A CRUCIAL verdict has been delivered giving a further boost to the expansion plans of Southend Airport. George Pulman QC, Chelmsford’s ecclesiastical judge, ruled permission should be upheld for a section of a boundary wall outside St Laurence
CRIMINALS have been knocking door-to-door selling dodgy electricity top ups. The caller seems to offer a good deal - with £50 worth of electricity top-up for about £25. But energy companies can tell when meters have been topped up illegally
LATE night yobbish behaviour has plummetted by 30 per cent in Southend town centre. The latest figures show reports about night-time antisocial behaviour dropped to 73 in May. This compares to 105 in the same month last year.
MUMS on the school run may be able to help solve a burglary. Crooks stole £4000 of jewellery from a house in Langdon Road, Rayleigh, along with a burgundy holdall with a hessian strap. It happened between 8am and 4.50pm on Monday June13
A TEENAGER was robbed in Southend High Street in broad daylight. The 16-year-old boy was walking past the Odeon cinema, towards Quernsway, when the robbers struck. One demanded to see his phone, before the other snatched it from his hand
A FORMER Southend footballer has been found guilty of raping a 19-year-old woman. Tesfaye Bramble, 30, was found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court, in Yorkshire, over the incident which happened on September 22 last year. Bramble
DRINKERS blighting Basildon town centre could face fines or arrest under tough new measures to cut antisocial behaviour. Basildon Council is to bring in powers to curb troublesome drinkers accused of intimidating other people and causing nuisance in
A CHURCH is looking for £450,000 to rebuild a popular, but crumbling community hall. St George’s Community Hall, in Rushbottom Lane, Thundersley, has been repeatedly patched up over the past 50 years to keep it going. The roof and floor are now in
AN elderly householder returned home to find a burglar searching his house. Instead of fleeing when he realised he’d been caught out, the intruder barricaded himself in an upstairs bedroom so he could continue turning the property upside down. The
CONTROVERSIAL plans for 30 flats on the site of a former community hall look set to be refused. Michael Riddell, of Lacey Enterprises, wants to build a four to eight storey block on the former St Clement’s church hall, in Rectory Grove, Leigh
A DISTRAUGHT mum has told of the horrifying moment she saw her three-year-old son bitten in the face by a dog. Little Mitchell Brindley was attacked outside a pharmacy, in Southchurch Road, Southend, as he, his mother, Tanya Lovegrove, and her sister
MORE than 3,000 talented children have joined together to sing their hearts out in a music festival at the Cliffs Pavilion. Pupils from 65 schools from across Southend, Rochford, Rayleigh, Benfleet, Thundersley and Canvey are taking part in the South
A POPULAR performer has had to pull out of Leigh folk festival after losing his voice. Martin Carthy informed the organisers of this weekend's festival of his predicament today, leading to a rearrangement of the schedule for Sunday.
BASILDON’S Tory administration was secretly in talks about developing homes on Dry Street six months ago. Plans for homes and a business park on 86 acres of the wildlife haven and South Essex College site were announced last week, with a new college
MORE than £2.5million set aside for affordable housing, new playing fields and road improvements is sitting in council coffers, but cash-strapped bosses can’t get their hands on it. The huge reserves are the result of Section 106 agreements – deals with
A CHILD rapist has been jailed for 11 years after he repeatedly attacked a young girl. David Wood, 44, of Penhurst Avenue, Southend, cried as he was sentenced at Southend Crown Court yesterday for a string of child sex offences. He had previously pleaded
The Green Party has doubled its numbers on Rochford District Council with victory in yesterday's Hullbridge by-election. Green candidate Diane Hoy fought off her closest challenger, the Tories' Mark Hale, with a majority of 202. For
THUGS armed with pickaxes tried to raid a bungalow which had been converted into a cannabis farm. The two men launched the raid on the innocuous looking home, in Oakfield Road, Benfleet, much to the amazement of neighbours. They were
Four-page special with background, detail and reaction on easyJet's investment in Southend Airport Find out why Basildon's Council boss is going part-time Two-page special on dogs living in squalor in south Essex and...Your weekend guide to entertainment
CHILDREN disappointed to have missed out on tickets to next year’s Olympics could still be in with a chance thanks to Essex County Council. The authority has spent £23,150 buying 540 tickets for the Games, including 500 for the mountain biking at Hadleigh
DEFIANT anti-expansion campaigners still maintain their fight isn’t dead. They spoke after easyJet announced it would start flights from Southend Airport next year. The easyJet announcement was a big blow even for the most ardent supporters of campaign
MARK Phillips is sure Southend United can secure success next season - and the centre back is determined to play a part in it. Phillips endured an injury ravaged first season at Roots Hall, making just five appearances. But he is already working hard
FOR ice cream man Mark Webb the term “serving hatch” took on a whole new meaning...when an expectant bird set up home inside his van’s engine! While the chef, 53, was selling ice creams in a country park, he had no idea a nest of six little
