THE owner of a seafront cafe who is not allowed to expand on to the beach will fight the decision. Southend Council has refused the new extension for behind the Hundreds Cafe, Eastern Esplanade. Councillors liked neither its size nor its appearance,
A BREWERY claims travellers were responsible for ruining its pub and driving away other customers away. Gray & Sons have just submitted a planning application to Basildon Council outlining a refurbishment of the Duke of York Pub in Southend
POLICE and council officers shut down an illegal rave on the beach. Officers were called to Shoebury Common after reports of about 600 revellers smoking cannabis, drinking alcohol, cooking on a barbecue, and playing loud music. The council had sanctioned
SOUTHEND High School for Boys was celebrating after winning the borough athletics for the 30th consecutive year. The school won all four year groups in a clean sweep that was repeated by Southend High School for Girls in the girls’ section. “Only eight
POLICE are warning people to lock their doors and windows to deter the burglars this Summer. This call comes after burglars got into a bungalow in Vallance Close, Shoebury, through an unlocked back door. They stole a purse containing £70. It happened
ESSEX starlet Reece Topley is ready to fly the flag for England. Both he and team-mate Ben Foakes have been picked for the upcoming under-19s international series against South Africa. They will form part of a 14-man squad for the seven-match contest
THUNDERSTORMS caused chaos across Essex. Fire crews were called to house fires in Basildon and Canvey after lightning strikes. A flat above a shop in Wickford was also damaged. Fire crews were called to St Mary's School in Boston
THIEVES broke into a Hockley school and stole two laptops. They found a spade in the grounds of Plumberow Primary School, in Hamilton Gardens, which they used to prise open the doors. They then took the laptops from a desk. They
Only the weather failed to deliver. The script of Shakespeare’s The Tempest specifies lashing rain and howling winds for the great opening scene. With typical perversity, the weather gods delivered a perfect English summer’s afternoon for the
A MAN was attacked by three robbers in a Westcliff street. The 25-year-old victim was walking along Gainsborough Drive when he was approached by the three men. They made demands for his possessions whilst kicking and punching him. He kept telling them
BASILDON waterpolo players helped the East region’s team to a respectable showing at an international meeting at the Sporting Village at the weekend. Rob Humphries, 15, from South Woodham Ferrers, led the line well playing in the pit, and John Inwood
Detectives have released CCTV following a vicious pub attack. The 31-year-old victim was glassed in the face at the White Horse pub, in Southchurch Boulevard, Southend, leaving him with permanent scars. It happened after he confronted
LAKESIDE Hammers speedway team return to Elite League action on Friday at the Arena-Essex Raceway. They will host the high-revving sport’s oldest club, the Belle Vue Aces from Manchester. It is crunch time for the Hammers’ league aspirations as they
VANDALS caused £2300 damaged in a Westcliff street overnight. They struck in Beedell Avenue where they scratched the paintwork on the roofs of eight cars. It all happened between 6pm on Saturday June 26 and 11am the following day. The cars affected
I do not agree with Henry MacDonald (June 17) when he says we do not need more cycle paths. I live in Crowstone Road, Westcliff, and regularly cycle to Southend and back, usually along the London Road, and I mean on the road, not the pavement
The new houses being built on Markhams Chase, Laindon, are going to have a beautiful outlook on to trees and grassed playing fields, this will no doubt increase their desirability and value considerably, It will be a nice place to live. I know
I am amazed at some of the uninformed comments about the proposed new Fair Havens hospice at Belton Hills, Leigh. If people object on the grounds the land in question is green belt, and that any development is unacceptable, that is their right
A resounding well done to councillor Tony Cox in Southend in rejecting the proposal to turn off street lights at night. He clearly sees the extremely serious downside to the proposal regarding public safety and is properly serving the people
As someone who has campaigned on the issue over many years, my congratulations go to MPs of all parties, who recently and unanimously, voted to ban the use of wild animals in circuses. Particularly brave were Conservative members, who stood
TWO-WAY mirrors, sound-proof walls and new computers sound more like standard issue for a James Bond villain’s lair than the latest teaching aids at a Canvey school. However, they are all included in ground-breaking new facilities at Cornelius Vermuyden
A HEROIN addict who was let off for shoplifting by sympathetic magistrates was caught stealing less than two hours after leaving court. At the first hearing, Adam O’Neill, 32, told magistrates he wanted to get off drugs and turn his life around
JAMES Shane confirmed his place in the Great Britain team heading to the European under-23 championships in fine style. The 21-year-old, from Basildon, won the UK under-23 1,500m title in devastating fashion, destroying the field to win in a championship
WESTCLIFF drag racer Graham Ellis scored the second victory of his Pro Modified career at the weekend to overtake Chelmsford’s Roger Moore at the top of the MSA British Drag Racing Championship’s leader-board. Ellis won this season’s third MSA round
TORQUAY United have emerged as the favourites to sign Craig Easton, if the Southend United skipper fails to agree a new contract at Roots Hall. The 32-year-old midfielder has so far failed to put pen to paper on another deal with Blues.
BEATEN but far from disgraced — that was the verdict on rising British tennis star Jonathan Cornish after the 17-year-old from Billericay lost in the opening round of Junior Wimbledon. In the draw for the boys’ singles Cornish, whose sister Stephanie
AN academy is to lose 17 members of staff because of cuts in Government funding. Westborough Primary School, Westcliff, is unable to renew the contracts of 17 members of staff because the school has lost out on £170,000 funding. The contracts, which
How inventive is your cooking? Would you like to showcase your skills in the company of a host of celebrity chefs? Are you good enough to take home the SuperCook trophy? Well, if you can cut the mustard you could take advantage of a unique
A RENEWED appeal has been issued after an elderly man was attacked in his own home. A reward of up to £3,000 is being offered by Crimestoppers to anyone who can help bring the culrpits to justice. It happened after two men barged into
A SHOP owner who was grabbed by the throat by a burglar who broke into her home has said the sentence he was given by a youth court was too lenient. Lorna Cowie was making a cup of tea in the flat above To Die For, a clothes shop in Queens Road, Southend
A PAIR of dogs called Ronnie and Reggie could be put down after attacking a man in Basildon. The French bull mastiffs escaped from a house, in Whitmore Way, and injured a man delivering leaflets to their home. The dogs’ owner, Nicola
GREEN belt campaigners fear they have been left in limbo as the council draws up a list of sites for 1,000 new homes. Castle Point Council is putting together a shortlist of up to 25 available green field sites in Benfleet, Thundersley and Hadleigh,
A NEW initiative has been launched to stop drivers speeding near a Leigh school. Fairways Primary School, in The Fairway, became involved in the community speedwatch project after a child was hurt in an accident outside the school. The project will
