2021 has had no shortage of news and Essex is no exception.
With 2022 just around the corner, we thought we would take a look back at some of our biggest stories of the year.
From Stacey Solomon's £1.2 million home to Love Island winners Millie Court and Liam Reardon's returning from the villa together, there is not much that we haven't seen in 2021.
As we reflect on our most popular headlines of the year, we would like to wish you a very happy new year.
Top 10 most read stories in Essex in 2021
10. Rayleigh car dealer sells Bentley to Rag 'n' Bone man
A CELEBRITY singer left a small car dealer “star-struck” after snapping up an expensive motor from his business.
Tom Stoneman, 38, owner of Aspire Automotive Ltd, was left stunned when he found out that music star Rag ‘n’ Bone man had spotted the luxury ride online before making the whopping purchase from his Rayleigh dealership on Rawreth Industrial Estate.
Tom has been running the company for just seven years and is already attracting a celebrity clientele.
9. Tributes paid to landlady of Southend's Papillon pub
HEARTFELT tributes have poured in for a “no-nonsense” landlady who spent 30 years running one of Southend’s most iconic seafront pubs.
Sue Marankovic will go down in the history of the Papillon, having befriended many a punter who visited the site on Marine Parade over the years.
The 54-year-old remained nothing but a fighter during her two-year battle with cancer – starting in her lungs before she also developed a brain tumour.
8. Katie Price and Carl Woods set to move into £800k Essex home
Katie Price and fiance Carl Woods are reportedly set to splash the cash on a new home in Essex.
The couple are currently having Katie's so-called 'mucky-mansion' renovated amid hopes she, her kids and Carl can move back into it.
Carl has already put his £450k home in Essex up for sale ahead of the move, and it appears he has found somewhere for him, Katie and the children to live while the renovation continues.
7. Essex Stacey Solomon: Star reveals new £1.2million home
TV and singing star Stacey Solomon has moved into a new plush Essex country home with her family.
The 31-year-old revealed the exciting news they had found their £1.2million ""forever home"" on Instagram last week.
Mum-of-three Stacey showed teasers of the scenic landscape around the property, which has been aptly named Pickle Cottage after her youngest son Rex, who is nicknamed ""pickle"".
6. Eastenders' Maisie Smith and Love Island duo enjoy Caddies crazy golf
CELEBRITIES descended on Southend for a round of booze-fuelled crazy golf, as bosses unveiled a £250,000 overhaul of its handmade nine hole courses.
EastEnders and Strictly star Maisie Smith and Zack Brown, who play Tiffany Butcher and Keegan Baker, joined Love Island contestants AJ Bunker and Chloe Crowhurst at Caddies crazy golf on Southend High Street, for a night of eating, drinking, and hole-in-ones.
Co-owner George Bejko-Cowlbeck splashed £250,000 on a complete revamp of the second floor, just 18 months after opening a comedy club downstairs.
5. Shane Wood to have metal detector destroyed after coin find
A METAL detectorist who unearthed one of the largest ever hoard of Iron Age coins in Britain and decided to keep 23 of them as a “memento” will have his metal detector destroyed.
Groundworker Shane Wood, 62, found the treasure while on a walk in Chelmsford, Essex in September last year.
Ashley Petchey, prosecuting, told Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court that “avid birdwatcher” Wood saw a feather fall from a buzzard and noticed a gold item in the field where it landed.
4. Symptoms scientists say could be 'early signs' of Covid
Early symptoms resulting from a Covid-19 infection differ between men and women and among different age groups, research suggests.
The study, which looked at data from the Zoe Covid Symptom Study app, found that following Covid-19 infection, men were more likely to report shortness of breath, fatigue, chills and fever, while women were more likely to report loss of smell, chest pain and a persistent cough.
The researcher from King’s College London (KCL) also found those aged 60 and above were more likely to report diarrhoea symptoms but loss of smell was less common among this age group.
3. Southend Council: Driver uses ‘loophole’ to park on double yellows
A DRIVER is threatening to sue Southend Council for “stress” after being hit with more than £400 in fines because he parked on faded double yellow lines.
David Lamprell believes he is taking advantage of a legal loophole to squeeze his car into a “gap” in the markings opposite his home.
Images taken by traffic wardens show the 39-year-old’s Ford Fiesta parked on a small patch where two double yellow lines have faded.
2. Police urge people not to attend 'dogging' event on Canvey
A “DOGGING” event is being planned on Canvey but police have insisted it is not “essential travel” and warned the public not to attend.
The website “Let’s Go Dogging” has shared that there are plans for a meet up on Canvey this weekend to its 26,000 followers on social media.
The site claims to organise “dogging” events - the act of watching sexual activity in a public place - in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.
1. Love Island winners Millie Court and Liam Reardon at Stansted Airport
Love Island winners Millie Court and Liam Reardon have landed at an Essex airport after returning to the UK.
The bricklayer from Wales, 22, asked the fashion buyer’s administrator from Essex, 24, to be his girlfriend in front of an audience during the live final.
The pair beat Chloe Burrows and Toby Aromolaran to win the £50,000 prize money, and Millie decided to split the cash instead of stealing the full amount for herself.
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