Archive
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Layout of new £3.4m road widening scheme is unveiled
THIS is the first image of how Nethermayne will look once a £3.4million widening scheme of the road takes place. The project, which has already secured £2.3million of government cash and £1.1million from Essex County Council, aims to cut congestion
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Essex's Louie Spence and Mario Falcone enter Big Brother house
DANCER Louie Spence, football manager Ron Atkinson and model Sophie Anderton are among the famous faces who have entered the Big Brother house for the celebrity version of the show. The series has returned to Channel 5 and producers are promising
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Waterside Farm revamp is hit with residents
DELIGHTED residents have given their seal of approval to the £5.4million revamp of Canvey’s Waterside Farm. The new-look leisure centre, in Somnes Avenue, was reopened to the public last Friday after undergoing a 15-month transformation to breathe
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£60k to support endangered bee on Canvey
ALMOST £60,000 has been granted to help boost the numbers of a rare bumblebee on Canvey. The Sita Trust has awarded the money to the Land Trust, which will lead a new project at Canvey Wick nature reserve to support the shrill carder bee population
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Waste plant's £6million boost to business
BASILDON’S Courtauld Road waste plant project is boosting local businesses to the tune of more than £6million. Urbaser Balfour Beatty, the consortium behind the controversial £800million processing plant, says it has signed up a wide range of companies
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Daniel Brooks will turn focus back to Challenge Tour
DANIEL Brooks says he’ll concentrate on the Challenge Tour for the rest of the season after his outing on the European Tour in Scotland this week and Wales next week. The 26-year-old from Basildon admits he’s had a difficult first year on the top
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Never too old to learn
MORE than 120 people turned out to show their support for a new university for Castle Point. A group of residents is trying to start a University of the Third Age in Thundersley to give older people the chance to learn new skills and hobbies.
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Developer for Dry Street unveiled
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build more than 700 homes on a Basildon beauty spot have moved a step closer to reality, after the developer was announced. The Homes and Communities Agency, which owns the wildlife haven at Dry Street, has appointed award-winning
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Rising Star Bradley Smith gets BRDC accolade
RACING driver Bradley Smith has received an unexepected boost following another double race win at the weekend. The 22-year-old driver from Billericay extended his grip on the Radical SR3 Challenge title on the Silverstone GP circuit and then found
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Mum’s anguish as RSPCA takes children’s pets
A MUM who neglected two Staffordshire bull terriers has been banned for life from keeping any animals. Donna Hughes, 42, was in tears when she was told the ban meant her children’s two Jack Russells would be taken by the RSPCA. She left her
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Resort developer wins court battle
A CARIBBEAN resort developer has won a court clash against a former contractor, who it is alleged siphoned off millions of pounds it was paid to build a five-star resort. Harlequin Property, run by David and Carole Ames, both 61, of Brockhill,
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Promoters vying to get Walter Gahadza on their books
WALTER Gahadza has a host of top promoters queuing to sign him if he can see off fellow unbeaten star Ryan Scope in their European welterweight title headline showdown in Sunderland on Saturday night. The 25-year-old former Befairs High School
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Missing mum and son found in Scotland
A MUM, who went missing with her son after a court ordered him to be taken into care, has been found. Michelle Kelly, 28, went missing from her home in Mellow Purgess Close, Laindon last Friday. It came after a court ordered her one-year-old
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Tenants’ chance to have more of a say
BASILDON Council tenants and leaseholders can tell the council what they think of its service, via a new scrutiny panel. Residents are invited to identify areas for improvement, influence the future of the service and investigate complaints by
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Southend United's Phil Brown: Chesterfield present a true footballing test
I THINK Chesterfield were the pre-season favourites to win League Two this year and I would think they still are, so it will be a stern test for us against them on Saturday. We’ve had different tests and challenges in the four matches we’ve played
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Rail firm defends replacing drop-off spots with disabled bays
A RAIL company has defended a change to parking at Rayleigh station. Greater Anglia said in response to customer feedback it has moved the 20- minute parking bays into the main car park and replaced the spaces at the front of the station with disabled
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Facebook has failed us over cyber bullies
A FACEBOOK page, which has been hacked by cyber bullies, has not been shut down by the social media giant, despite driving a teenager to the brink of suicide. The Echo reported how internet trolls targeted Hannah Buckley, 16, of Kathleen Ferrier
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Adam Thompson wants to keep his place in Southend United's starting line up
ADAM Thompson hopes to keep his place in Southend United’s starting line-up for what he believes will be one of their toughest games of the season at Chesterfield on Saturday. The on-loan Watford defender replaced the injured Mark Phillips for
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Fury over Oikos plan to store 'witch's brew' of dangerous chemicals
ANGRY residents have hit out after it emerged a fuel firm has applied to increase the number of dangerous chemicals it stores on Canvey. Oikos Storage has submitted an application to Castle Point Council for permission to store an array of hazardous
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Council leader Holdcroft may quit
SOUTHEND Council leader Nigel Holdcroft says he may not seek reelection to the council next year. Nigel Holdcroft, aTory ward councillor for West Leigh, said: “I have confirmed to colleagues I am still giving consideration to whether or not to
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Basildon Hospital was hell...now it's like the Ritz
A BUILDER who called for drastic changes at a “hell hole” hospital ward claims it has been transformed into the Ritz in just six months. Dave Bushell, 64, spent 16 days in Basildon Hospital in February for a routine bowel operation. He lodged
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Kevin Harman returns as Southend Rugby Club head coach
KEVIN Harman has been named as Southend Rugby Club’s new head coach. The 44-year-old enjoyed incredible success as the club’s director of rugby until becoming Wasps’ first team manager six seasons ago. But, he will now combine that role at
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LIVE: GCSE results day 2013
PUPILS pick up their GCSE results today - and our reporters are live at schools across south Essex finding out how they are getting on. Tweets about "#EssexGCSE" Hundreds of thousands of teenagers are receiving their GCSE results amid predictions
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Southend United's Kevan Hurst targeting a return at Chesterfield
FIT-AGAIN Kevan Hurst hopes to make his first appearance of the season when Southend United head to his home town club, Chesterfield, this weekend. The 27-year-old has yet to feature this term after picking up a knee problem during pre-season.
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Essex consider Southend cricket comeback
ESSEX could be set to make a shock return to the Southend Cricket Festival. The county played in the town for 105 years before controversially pulling out two seasons ago. But the club’s new chief executive Derek Bowden has confirmed Essex
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Plaque will commemorate Canvey's cockleshell hero
A BRAVE Canvey hero who survived a daring wartime mission is set to be formally commemorated with the unveiling of a new plaque. Bill Sparks was part of a 13- strong Royal Marine Commando team, dubbed the “Cockleshell Heroes”, which canoed 75 miles
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Plan for high-speed broadband
A NEW £24.6million project to bring high-speed broadband to most households and businesses in Essex has been welcomed by an MP. The deal, involving Essex County Council, BT and the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK, promises that 87 per cent of
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Is my Lucian Freud painting too rude for Leigh?
A LIFE-SIZED version of a £17million oil painting has been causing quite a stir in a Leigh shop window. Staff at Vanquish Interiors found the mirror-image of Lucian Freud’s Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, while working in an empty £12million house
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Join Jamie’s food show
CHANNEL four is appealing for food lovers to take part in the second series of Jamie and Jimmy’s Food Fight Club. The six-part series will return to the pop-up cafe at the end of Southend pier. Filming will take place between September 12 and
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Football hooligan faces ban after spitting at Southend United steward
A FOOTBALL hooligan has been found guilty of spitting in a steward’s face at a Southend United match. Daniel Reynolds, 23, went wild during the Johnstone’s Paint Southern area final between the Shrimpers and Leyton Orient game on February 20 at
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VIDEO: Channel 4's Gadget Man films on Westcliff beach
A GIANT artificial sun beamed 40,000 watts of light onto Westcliff Beach last night as part of filming for a new Channel Four programme. The filming was for the second series of Gadget Man, being hosted by British actor Richard Ayoade, who has
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Blues' stadium recreated in cake
D Blues fan David Taylor was surprised for his 60th birthday, with a sweet version of his second home – Roots Hall. The cake was an 18-inch square replica of Southend United’s stadium, complete with working floodlights, crowd noise, and lighting
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Leanne signs management deal
SINGER Leanne Jarvis has landed a management deal with a former hip-hop star. Leanne, from Leigh, who featured in the BBC 1 hit show the Voice, has signed up with So Solid Crew founder Dwayne “Megaman” Vincent. She has certainly not rested
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Green light for Shoebury High School extension
SOUTHEND’S biggest school has been given planning permission to expand, with a brand new classroom block. Shoeburyness High School is keen to replace outdated temporary buildings with a block offering six large, modern classrooms and a workshop
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Updated: Police find missing mum and son
A MUM, who went missing with her one-year-old son, has been found in Scotland. Michelle Kelly, 28, went missing from her home in Basildon last Friday. Her disappearance came after the courts issued a care order for her son Jaden to be taken
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Firefighters' called to tackle a series of bin blazes
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a series of bin fires across the borough. The first was started deliberately in a bin store at flats in Somercotes, Laindon at 9pm on Wednesday. Smoke from the blaze affected three properties and crews from Basildon
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'Bullied' worker awaits tribunal hearing
A HEALTHCARE assistant at Southend Hospital awaits the outcome of a tribunal after giving an emotional statement of her experiences of alleged bullying. Gillian Austin, 58, is attempting to sue the hospital for £185,000 in damages, claiming she
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Fire crews tackle house blaze
FIRE crews were called to a blaze at a house in Langdon Hills. The fire broke out in one room of the home in Grove Avenue at around 7.40pm on Wednesday. Fire crews spent around 40-minutes putting out the fire and one man at the property was
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20-year-old Benfleet man arrested as part of murder probe into beach body
A MAN from Benfleet has been arrested in connection with a murder in Kent. Gary Pocock’s half-naked body was discovered on a beach, in Leysdown, on the Isle of Sheppey, at around 6am on August 7. Two men, aged 44 and 20, from Manor Park, London
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Big boom in flights from Southend Airport to hotspots
SUNSEEKERS heading to summer hotspots and new routes across Britain and Europe have boosted Southend Airport passenger numbers by a third. Almost 112,000 people used the airport in July – the highest figure in the airport’s history and up 32 per
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Seafront crash biker wakes up from coma
A BIKER seriously hurt in a horror crash on Southend’s seafront has come out of his coma. The upturn in Lee Bryant’s condition comes as eye witnesses to the smash, in Eastern Esplanade, suggest low sun may have been to blame. Mr Bryant, 25,
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Towie’s Lucy set to open Victoria Centre store
SOUTHEND’S Victoria shopping centre is set to receive a sprinkle of Towie magic. Lucy Mecklenburgh, from the hit ITV2 show The Only Way is Essex, will soon open a second branch of Lucy’s Boutique, following the success of her first shop in Brentwood
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Youngster saves drowning toddler
AN EIGHT-year-old girl became a hero when she saved another young girl from drowning in a holiday swimming pool. Connie McTaggart dived down to pull the two-year-old toddler out of the water while she holidayed with her family in Majorca. Connie
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All set for a dead good weekend - seven months of toil will see musical festival Damn Dead Circus come to life
IT’S taken seven months of hard sweat and toil, but the Damn Dead Circus – an independent music festival spearheaded by Phillious Williams’ front man Mark Schubert – is nearly here. I went along to the site at Flemings Farm Road in Eastwood, to
