreds of screaming fans at a new car dealership in Rochford. The event was organised by the Basildon-based

  • Camera club anniversary

    A CAMERA club founded in Leigh, in 1929 is starting its 80th year with a record number of members. Leigh Camera Club was founded in the front room of a bungalow by six amateur photographers. From humble beginnings, a thriving club boasting almost 90

  • Lions would like to give you a lift...

    SOUTHEND Lions Club are once again doing a good turn for the community. The Lions have recently been given several unwanted stairlifts and are offering them to needy disabled people in the Southend area. Lion Allan Guthrie said: “We know many people

  • Fears over footpath

    RESIDENTS say they fear for their safety every time they have to use a poorly-lit path in Westcliff at night. Local women in particular say they are nervous to use the Victory Path, near Chalkwell station and Crowstone Avenue, in the early evenings.

  • Ladies' lunch date

    LEIGH Inner Wheel Club enjoyed Sunday lunch with Southend’s deputy mayor, Brian Smith, at the civic house, Porters, in Southchurch Road.

  • Hooper - I have nothing to prove

    GARY Hooper insists he has nothing to prove when he returns to Roots Hall with Scunthorpe United tonight. The striker struggled during his spell with the Shrimpers - scoring four goals in 41 games - before leaving last summer. But, since joining the

  • Macca wants to win ugly

    ALAN McCormack wants to redefine winning ugly against Scunthorpe United tonight. The Shrimpers midfielder looks set to start at Roots Hall despite breaking his nose during Saturday’s 1-0 triumph over Bristol Rovers. And he insists the

  • Pupils prepare West End show at school

    GABLE Hall School Theatre Group has been busy rehearsing for the schools’ edition of Les Miserables. This community project involves children from across Thurrock. The team of 12 to 19 year olds have been practising since October. The dates for the

  • New course to help people with chronic pain

    PEOPLE suffering from a rare and incurable condition that causes chronic pain, are set to benefit from a new treatment programme. Between 2 and 4.5 per cent of the UK population suffer with fibromyalgia, a condition which affects muscles, tendons and

  • Charity cheque for aiders

    STANFORD-LE-HOPE and Corringham First Responders Nick Luff and Alan Jupp collected a cheque for £300 from Pegasus Club committee member David Elliot. The social club, in Herd Lane, Corringham, wanted to help the volunteers, who attend emergency calls