HADLEIGH Park moved to within three points of Men’s Division Four leaders Thorpe Bay IV after a 6-0 win over basement club Hockley II. Adam Du Tuit and Brendon Pettitt put Hadleigh ahead with a 6-0 6-0 win over James May and Bradley Palmer. Les Ashton
IT’S a firm favourite on the summer calendar and once more the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be enchanting the folk of Southend, thanks to Rayleigh Mill Rotary Club. Crowds are expected to gather for the open-air event in Priory Park to enjoy an
HUNDREDS of karate enthusiasts attended the Yamaguchi Goju kata competition held at the Chase Sports Centre in Prittlewell on Sunday. Organised by the traditional karate style’s chief instructor, Shihan Tony Childs – who runs clubs in Leigh – the tournament
PENSIONERS who complained they had been left housebound by the cancellation of a bus service to Basildon shopping centre are delighted a replacement service is being launched. The No 1A bus, which was used by residents at Afflets Court sheltered
A TEAM of “Little Angels” will be in Basildon’s Mothercare this week to offer guidance on breastfeeding. The care workers will be attending the Mayflower Retail Park store until Friday, while tonight they will be holding a breastfeeding class
IAN Southgate has followed in his son’s footsteps to clinch an unprecedented double for the family. Matt Southgate won last year’s county championships in Danbury. And now his dad has clinched the senior title. That means both trophies belong to the
ACTRESSES rule the stage, and nothing as gross as a man gets a look-in on the all-female Steel Magnolias. Yet Lindisfarne Players production can be, and is, enjoyed by six-packing blokes as much as by ladies on a night out. The play offers its actresses
JUDGING by her track record, MP Jackie Doyle-Price doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to health care. In March, the 41-year-old Tory MP spoke out in Parliament over “poor leadership” at Basildon Hospital during a debate over healthcare
THORPE Hall’s lady captain Shirley Dalman played host for her captain’s day during which an 18 hole Stableford competition was played in the morning amid sun and showers. And, after lunch, teams of three took part in a nine hole waltz followed by a splendid
THUNDERSLEY’S Jason White has ridden his way to the top of the national male elite road rankings. White, who runs JD Cycles in Benfleet, has secured seven victories already this season. And he is thrilled to have worked his way in to the number one
A MAN who was dragged unconscious from the sea after his dinghy capsized has died. The 78-year-old Southend man had been pulled from the water by joggers and Mark Frood, 16, near the jetty at Chalkwell beach, off Chalkwell Esplanade. He died despite
STUART Bingham was pleased with his start to the season, despite his quarter-final exit at the Players Tour Championship to the mercurial Ronnie O’Sullivan yesterday. Bingham has had a good week at the domestic circuit’s curtain raiser in Sheffield,
A TAXI driver was assaulted by three passengers who made off without paying their fare. The 43-year-old victim had picked up the trio from the taxi rank where London Road meets Southend High Street shortly before 2am on Sunday, June 19.
YOUNGSTERS have started a campaign to rid the road outside their school of dangerous potholes. The pupils in Year One and Two from Wickford C of E School, in Mount Road, have written a series of letters to Essex County Council asking for it
I think it is excellent that easyJet is to introduce flights from Southend Airport. I think Aer Arann’s flights to Ireland are good, but easyJet’s will be better as they will go to many of the European destinations people want to travel to. I
ESSEX coach Paul Grayson has spoken of his frustration with their poor start to the season, but says they have become victims of their own success. In recent years the county has consistently reached the latter stages of the short form of the game and
A team from BBC’s Springwatch programme recently visited Pitsea tip. What an eye opener it was to discover how much wildlife there is to see. It shows how resilient the animal world is, despite what man can do to it. People in the past have
It was worked out years ago that the safest approach to road safety was to have a dedicated road for traffic, a dedicated pavement for pedestrians and proper rules for cyclists. Everyone stayed in their dedicated area and safety was never a problem
We have the very high cost of Basildon’s Sporting Village, estimated at £38million, and the cost of evicting travellers from Dale Farm, at £8million plus, which could possibly have been prevented a few years ago with correct guidance. Then there
The Echo reported how a Southend Council meeting “put the brakes on parking rules” (June 14). I want to know why seafront residents are being asked to fork out for pay-and- display parking outside their homes to help solve the council’s budget
CONFIDENTIAL letters sent by worried firefighters to councillors, citing concerns over the way the service is being run, have been published by the Fire Brigades Union. The FBU has taken the unusual step of revealing the letters, which provoked
The authorities lose no time in screwing as much money out of the motorist as they can at every opportunity, with road tax, fuel duty, insurance, tax and parking charges. But they are increasingly shirking their responsibilities to motorists
A teenager accused of carrying out a hacking attack against the website of the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency was remanded in police custody today while inquiries continue. Ryan Cleary, 19, from Wickford, Essex, did not enter any plea
FRUSTRATED residents could be without power for weeks following a fire at a block of flats. Three homes in Rockells, Basildon, have been without electricity since Sunday afternoon, after a blaze damaged cables in the building’s storage cupboard. They
A SECONDARY school has applied to become an academy. Shoeburyness High School is set to press ahead with the plans, which would give it independence from the local authority. The move comes following a glowing report from education watchdog
A MAN fraudulently claimed £33,000 benefits in an elaborate scam involving fake landlords and a number of properties. Cabbie Hashmi Hussain, 37, from Westcliff Park Drive, Westcliff, created false documents claiming he paid rent to fictitious
SOUTHEND United want to strengthen their squad with at least three more summer signings before the start of next season. Blues boss Paul Sturrock has assembled a list of possible transfer targets. And the Echo understands that another striker and
IT was a bit nervy in the dug out towards the end of the Glamorgan game on Tuesday night. But that’s what happens when the team is not playing with as much confidence as you would like. In days gone by, we would have knocked those runs off comfortably
SAM Allardyce insists West Ham must quickly shake off their relegation “hangover” to make an immediate return to the Premier League. Allardyce, 56, was yesterday unveiled as the Hammers’ new manager after succeeding Avram Grant, who was axed when the
POLICE seized three stolen cars during a raid on an industrial estate. The vehicles, worth a total of £35,000, were recovered from Moorlands Industrial Estate, Tileworks Lane, Rettendon, Wickford, during a joint police, customs, DVLA, VOSA
DON'T miss your Echo today for a two-page special on the Wickford teenager charged following a computer hacking probe. also... Two-page special on the blaze in Sherwood Way, Southend Our weekly Memories and nostalgia section taking a look at Southend
TRAINS on the c2c line have been delayed slightly this morning due to a problem with track-side equipment. The issue arose earlier this morning between Southend Central and Southend East stations, and engineers have been working to resolve the problem
A TEENAGE girl was punched in the head and face during a violent night-time robbery in Basildon. The 19-year-old was grabbed by the throat and knocked to the ground outside Swan Mead park, in Church Road, at about 10.30pm on Tuesday. The victim, who
VANDALS have caused more than £1,000 damage at a Canvey nature reserve. The yobs destroyed two bird hides in the RSPB West Canvey Marsh, tearing away the wooden panels of the building, trashing the surrounding fencing and smashing information boards
A HOSTEL that houses sex offenders, murderers and other dangerous crooks, could be moved from Basildon. The Essex Probation Service has agreed to consider moving the controversial Felmores bail hostel if a suitable alternative location can
SOUTHEND’S new mayor is dressing down and will wear a less glitzy chain of office while out and about – in a bid to save council cash. David Norman, who was inaugurated last month, has been wearing less ostentatious regalia, made of gilt and
A SOLDIER injured in the line of duty could be left homeless after being medically discharged from the Army. Pte Chris Down, who grew up in Basildon, says more should be done to help wounded servicemen like him – who risk their lives for their
