SWIMMING sensation Sophie Drake will soon be swapping Corringham for Florida. The 18-year-old, who swam at the European Junior Championships two years ago, has been offered an academic/sports scholarship at Daytona State College. But she has mixed feelings
LEADERS Northamptonshire suffered their first defeat of the LV= Championship campaign as they went down by 171 runs to Essex in the Division Two match at Chelmsford. With 21-year-old leg-spinner Tom Craddock marking his Championship debut with four
ALASTAIR Cook has vowed to prove his doubters wrong when he resumes his England one-day career as captain against Sri Lanka tomorrow. While he has become a mainstay of the Test side since his international bow five years ago, there have long been question
POLICE are trying to help find the owners of a horse which was found wandering loose in a road. The horse, which is 14 hands tall, was reported to police this afternoon as being stray. The horse, which is wearing a purple bridle, was loose in Hawkwell
SIMON Alexander produced a commanding performance to win Southend Wheelers’ annual club road race championships. Alexander set a blistering pace from the start at Redbridge Cycle Centre, in Hainault, on a hot but windy day. He broke from the main chasing
A TV show filmed in Southend will be aired on Tuesday night at 9pm. The Fairy Jobmother on Channel 4 will air its last episode which was filmed in Southend and features four women who are out of work. Featured from Southend are Sue Riches
DRINKERS could face fines of £500 if caught by police causing a nuisance in Basildon town centre. Basildon Council is looking into allowing police to confiscate alcohol and fine drinkers to clear troublemakers from the town. St Martin’s Square and the
A CANNABIS factory filled with 49 plants was busted by police. Officers were at a flat in Sutton Road, Southend, to deal with an unrelated matter when they sniffed out the grow room. It contained plants at various stages of growth. A 24-year-old Southend
THORPE Hall pro Richard McEvoy just missed the cut at the BMW International Open in Munich. Opening rounds of 71 and 72 left him on one-under par, and one shot shy of the cut-off point at the latest European Tour event in Germany. A bogey six on the
BILLERICAY have made half-a-dozen new signings ahead of their Ryman Premier campaign. Jay May, who has previously had spells with Croydon Athletic and Tonbridge Angels, has been brought in to lead the line for Town. He could play alongside Courtney
PETER Gilbert hopes an improved pre-season can help him hit top form for Southend United next term. The 27-year-old left back failed to impress on a consistent basis for Blues during the previous campaign. But he is determined to make
Further to your article on the Southend Hospital parking scheme (June 20), I would like to point out that when walking my dog at lunchtimes, I see quite a few cars parked in the residents’ parking areas, but without permits being displayed. I
Those in charge of the Olympic event in Hadleigh were relieved to find anything that could be classed as an Olympic legacy to offset the profligate cost of staging two days of mountain biking in 2012. Therefore the redundant fire station was
We should not be taken in by the rhetoric of Southend Council leader Nigel Holdcroft when he says the Avro Centre, for people with learning disabilities, will not close while the new pilot project in the town centre is being evaluated. The Avro
I have talked to many people in Southend about the new layout of Victoria Circus. So far, everybody hates it and thinks it’s a disaster, an accident waiting to happen. We are constantly told the council is short of funds, but that didn’t seem
Pam Farley (June 16) was critical of candidates changing their political colour. I am one of those candidates in Southend who left the Lib Dems to join the Independent group and helped Paul Van Looy to his victory. I changed because the Lib
I would like to thank my “support group”, the committee of the Friends of Coombe Wood, for the wonderful work they did in presenting the case for granting Village Green status to Coombe Wood in Thundersley. The task the committee faced in applying
THE jingling tune of the ice cream van has delighted millions of children for decades. But they have been getting a frosty reception on Canvey after being accused of causing traffic problems on the island. Officers at Castle Point Council have written
SOUTHEND Rugby Club will today bid farewell to one of their most loyal and likeable characters. Dave Mathison, who was affectionately known as “Spongie”, has died of cancer aged 74. And his passing will leave a huge gap at Warners Bridge after more
NEW safety railings installed as part of a £52,000 project to improve a Canvey pool have rusted after just a few days. Concerned seasiders have already spotted more than 100 spots of rust on the hand rails, which were installed around the tidal paddling
A YOUNG woman died after a driver suffered an epileptic fit at the wheel and smashed into her. Laura Williams, 23, was a passenger in her boyfriend’s Mini when it was hit from behind by Giles Furnival and sent crashing into the central reservation on
AN ALLOTMENTS was targeted by a gang of thieves. The crooks broke into a shed at the site in Springfield Drive, Westcliff. They stole a petrol lawn mower, a digital radio and some other small items, worth about £270. It happened between 4pm on Wednesday
FOUR teenager girls were sexually assaulted at the weekend. The youngsters were all groped by a man near Cluny Square, Southend, at about 9.45pm on Saturday. Police said the incident had begun in Norwich Avenue. An 18-year-old man from south-east London
THE c2c rail service between Upminster and Pitsea was closed between 10am and 12.50pm today, Monday, because of problems with a signal in the Upminster area. After the line reopened, minor delays continued for several hours as the operator tried
The C2C service between Upminster and Pitsea was closed between 10am and 12.50pm on Monday because of problems with a signal in the Upminster area. The line has now been reopened but minor delays continued for several hours as the operator tried to clear
THIS robber is wanted by police so they can send him back to prison. Steven Stirling, who was last known to be living in Burdett Avenue, Westcliff, and is wanted on recall after breaching the conditions of his licence. The 52-year-old
A NEWBORN baby is missing out on the benefits of being breastfed because she is unable to get a simple operation she needs. Emily-Louise Croft was born on Saturday with a common condition called tongue tie. This makes it physically impossible for her
PLANS to transform Lakeside into a town by building 3,000 new homes, shops and leisure facilities are being looked into by councillors. The plans, still in the very early stages, hope to take pressure off green belt land by building the homes near the
HUNDREDS of people turned out to pay tribute to soldiers who risk their lives for the country. The crowds were out in force on Canvey and Southend to pay tribute to the servicemen and women during celebrations for Armed Forces Day. In Chalkwell Park
CLASSICAL music fans basked in evening sunshine as the proms came to Priory Park. The world famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played the tunes, lead by conductor David Arnold, who lives in Southend. Determined to enjoy themselves, the audience brought
BOMB disposal experts were called to get rid of suspected ordnance which washed up near Leigh just after 5pm yesterday. Southend Coastguard and police formed a protective cordon around the site after while they waited for the Army's Explosives
Detectives investigating claims Chris Huhne asked his ex-wife to accept driving penalty points on his behalf have won a court order to obtain new evidence. Essex Police convinced a judge at Chelmsford Crown Court to order The Sunday Times to
CHIP fans are in for a treat as the team at Southend’s Adventure Island get frying to try and smash the record for the world’s biggest portion of chips. On Wednesday, the team at the theme park’s Traditional Fish and Chip Shop will attempt
AN abandoned dog left for dead at a railway station has been given a new home. Angela Savage, from Basildon, read about Lola’s plight in the Echo and took in the recovering lhasa apso. The dog had been tied up and abandoned at Wickford railway station
