PLANS to massively expand a discount store in Wickford are set to be approved. Aldi, in The Broadway, Wickford, wants to increase the shop floor from 980sq m to 1,254 sq m, making it the same size as about 12 tennis courts. The plans were submitted
The A13 is blocked at Pitsea following a vehicle fire. The highway is blocked between the Five Bells Interchange with the A176 and Pitsea Flyover at the A132. The incident happened shortly before 5.30pm and the road remains blocked. Motorists
WEYMOUTH’S director of football Paul Maitland is backing Brandon Goodship to be a big hit with Southend United this season. Goodship was snapped up by the Shrimpers earlier this summer after scoring 75 goals in two successful seasons with the Terras
ENGLAND’S thrilling World Cup success stopped play in Hadleigh & Thundersley’s Dukes League Cup quarter-final clash with Wanstead & Snaresbrook. Both teams were battling out their own 50-over contest to secure a place in the final. But Hadleigh
A MAJOR road in Southend was closed during the morning rush hour after a fruit and veg lorry shed its load. The incident, which happened shortly after 5.30am this morning, sparked a huge clean up operation in Priory Crescent, Southend. A large
A WAR hero involved in the D-Day landings has celebrated his 100th birthday. Charles Benford, of Admiral Court Care Home, Leigh, was awarded three medals for his service including the France and Germany Star. He served as an army sergeant in Second
TRIBUTES have been paid to a Basildon grandfather who died in a motorbike crash in Wales. Nigel Darwood, 53, has now been named by north Wales police as the rider. Mr Darwood’s family have paid tribute to the “dedicated family man” following
A YOUNG boy, passionate about the environment, wrote to McDonald’s asking them to stop using so much plastic in Happy Meal toys...and the fast-food giant wrote back saying it would! Jacob Douglas, eight, of Gippeswyk, Basildon, wrote the open letter
A SEAL pup which was rescued from under Southend Pier has sadly died. Stevie the seal, only ten days old, was found washed up on Wednesday afternoon. He was dehydrated and had become separated from his mother, He was taken by the British Divers
A PIONEERING coach who created a generation of swimmers in Southend - including Commonwealth and Olympic medallists - has died. Mike “Mr Swimming” Higgs has lost his battle with cancer this weekend. Making a medallist - Mike and Pam with Mark
A FUNDRAISING page has smashed its target to raise money for a beloved biker’s funeral. Colin Chapman, 50, died following a motorbike crash on July 3 on the A127. Mr Chapman, a former Canvey resident and owner of CL Chapman Building Services
MEERKATS have been running amok in Southend after a mob of the mammals broke out of the Sealife Adventure centre. The venue is now offering a £1,000-reward after a man allegedly broke and damaged the meerkat enclosure, leading to the temporary escape
FORMER England and Essex all-rounder Derek Pringle admits he was unaware of the super over rules which allowed England to beat New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup final. After both sides scored 241 runs in their 50 overs at Lord’s, the nations
Southend Airport's popularity has soared since Ryanair began flying from the site, with a huge jump in passenger numbers recorded in the second quarter. The airport, which is owned by Stobart Group, said it had seen a 57 per cent jump in passengers
A MUM from south Essex has thrown her weight behind a campaign calling for a public inquiry into the family court system. Ellie Yarrow-Sanders, 26, has backed The Court Said, a nationwide campaign which believes victims of domestic violence are
A PUPPY has been stolen from a home in Shoebury. An elderly woman's female cross breed brindle and white puppy, Holly, was taken from her garden in Delaware Road near Thorpedene Primary School on Thursday evening. The woman's daughter shared
HAVE a guess. What percentage of women do you think make up the engineering industry in the UK? 30 per cent? 15 per cent? Actually, just 12 per cent of engineers in the UK workforce today are female. Despite girls performing better than boys in
THOUSANDS descended on Chalkwell Park for the popular Village Green festival as in marked its tenth birthday. The festival, which is presented by Metal, has grown to become an event which is integral to the Southend community. Surfer - the crowd
A major road has been left blocked after a fruit and veg truck has shed it's load. Police initially closed the A1159 also known as Priory Crescent, major road in Southend after the crash. Photos from the scene show fruit and veg across both
SOUTHEND Sealife Adventure is offering a reward of £1,000 after a man allegedly broke into the centre and damaged the meerkat enclosure leading to their escape. Centre bosses say a man broke in at about 7pm on Friday and was seen on the roof moments
A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed for more than two years for committing child sex offences with children he was banned from contacting. Ross Barton, 22, from Laindon, remained expressionless in the dock at Basildon Crown Court as Judge Samantha Leigh
A PROLIFIC burglar has committed his 100th offence but has been spared jail... for now. Ronnie Tretton, 34, appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Friday where he admitted burglary after he stole a gold watch worth £880 from a house in Woodside, Leigh
AN ELDERLY resident has slammed Basildon Council for doubling service charges for residents in council homes. Sid Taberman, 70, of Lorrimore Close, Billericay, claims he has previously paid £296 per year, but the council are now demanding £545.
A MAN has admitted murder after shooting his partner in the head in a “cruel and senseless attack”. Michael Strudwick, 33, shot Christy Walshe at her home in Sutton Road, Southend, on the evening of January 13. She died two days later in hospital
A FAMILY of six are taking legal action after their planned £6,800 dream holiday turned “into hell”. The Basildon family had booked a ten-day holiday at a “dream holiday village”, but were met with a “half-built hotel, stench of sewage and construction
