Archive

  • Southend Council hailed as council of the year

    SOUTHEND Council was tonight named Council of the Year 2012 at the Local Government Chronicle Awards. The achievement made it third time lucky for the council, which was shortlisted for the same award last year and narrowly missed out on being named

  • Basildon road cornered off after fuel spillage

    A SECTION of dual carriageway was cornered following a fuel spillage. Firefighters were called to Cranes Hill Road, Basildon, at around 7.15pm and spent 30 minutes ensuring the scene was safe. A motorbike rider had been travelling London-bound

  • Rowers to escort Queen’s procession

    FIVE Canvey rowing boats have been chosen to sail as part of a giant procession to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. More than 20 rowers from the Lower Thames Rowing Club, based at the Dauntless Boat Yard, in Canvey Road, Canvey, are celebrating after

  • Parking bans for 3 days during Olympic biking

    ROADS will be closed and parking banned in certain streets when the Olympics come to Hadleigh. London 2012 organisers have drawn up restrictions to prevent thousands of spectators from clogging up the streets surrounding Hadleigh Farm, when it hosts

  • Southend Council team shortlisted for national award

    AN INNOVATIVE team at Southend Council have been shortlisted for a national award. The insurance team are finalists in the Best Risk Management Approach In The Public Sector category at the Strategic Risk Awards. Southend Council impressed with their

  • Essex boys rule the roost at league start

    SOUTH Essex anglers grabbed the limelight as the Kent Flounder League kicked-off at the weekend. Essex fishermen grabbed the top four places in section A at Greenhythe, and there was a third place in section B. South Benfleet’s Ian Reynolds topped section

  • Euro adventure for Matt and Richard

    SOUTHEND golfing pros Richard McEvoy and Matt Southgate will be proudly flying the flag for Essex when they compete on the European Tour together for the first time ever this week. The experienced McEvoy’s place at the Open de Andalucia in Spain was

  • CCTV released after Southend High Street purse thefts

    POLICE want to speak to this woman after a number of purses were stolen from shoppers in Debenhams. The purses were stolen from shoppers on February 25 while they were in the department store in the High Street. Anyone with information or who recognise

  • Nationalise Coryton refinery

    You recently reported the demise of the Coryton oil refinery, near Stanford-le- Hope, and the fact it had run up debts of billions of pounds. I believe this facility should be nationalised. The refinery is of considerable strategic importance

  • What’s in a bus name?

    Arriva had a splendid idea to name its buses after local celebrities. The chosen ones were the selection of a group of Southend residents, but Arriva was obviously responsible for the final choices. Regrettably, of those chosen, only Procol

  • Kamikaze sliproad is a fatal accident waiting to happen

    As a driving instructor with more than 25 years experience, I feel I can speak with some authority on the “kamikaze sliproad” at the junction of the A127 and A176 in Basildon. Essex County Council should address this problem before there is

  • Olympic Legacy has left a hole in our pockets

    Between them, Essex County Council and Castle Point Council have held dozens of fruitless meetings about the Olympic Legacy and the creation of a viable town centre in Hadleigh. The refurbished fire station, not forgetting its clock, has been

  • Let’s vote on lottery money

    For some 40 years, I have advised either local councils or Essex County Council of various defects around Castle Point, such as street lamp failures, flyposting and tipping, gully cleansing, road and pothole repairs, street nameplates which needed

  • Moore merrier with win and best fish of the day

    THE Tilbury Leukemia Beach Open attracted 56 anglers and 12 juniors, with whiting, codling and flounder making up most of the bags. The winner of the £500 first prize was Romford angler Martin Moore with one cod, one whiting and two flounder weighing

  • Des O'Connor at the Towngate

    HE’S one of the UK’s most popular entertainers and Des O’Connor will be back before delighted fans when he appears at the Towngate this weekend. The eternally ebullient star will return to the Basildon theatre for a night of anecdotes, laughs

  • Teel reels off points in Leopards' record run

    VERNON Teel has made quite an impression with the Leopards already this season – but he has not finished yet. The 24-year-old American currently has more points than any player in the English Basketball League. And his fine form has helped Leopards

  • Vine keen to take root at Blues

    ROWAN Vine is keen on a move to Southend United. The 29-year-old striker scored the only goal of the game for Blues reserves against Oxford United at Roots Hall yesterday. And he would jump at the chance to join up with Paul Sturrock’s promotion-pushing

  • Missing dog hit by a car

    A DOG who was hit by a car is missing around the Purdeys Industrial Estate. The black Pointer Buddy with flecks of white on his chest was spotted running off towards Purdeys Way in Rochford just after 10.40am this morning.

  • Cancer survivor calls for more bowel talk

    AFTER ten years of battling bowel cancer, Bob Hackett was finally told this year he is in permanent remission. Four operations and two sessions of chemotherapy later and Bob has got his life back. Bowel cancer is England’s second most common cancer,

  • Southend loses to Chelmsford in city bid

    SOUTHEND has lost out to county rival Chelmsford in its bid to become a city. The Government announced this morning that Chelmsford had been bestowed the status as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The shock result has

  • Man dies in Leigh fire

    POLICE and firefighters have launched an investigation into a fatal fire in Leigh. Fire crews attended the fire in Ormonde Gardens at 8.11am. Initially two appliances were sent to the scene but it was reported that someone may have been

  • Man hit by hammer during violent robbery

    A MAN was hit on the head with a hammer during a violent robbery. A good samaritan stepped in and managed to scare the robbers away. The victim, aged in his 20s, was robbed in Basildon at 12.20am on Sunday (March 11). He was walking along Gordon Road