RESIDENTS say building 400 more homes in Laindon would stretch local services to breaking point. The fears were voiced as Bellway Homes put its latest plans on show for the first time. The Dunton Fields development would site homes on
ISLANDERS are being offered the chance to vote on how £10,000 of council cash should be spend on Canvey. The poll, to be conducted at the Knightswick Shopping Centre later this month, will ask shoppers which of three voluntary projects should get Essex
A COUPLE who have dedicated their lives to helping children have both been honoured by the Queen. Maurice and Barbara Hobbs-Hurrell, of Connaught Gardens, Shoebury, have been made MBEs for their services to families after looking after 81 babies over
NEIL Harris is certain he will be able to handle the pressure at Southend United next season. The 33-year-old knows he will be expected to hit the back of the net for Blues on a regular basis. But he is adamant he can handle that responsibility
A SOUTHEND MP has vowed to continue helping members of collapsed Southend Credit Union get their money back. James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East was informed by the Financial Services Authority that since the credit union
DAVID Crown is backing Neil Harris to be a real hit at Roots Hall. Crown, who bagged 69 goals in 132 games for Blues during the late 1980s, was Harris’ first goalscoring hero — along with Liverpool legend Ian Rush. And Crown is now looking
Firefighters were called to a fire in a house. The fire started in the lounge area of the property in Southend Road, Stanford-le-Hope at 1.16pm today. Two crews attended the scene from Orsett and Corringham who wore two sets of breathing
A DAD fears a child could be badly hurt by a speeding driver on an unmade road near two Benfleet primary schools. Edward Fisk raised the problem of nuisance drivers at the Benfleet Neighbourhood meeting, held in Richmond Hall. Mr Fisk, 45, said there
COUNCIL bosses are investigating if they can legally evict many travellers from the illegal Dale Farm site. Just days after funding was approved for the £17.5million clearance traveller campaigners have unearthed evidence they alledge questions
THURROCK have been reinstated in the Blue Square Bet South after Rushden & Diamonds were expelled from the Blue Square Bet Premier due to financial problems. Fleet were preparing for life in the Ryman Premier following last season’s relegation
VANDALS attacked a car in Thorpe Bay causing £200 damage. They scratched the door of a silver Land Rover in Colbert Avenue. It happened between 5pm on Sunday June 5 and 7.45am on Tuesday June 7. If you saw or heard anything suspicious, please contact
A GOOD samaritan came to the aid of a teenage girl who was viciously attacked in a carpark. Police are now trying to trace the man who stepped in to help after he saw the 18-year-old being punched in the ribs before being thrown against some
A CAMPAIGN group which fought Government plans to build 1,200 homes on a beauty spot is re-forming after a new development threat emerged. Yesterday, the Echo revealed Basildon Council and the Homes and Communities Agency want to develop homes
BASILDON'S rising middle-distance star James Shane cannot wait to make his senior Great Britain debut at the European Team Championships this weekend. The 21-year-old received a late call-up to run the 1,500m at the event in Stockholm after proving to
SRI Lanka’s hopes of a final worthwhile workout ahead of the third and final Test at the Rose Bowl this week were washed away by the weather when rain allowed little more than 12 overs’ play at Chelmsford on the third and final day against Essex. Only
STUART Bingham lost in the final of the Phuket Cup in Thailand. The Basildon professional went down 5-3 in the final to Thailand’s Thepchaiya Uh-nooh. Bingham was the only ranked player who remained in the tournament which saw Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon
CANVEY have beaten a host of clubs in the race to sign free-scoring midfielder, Kris Newby. Gulls manager John Batch said he was delighted to have brought in a player he has admired for years. Newby, 23, scored 28 goals in all competitions last season
A RECORD number of athletes signed up to run in the Southend Half Marathon yesterday. Around 2,400 people took part in the main 13.1-mile race with a further 300 completing the BTMK 3k fun run. And that helped to raise close to £60,000 for Havens Hospices
VANDALS went on a car-wrecking spree which caused £450 damage. They smashed the wing mirrors off four cars in Conway Avenue in the early hours of Saturday morning. A Ford Fiesta, a Ford Focus, a Honda and Nissan Micra were all targeted
A DOG was brutally attacked onboard a train after a man rowed with his girlfriend. The man could be heard arguing with a woman on his mobile phone as the train travelled towards Hockley. He was then heard to say: “Because I am angry
NEIL Harris believes playing for Southend United will match anything else he has ever experienced in his illustrious career. The experienced striker, who has joined Blues from Millwall on a three-year deal, has previously played in the FA Cup final,
TWO step-brothers have been jailed for subjecting a 16-year-old boy to a torturous four-hour long beating and kidnap ordeal. Perry Revell, 39 and Jamie Whale, 35, punched, kicked and stamped on the boy in the back of a van before putting a
DETECTIVES have released CCTV following a rape in Southend. They want to trace a man they suspect of attacking a woman in Southchurch Road, Southend, on Monday February 14. Efforts to trace him in the local area have proved fruitless, and
So many people are cycling on the pavement in Southend High Street. This is not good enough. Surely PCSOs should patrol this area vigilantly and the hoodlums involved should be given fines or be put in the cells for a night before a pedestrian
New homes are being built without any thought about the infrastructure. I have made inquiries to see if there is a law about the ratio of housing to infrastructure, but it seems there is none, which is totally wrong in my eyes. Schools are finding
I can tell Tony Cox (June 7) the reason Independent councillors are coming to the fore. It is because of the failed policies of party politics in Southend, in particular over the last ten years of Conservative administration. Instead of Mr Cox
I visit Basildon’s Sporting Village at least three times a week and have yet to really enjoy my visit. I normally book an exercise class, but have yet to experience a full session, as I have spent up to 30 minutes driving round the car park looking
James Courtenay accuses me of writing a load of old “tosh” about bollards and trees in the Leigh area (June 6). There are many roads near to me, where I have lived for nearly 60 years, that have either lost all the trees that once lined them,
As a mobility scooter user I have used Southend’s newly revamped Victoria Gateway, a number of times and each time the experience was more precarious than the last. Although slightly different colours, most of the bricks are too similar, especially
PATIENTS’ medication could be cut back as health chiefs desperately try to cut costs. Up to 100 GP practices in south Essex may find their drug spending slashed next year after they overspent by nearly £2million in 2010/11. The county’s primary care
A DRIVER had a lucky escape after flipping his car outside a fast food restaurant on Sunday night. The 23-year-old walked away with minor injuries from the incident in Eastern Avenue, in Southend, around 10.20pm when his Vauxhall Corsa hit
LIFE was a beach for EastEnders soap stars yesterday as they filmed episodes in Southend. The cameras rolled on Marine Parade as actresses Cheryl Fergison, who plays Heather Trott, and Linda Henry, who plays Shirley Carter, worked through their
A U-turn by Castle Point Council’s leadership means all councillors will be able to vote on the future of the borough’s green belt. The council had originally intended only its eight cabinet members would vote on where 1,000 homes should be built in
A COUNCILLOR has resigned following allegations he tried to extort cash from a farmer. Jamie Huntman is being investigated by Basildon Council over claims he extorted £200 from the farmer after claiming his dog had bitten him. Mr Huntman
POLICE will target an empty pub which has become a magnet for cocaine users. Drug addicts have started using the doorway of the Grand hotel, in Leigh Broadway, to snort the Class A drug. The problem is particularly bad on Friday and
Essex Police want to know if victims of crime would prefer to report an incident via Twitter or to a bobby on the beat. They are carrying out a survey as part of a cost-cutting programme to save £41million over four years. The first
A GRATEFUL dad is preparing for a gruelling 40-mile charity walk to say thanks to a charity which supported his family as his premature son battled to survive. Alex Lindsay, 36, will walk from his home in Southend to Stevenson House, in Whitechapel,
