SISTERS Jessica and Jodie made it a day to remember for the Judd family at the UK Intercounties Championships. Success is nothing new for the sisters, but even by their very high standards, Saturday must rank among their most memorable yet. Jessica
RAYLEIGH’S Millie Smith won a gold medal with the Essex under-15 girls team at the Intercounties Championships. The 14-year-old FitzWimarc School pupil ran superbly to finish in 28th position overall and the fourth Essex scorer. The run was particularly
A DRIVER suffered suspected spinal injuries after her car collided with a van. The female driver of the Ford Focus had to be released by firefighters following a head-on crash with the transit van. Two engines from Basildon fire station
SOUTH Essex trio Paul Whittaker, Gemma Kersey and Tom Frith are all on England duty this weekend as they take part in the Home Countries International in Glasgow. Frith – who will be running in the under-20 men’s race – and Kersey – in action in the
A HIGH Court clash between journalists and Essex Police over footage of the Dale Farm eviction has been permitted. The BBC, ITN, Sky News and other journalists have been granted a judicial review into an earlier court decision they should hand hours
ILLEGAL merchandise trading and marketing stunts will not be tolerated when the 2012 Olympics come to Essex, trading standards bosses have warned. Strict regulations will be enforced around the London 2012 mountain biking venue at Hadleigh
Today, of the UK’s 187,000 chefs, only 37,000 are women, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. In the upper echelons of the industry, among the executives and head chefs, women are even more thinly spread. Wendy Jackson
A BAND named Legend risks failing to live up to its own hype. But in the case of Mickey Jupp’s Sixties and Seventies sensations, the name is fully deserved, with the songwriter, frontman and band holding a seminal place in Southend’s music
AFTER 91 years, and with a high definition mind still in peak condition, Minnie Bunn has a lot of stories to tell. The difficulty lies in keeping her stationery for long enough to tell them. Minnie pretty well defines the term bundle-of-energy. As a
THE OWNERS of a Southend home disturbed three burglars. The crooks had tried to force their way into a bungalow in Wick Chase, but then fled towards Southend Boulevard after they were detected. It happened shortly after 12.30am on Wednesday, March 14
BURGLARS stole several thousand pounds worth of goods from a Leigh home, They broke into the house in Warren Road and took laptops and car keys. They then drove off in the owner's Ford Transit and BMW which were parked on the drive.
Pauline Quirke is still the down-to-earth, 'cor blimey' Londoner who won the hearts of the nation as Sharon in the hit comedy series Birds Of A Feather. It's just that physically, there's a lot less of her. Twelve months ago, when she
WHAT King Canute could never manage, movie magic has finally achieved. It has turned back the Essex tides. Southend high tide was transformed into Southend low tide for the new feature film Hard Boiled Sweets, which has its London West End premiere at
THERE is certainly plenty to be thinking about at the moment. We’ve been trying hard to bolster our squad with loan signings but it’s proving to be very difficult right now. Teams just don’t want to let their players out at this stage and those we
DEMAND for allotments is higher than ever as people look to cut costs by growing their own fruit and vegetables. In an effort to cope with this, councils across south Essex have been checking all their allotment sites for overgrown plots, so they can
GETTING up close and personal with female Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls forms the backbone of a new exhibition. The exhibition exploring the lives of athletes in Essex is on show in its entirety at the Beecroft Gallery, Westcliff until 31
ALTER-EGOS, pace and brute strength are all needed if you are going to make it as a roller derby girl. However, tactical ability and a high level of discipline are also vital to succeed in this demanding full contact game. Roller derby
A Housing Association landlord has been ordered to pay more than £8,000 in fines and costs for failing to repair a hazardous property in Westcliff. Isaac Odeniran, 44, of Parkmead, Loughton, who is the Director of Abundant Life Housing Association
MICHAEL Timlin wants to celebrate his birthday early by helping Southend United move back in to the automatic promotion places with a win at Hereford tomorrow. The midfielder turns 27 on Monday. And he is keen to kick start the party by helping Blues
A WOMAN whose brother died in a tragic racing accident will be running past the site where he died, in a special charity run through the Olympic Village. Beverley Wright, 51, of Prittle Close, Hadleigh, has been chosen as one of 5,000 runners to
CRIMINALS have been breaking into cars in Southchurch and Thorpe Bay in a hunt for valuables. The thieves have ransacked 16 cars in the last two weeks alone. In 11 cases the car had been left unlocked. Most have happened overnight, with 14 of the owners
BASILDON Council’s ruling cabinet agreed to continue its investment in vital services that provide a lifeline to the elderly and vulnerable. Councillors voted in favour of continuing a service agreement with the Basildon District Volunteer Carers to
JACK Sampson is doubtful for tomorrow’s clash at Hereford United. The on loan Bolton Wanderers striker has not trained since injuring his groin against Accrington Stanley last Saturday. And boss Paul Sturrock is not sure if he will be available this
A RARE native breed of cattle is to be reintroduced to a country park in an effort to boost wildlife at the site. Essex County Council has announced plans to introduce Red Poll Cattle to Hadleigh Country Park in an attempt to improve the habitat
WITH the financial juggling act of work and childcare - does it pay to be a working mum? Rising childcare costs, cuts to tax credits and the high cost of living are stretching family budgets to the limit. Many working mums could be forced
LEOPARDS face two teams at opposite ends of the table as they bid to extend their unbeaten run this weekend. The Basildon and Brentwood based side travel to struggling Westminster Warriors on Saturday evening before facing fellow high-flyers the Derby
A TEENAGER had a lucky escape after a man tried to drag her into his car. The 16-year-old was walking in Salcott Crescent, Wickford at 5.30pm on Wednesday when the man shouted at her and tried to grab her arm. Police are now appealing for witnesses
A SOLDIER who has recently returned from Afghanistan is appealing for the return of a treasured picture of his daughter and £600, which he fears has been stolen. Sean Walsh, 29, who works as a steward at the Southend branch of the Naval and Military
PUPILS, parents and teachers are calling for a zebra-crossing and a new lollipop lady outside their primary school. More than 300 people have already signed the petition, which was started after several parents raised concerns about the lack
RESIDENTS on Canvey feel they are trapped in “a prison” because of the two-hour traffic jams getting off the island. Commuters have also been forced to walk to Benfleet train station instead of taking the bus and getting stuck in the queues caused
RYAN Hall wants to rediscover his best form to breathe life back in to Southend United’s promotion push. The winger has started just one of Blues’ last seven games and has now not scored since mid-January. But the 24-year-old is pushing for a recall
SO what are these couple of chilly birdies up to...? Emma Burton, 28, and her twin sister Sarah have ditched the Plus Fours and chunky chequered sweaters and are ready to help set a new world record. The aim is to get as many naked people
ESSEX had a fantastic day at the UK Intercounties Cross-Country Championships. They struck gold through Jessica Judd in the under-17 women's race and courtesy of the under-15 girls in the team standings. Among that gold medal-winning under-15 girls
