Archive

  • Woman guilty of lying about rape

    A YOUNG woman has been found guilty of lying about being raped. Sarah-Jane Hilliard, 20, claimed she was attacked by Grant Bowers, in the toilets at Basildon railway station. A week later, Hilliard even applied to the Criminal Injuries

  • Homeless charity gains extra funds

    A HOMELESS charity in Westcliff is celebrating a £2,000 grant from a health trust. Harp, the Homeless Action Resource Project, beat four other shortlisted groups to win mental health trust South Essex Partnership Trust’s Pitch Your Project

  • Sing the Blues for stadiums past

    THE demolition countdown is ticking faster and faster for one of Southend’s most prominent landmarks. Not the rickety arm of the world’s longest pier stretching out into the Thames Estuary, or the scaffold-covered Palace Hotel, looking down

  • Pool safety stepped up after girl nearly drowned

    IMPROVED safety measures have been introduced and counselling offered at a Canvey swimming pool where a seven-year-old girl nearly drowned. Natea Dackombe’s hair was sucked into a 7mm underwater vent at Waterside Farm Leisure Centre, off Somnes

  • Bopara on song as Essex edge thriller

    Ravi Bopara played the leading role as Essex snatched a thrilling four-wicket victory in their Twenty20 Cup clash with Surrey at Chelmsford. The England star struck 53 from 41 deliveries as his side, replying to a total of 165 for five, squeezed home

  • Darth, Digby and Duckworth are festival’s stars

    CLEAR your diary for June as the Southend Festival hits town bringing with it a host of events to inspire, fascinate and, above all, entertain. The annual festival, backed by the Echo and now in its seventh year, is a month-long celebration of art, music

  • MY VIEW: Diversity has skill to beat Susan Boyle

    SO who’s going to win tomorrow night’s live final of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, then? I reckon it’ll be our own local lads of the truly amazing street dance group, Diversity, don’t you? It’s been a pleasure, a real joy, a revelation, to watch this incredible

  • Life’s a beach for podcast DJs

    WHEN it comes to forging a successful career, it’s often more about who, rather than what, you know. But a south Essex DJ duo are making big waves on the club scene without exploiting a well-known connection. Jimmy Lee, brother of ex-Southend United

  • Water warning in Benfleet

    AROUND 500 households have been ordered not to drink water directly from the tap after a water main was damaged. Contractors working on a gas main in Clarence Road North, Benfleet, hit a water pipe at around 9.30am this morning. As a precaution, Essex

  • School trades manor house for new £2.5m facility

    A £2.5MILLION new teaching block has been officially opened. The new facility will mean teachers and students at Ramsden Hall School, Ramsden Heath, can move out of unsuitable rooms in the old Ramsden Hall to purpose-built classrooms. The boarding

  • Burglars take £3,000 haul

    A HAUL worth £3,000 was stolen from a house by crooks. The thieves got into the house in Runwell Chase in Runwell, Wickford by forcing their way in. They stole gems, including a distinctive 20-year-old Egyptian-style bangle, and various electrical items

  • Green belt controversy planning chief set to retire

    A CASTLE Point Council planning chief is set to retire today – but has vowed to carry on overseeing controversial house-building plans on a part-time basis. Ian Burchill, the council’s head of environment and community, was the architect of the Local

  • Updated: Missing man found

    A MAN who went missing from his home has been found. Keith Hymas, 45, disappeared from his home in Hogarth Road, Grays on Friday. He was found safe and well in West Thurrock on Sunday.

  • Traffic diverted following crash on A127

    A DRIVER had to be cut out of a car following a crash on the A127. Firefighters had to cut the roof off a silver Ford Focus to rescue a woman in her 70s. Her car had been in collision with a black Renault panel van near the Tesco roundabout

  • Chris’s gold medal – with the help of her friends

    DELIGHTED Chris Leigh-Walker is celebrating after winning a coveted gold medal for her bonsai garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. Chris, of Lower Road, Hockley, is particularly delighted as she nearly pulled out of the show because of a shoulder injury

  • Concerns voiced over colleges’ merger plans

    STUDENTS could face lengthy journeys to get to lectures if the merger of South East Essex, Basildon and Thurrock colleges goes ahead, councillors have warned. Rochford district councillors raised their concerns in response to the consultation being

  • 7-seater wanted

    A TEAM of fundraisers is appealing for help with transport to Britain’s three highest peaks. The group stands to collect more than £1,000 in sponsorship if it completes the Three Peaks Challenge, which will involve scaling Ben Nevis, in Scotland, Snowdon

  • Laura’s day at Number 10

    A COUNCIL manager met Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street. Laura Burroughs, Thurrock Council’s children centres strategy manager, was invited to meet the Prime Minister because of her work with the Sure Start children’s centres. She was nominated to represent

  • Mum fined £3,000 for not sending 6 kids to school

    A MOTHER-OF-SIX has been fined more than £3,000 for not sending her children to school. The mum, from Thurrock, who cannot be named for legal reasons, did not attend Grays Magistrates’ Court, but was found guilty in her absence. She was fined £525 for

  • Burglaries drop by 27%

    HOUSE burglaries in Southend have dropped by 27 per cent following a police crackdown. The launch of Operation Avenue has cut the number of burglaries to 320 between February and April this year. This was down from 441 during the same three-month period

  • Posties’ fun day for Little Havens

    YOUNG Royal Mail apprentices are organising a charity fun day. The trainee posties have pulled out all the stops for the family event on Saturday, June 13, at the Royal Mail Sports and Social Club, in Gardiners Lane South, Basildon. Attractions will

  • Chinese learn about couriers’ boom time

    A BUSINESS has proved so adept at beating the credit crunch that millions of people in China are set to learn the secret of its success. Abby Couriers, based in Luckyn Lane, Basildon, featured in the Echo last December as one of the few Essex firms still

  • Kids and dads come out to play

    DADS and kids got together for a fun day at the Rainbow Children’s Centre, in Shoebury, organised by Southend Council as part of National Family Week. Yesterday’s event included sporting activities and arts and crafts. Roger Hadley, councillor responsible

  • Final rally call for TV talent show act Diversity

    THEIR motto is “dream, believe and achieve” – now dynamic street dance troupe Diversity aim to prove actions speak louder than words as they gear up for the most important night of their lives. When the south Essex boys set the stage alight with another

  • Police seek hit-and-run driver

    A HIT-AND-RUN driver is being sought by police following a crash on the A13. A silver Mercedes crashed with a black cab on the Southend-bound carriageway just before the Saddler's Farm roundabout. The cab was run off the road and the 50-year-old driver

  • Ice cream van causes traffic chaos

    DRIVERS leaving Southend faced severe delays on the A127 today when an ice cream van broke down close to the junction with Pound Lane. The vehicle blocked the nearside lane of the dual carriageway but a recovery vehicle was at the scene by 8.30am.

  • Charlton closing in on Clarke

    CHARLTON Athletic are closing in on Southend United centre-back Peter Clarke. The 27-year-old defender is available on a free transfer after failing to agree a new contract at Roots Hall. And sources close to both clubs have confirmed it is the Addicks

  • Echo COMMENT: All MPs need to be open and accountable

    MPs should be open and accountable to the public they serve, and our readers have a right to know how their taxes have been spent. Like all south Essex MPs, we have asked David Amess, the Conservative MP for Southend West, to be proactive by

  • Thousands vote against plans to build new homes

    MORE than 6,000 Canvey residents have rejected council plans to build on the island’s green belt following an unofficial referendum. In all, 6,493 people registered their unofficial vote over Castle Point Council’s plans to build 400 homes

  • Charity store repeatedly hit by shoplifters

    A CHARITY shop which raises cash for cerebral palsy sufferers is being plagued by thieves on a daily basis. It is being targeted even though a lot of what it sells costs between 15p and 25p. Rita Harris, the team leader at the shop,

  • Has MP softened stance on travellers after secret trip?

    HE HAS accused them of driving a “coach and horses” through planning laws time after time. Now Billericay MP John Baron has “softened” his stance towards illegal traveller sites, according to a priest who took him on a secret visit to Dale

  • Tomkins earns England under 21s call up

    BASILDON based defender James Tomkins has received his first ever call up into the England under 21 squad. The West Ham United centre-back, who has featured for England at every age level up to under 20, has yet to be capped at under 21 level but could

  • Breast cancer unit to get Southend carnival cash

    A CAMPAIGN to raise cash for hi-tech breast screening equipment will be boosted by the proceeds of this year’s Southend Carnival. The town’s carnival association announced it will be supporting the Bosom Pals Appeal at Southend Hospital which

  • Task force aims to ease Billericay parking

    A TASK force has been set up to rethink parking in Billericay, and make sure people who work in the High Street have somewhere to leave their cars. District, county and town councillors have teamed up to tackle the problem, pledging to look at new ways