Archive
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My gift of books to Little Havens
HUNDREDS of new books have been bought for Little Havens Children's Hospice thanks to a fundraising drive. Julie Clayton, 35, is an independent organiser for Usborne Books and approached businesses in south Essex to see if they would like to buy a book
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Hobby fans get a show of their own
EVERYTHING from archery to metal detecting and mineral rock collecting to jewellery-making were celebrated at a special exhibition in Canvey. The island's first hobbies exhibition, held at the Heritage Centre in Canvey Road, proved to be a huge success
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Road death charges
A MAN has been charged with motoring offences after a crash which killed a young dad. Steven Curtis, 23, died after being struck by a car in Upper Mayne, Basildon. The dad-of-two, from Mellow Purgess, Laindon, was taken to Basildon Hospital, following
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Our traffic worries over golf work
BATTLE lines are being drawn over controversial proposals to revamp a golf club in Rayleigh. Lords Golf and Country Club, in Hullbridge Road, wants to raise parts of the course by up to 4m to make it harder for golfers. But residents and parish councillors
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Council to send one person to Olympics
A REPRESENTATIVE from Essex County Council will attend the Beijing Olympics on behalf of the council. At least one member of staff will travel to China later this year to represent the county. The revelation comes after local authorities throughout
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Wasted drugs cost south Essex £5m
PATIENTS in south Essex are throwing £5million a year down the drain by wasting medicine, health chiefs have revealed. Primary care trusts have now joined forces in a new campaign to highlight the scale of medicine wastage throughout south Essex to ease
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Little is at large
Sid Little, of comedy duo Little and Large fame, talked about his life in showbusiness and his faith, met fans and signed copies of his new book, Little by Little, during a visit to Bramerton Road Community Church, Hockley
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Stars turn out to play footie for charity
A celebs versus dads' charity football match attracted a host of famous faces including Ground Force's Tommy Walsh, former boxer Terry Marsh, Royle Family star Ralph Little and footballers Ray Parlour and Ian Ferguson. The game, held at Billericay Town
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9 years on and killer fights his conviction
A MAN jailed for life for murder after beating an innocent bystander to death is to challenge his conviction. Jason Bolger, now 32, was caged in May 1999 for the frenzied killing of pub customer Gary Edwards at the Village Inn in South Ockendon. His
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MP turns on Prime Minister over tax hike
A SOUTH Essex MP has spoken of the struggle with his conscience as he has joined a rebel pact against the Government. Thurrock MP Andrew Mackinlay is one of 35 Labour MPs who signed a rebel motion from former minister Frank Field, challenging Prime Minister
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Swifts flying high with third national victory
SOUTHEND Swifts under-16 girls have completed a magnificent treble. Having already triumphed in their section of the national league and national cup, they performed magnificently to win the national play-off final at RAF Cosford. They went into the
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Bafta for Billericay
BILLERICAY made it to the Baftas...thanks to romantic comedy Gavin and Stacey. The BBC show, which revolves around the romance between Essex boy Gavin and Welsh lovely Stacey, won two awards at this year's British Academy of Film and Television Arts
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Crooks trick elderly woman
THIEVES made off with more than £1,000 after tricking an elderly woman into letting them into her Benfleet home. The crooks had been carrying out repair work to the roof of the 96-year-old victim's home, when one of them said he desperately needed to
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Mugged... for a kebab takeaway
A TAKEAWAY delivery driver was robbed of kebabs and chips by a gang of hoodies armed with a pole and a knife. The petrified driver, 28, was dropping off food to a home in Swanstead, Vange, when he was approached by three teenagers. One of them was gripping
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Cup hat-trick still on for Rhodesia Utd
RHODESIA United are on course to win three top soccer trophies this season. At Eastwoodbury Lane they beat fellow Wickford Carparts Southend District League side AFC Horndon 3-1. Jeff Banks (2) and Allen Scott got Rhodesia's goals, with Darryl Woodford
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Our march up the aisle
SOLDIER Ben Lake has married his childhood sweetheart after returning from a six-month tour in Afghanistan. The Lance Corporal, who serves with the Royal Anglian's first battalion, missed his girlfriend Denise Martin so much he decided to propose on
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Thieves steal religious robes
THIEVES stole a minister's religious dress robes from an unlocked car. The crooks opened the door of the unlocked Ford Focus, as it was parked on a driveway in Carlton Avenue, Westcliff. They grabbed the robes, two coats, a suit jacket, a mobile printer
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We’re not letting our disabilities beat us
PROUD families cheered and applauded people with learning disabilities who were honoured for improving their lives and helping others. Certificates of achievement were given to people from across south Essex who overcame various obstacles to make a success
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Princess Anne opens dental centre
PRINCESS Anne visited Southend today to open a new dentist and health centre. Her Royal Highness toured the facility at the University of Essex building on Luker Road. Southend Health and Dental Care centre is used to help fourth and final year
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TV hopefuls bring Joseph to Cliffs
A CAST of actors with plenty of experience singing Joseph songs took to the stage at the Cliffs Pavilion. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, produced by Bill Kenwright, is running at the Cliffs until Saturday. The performers are all either
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Child porn pervert jailed for 8 months
A MAN who claimed he started making indecent images and movie clips of children after his partner cheated on him has been jailed for eight months. Anthony Douse, 27, was caught out when a police operation, in Cheshire, linked him to child porn websites
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How immigration is changing our area
ALMOST 3,000 migrants from central and eastern Europe have registered to work in south Essex in the past four years. Since 2004, when ten new countries joined the European Union, there has been a wave of migrants to the UK. Between May 2004 and September
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Students to build eco-electric car
A TEAM of youngsters are building their very own set of green wheels. For the next eight weeks Basildon Council's Young Engineers Club is giving 12 youngsters the chance to learn how to build an environmentally friendly electric car at the town's Prospects
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Keegan to return to happy hunting ground
NEWCASTLE United boss Kevin Keegan returns to one of his favourite grounds, Upton Park, this Saturday with a near fully-fit squad to choose from for the vital clash with West Ham. The Toon have put together a six-match unbeaten run to close within
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Council to hear housing transfer report
A REPORT into the failed housing stock transfer will be heard by councillors at a meeting of the Castle Point cabinet tonight. The report will look at why council tenants voted against transferring the ownership and management of their homes to Swallow
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Vocational centre to be put under scrutiny
CONSULTANTS could soon be drafted in to run the rule over the proposed development of a vocational centre on Canvey. Members of Castle Point Council's cabinet will be asked to approve hiring an outside firm to look at the feasibility of the centre.
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Families’ chance to pick their favourites
FAMILIES are being urged to vote for their favourite playground designs as part of a £1.3million revamp of the borough's recreation facilities. New equipment, worth £300,000, will be installed at King George V playing fields and the Waterside play area
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Cook in for Essex at Derby
ESSEX have named a 12-man squad for their LV County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby, which starts tomorrow. England opener Alastair Cook makes his first appearance of the season at the top of the order, while Alex Tudor is also added
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Cook in for Essex at Derby
ESSEX have named a 12-man squad for their LV County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby, which starts tomorrow. England opener Alastair Cook makes his first appearance of the season at the top of the order, while Alex Tudor is also added
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Builder death: Man charged
A MAN has been charged with several motoring offences following a crash in which a builder died. Steven Curtis, 23, of Mellow Purgess, Laindon, died after he was allegedly struck by a car while crossing Uppermayne in Basildon. A 37-year-old man has
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Rennie to take charge of Toon clash
SATURDAY'S Premier League clash between West Ham and Newcastle United will be refereed by the controversial Uriah Rennie. Sheffield-based Rennie, 48, is one of the top-flight's most recognisable men in the middle. He practices both kick-boxing and
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Quit at the top
WOULD-BE comedian Charlie Wenham got a word of praise from the dreaded Simon Cowell when he appeared on TV's Britain's Got Talent. Can anything in Charlie's career ever match such glory again? Maybe he should retire on this high point - even though
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How will we cope alone?
TREVOR Phillips, head of the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights, has backed more open debate on immigration. "Having a view on immigration does not make you a racist," he says. His statement coincides with new statistics revealing levels of immigration
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Cleaning review at leisure centre following dirty floor claims
GYM members at Shoebury Leisure Centre have hit out at the filthy toilets and equipment. Southend Council, which owns the gym, has said it is carrying out a review of the centre and its cleaning regime. Melanie Barker, of Goldsworthy Drive, Great Wakering
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Champions Westcliff round off with Romford romp
CHAMPIONS Westcliff rounded off a memorable season with a 25-14 win over Romford. Rob Smith opened the scoring for the leaders with a penalty and the lead was increased in tremendous style as Westcliff swept upfield in an attack that saw Paul Radley
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Cook dishes up fine debut in Blaydon win
SAM Cook enjoyed a memorable first start for Southend as he helped the Seasiders pull off a terrific 24-11 triumph at Blaydon on Saturday. The 18-year-old produced a solid performance at number eight. And he was delighted to pick up a win which moved
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Misery for Mr Magic
SOUTHEND darts professional Steve "Mr Magic" Maish endured a disappointing weekend at the Scottish Sun Scottish Players Championship at Glasgow's Thistle Hotel. The 44-year-old plunged to a 3-2 first round defeat to Jamie Caven to pick up just £75 in
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GP slams polyclinics
A GP has said Government proposals to replace up to 1,700 surgeries with a smaller number of super clinics will cause problems for elderly people. Doctor Saqib Mahmud, of the Jones Family Practice, Hockley, spoke out after ministers announced plans to
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Charlie brings smile to Mr Nasty’s lips
CHEEKY Charlie Wernham had more than enough Essex boy banter to win over Mr Nasty Simon Cowell on TV show Britain's Got Talent. Charlie, 13, of Stansted Close, Billericay, was one of the stars of Saturday night's show on ITV1. His jokes had the audience
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Navy joy for Dave
WESTCLIFF prop Dave Turner got his first cap for the Royal Navy in the inter services championship match against the RAF at Portsmouth last week. The Navy swept to a 67-12 victory and Turner, a Petty Officer, is hoping to be in the Navy team to play
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High School boys go for regional victory
THE Westcliff High School for Boys under-14 rugby team is looking forward to representing Essex in the London and South East State Schools Competition. The team received this honour by recently winning the Essex Cup final achieving the following results
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Race equality group hits back at MP Baron
A RACE equality group has hit back at an MP which said its National Lottery funding should be axed. Billericay Tory MP John Baron branded Essex Racial Equality Council biased towards travellers after it said Basildon Council's bid to evict families from
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End of the pier rollercoaster plan
THE driving force behind the latest plans for Southend Pier has insisted he can find the £50million needed to drive the project forward. Thorpe Bay businessman Tony Garner, managing director of Epic World Leisure, spoke after revealing fresh plans to
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Week Commencing Monday 28th April 2008
Monday April 28th are at: 0424 and 1641 Tuesday April 29th are at: 0527 and 1748 Wednesday April 30th are at: 0639 and 1900 Thursday May 1st are at: 0752 and 2007 Friday May
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Second XI start campaign in Southend
ESSEX'S Second XI begin their Championship campaign with a four-day match against Surrey at Garon Park, Southend, this morning. The county have named a strong team for the fixture with Varun Chopra, Grant Flower, Tim Phillips and pace trio Mervyn Westfield
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Tough one for flying Concord
CANVEY'S Concord Rangers could face a tough time tonight when they bid to maintain their bid for the title. A thrilling three-way fight for the crown, and promotion to the Ryman One North, is being fought out between Concord, Enfield 1893 and Barkingside
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Man falls from scaffolding
A MAN has been rushed to hospital after falling from some scaffolding. The accident happened about 8.30am at the Foundry Business Park in Station Approach, Hockley. The man, in his 50s, was taken by ambulance to Southend Hospital with back and leg injuries
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Tape is lifted at last at Great Leighs
IT HAS been under starters orders for years and some never thought it would happen but Essex's very own horse racing venue has finally opened. Great Leighs racecourse tested its facilities on invited guests on Sunday and despite a misty start the sunshine
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Wakering aiming to keep up their Great away form
GREAT Wakering Rovers look to build on their outstanding away form of the campaign in two final trips to opposition territory. The village side have won no less than eight times on opposition territory and will take that total to double figures if they
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The music returns to the Kursaal
SOUTHEND'S landmark Kursaal amusement centre has been given a new lease of life, as a local businessman plans to host weddings, music gigs and private parties there. The 200-capacity function room on the first floor of the iconic building has been taken
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Music and the salvationist
A COMPOSER whose musicals are always guaranteed a happy ending is set to lead a concert in Hadleigh. General John Larsson is a former world leader of The Salvation Army, but he is best known for the full-length Christian musicals that he writes on
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Fundraising gig tribute to heart victim
GET ready to rock with Essex band Glasshouse who, for the third year running, are staging a charity gig to raise money for the Cardiomyopathy Association. The cover band's guitarist Matt Sykes lost his brother-in-law Paul Davies to cardiomyoptahy in
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Grandma "banker" must pay back benefits
A GRANDMOTHER who fraudently claimed benefits while having £447,583 in the bank has been ordered to pay back £16,933. Gail Doran, 54, of Sadlers Park caravan site, London Road, Bowers Gifford, will not have to part with any of the £447,583, despite
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Thousands support the Camp Blingers
Save us from the selfishness of people like Trevor Murdin (Apr 14). I must remind him and others like him, yet again, that over 18,000 people of all walks of life signed a petition against the ruination of one of our prize parks, that road widening does
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Council warns not to pour fat down sink
BASILDON Council received 600 calls regarding drainage problems caused by congealed fat poured down the drain in the last year. The local authority revealed the figures yesterday, to emphasise its warning to residents and businesses not to pour cooking
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Rights of minorities are equal
I READ with astonishment the article about Billericay MP John Baron attempting to stop funds to a racial equality organisation. In his opinion the organization appears biased, but he has taken the incredibly ill-advised step to throw his weight around
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Victoria bus stops come into use
THE new bus stops providing an interchange with Southend Victoria rail station and the refurbished Victoria shopping centre will be officially opened next week. With the new lifts and escalator, there will be undercover access between the shops and the
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No votes forcommissioners
Everyone in Castle Point will have heard of Wendy Goodwin, Jackie Govier, Norman Smith, Dave Blackwell, Godfrey Isaacs, Ray Howard and Uncle Tom Cobley. On May 1 any of these standing for re-election can be booted out at the ballot box if enough people
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So what if pool is vote issue?
The Tories in Southend think councillor Mike Royston and candidate Tony Borton are using the cause of trying to save the Warrior Square pool a blatant attempt to gain votes in the upcoming local elections. So what? At least someone has highlighted the
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Traffic lights replaced
TRAFFIC lights at a busy crossroads have been replaced with new ones which use the latest technology. The new system, at the junction of Western Road and Norsey Road, in Billericay, uses low voltage lights and an intelligent traffic control system to
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Primary goes all medieval
SCHOOLCHILDREN and teachers dressed as maidens and knights for a medieval banquet. To celebrate Stifford Primary School, Grays, going "in house" with its school dinners, pupils were treated to a special menu which included traditional roast beef and
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Dad's sexual assault on an 18-year-old
A DAD-OF-ONE sexually assaulted a young man after offering him a lift home, a court heard. As George Mathew, 39, of Capelstone, Basildon, was driving along Whitmore Way, Basildon, he leant over and touched the 18-year-old's private parts. The teenager
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Upton Park dreams come true for Tomka
FORMER Basildon schoolboy James "Tomka" Tomkins' lifelong dream came true when the 19-year-old stepped out for his full home debut at Upton Park on Saturday. The teenager, who attended Chalvedon School, was drafted into the Hammers' starting line-up
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DC4 was parent of the Carvair
The saga about which aircraft (Apl 10) spawned the Carvairs that once flew out of Southend Airport must be put to rest. No, it wasn't the Dakota, rightly described as having only two engines (Apl 17). Nor was it the DC8, a sleek four-engined jet with
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Fleet scupper Welsh rivals
THURROCK produced a devastating 4-1 win to make last night's long midweek trip to Newport County worthwhile. >East Thurrock United's Ryman Premier League survival hopes are still alive after Folkestone drew 0-0 with AFC Hornchurch last night at Cheriton
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Dennis keeps favourites out
A superb display by goalkeeper Paul Dennis helped Bowers and Pitsea to a 1-0 win at title favourites Barkingside last night. The victory is a big boost to Canvey's Concord Rangers who, along with Barkingside and Enfield 1893, are battling for the championship
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Bailey buzzing over play-offs
NICKY Bailey insists Blues are buzzing at making sure of their place in the League One play-offs. The in-form Shrimpers secured a top six finish with a 2-1 triumph at Carlisle United on Saturday. And Bailey insists his side could not be in a better
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DC4 was parent
The saga about which aircraft (Apl 10) spawned the Carvairs that once flew out of Southend Airport must be put to rest. No, it wasn't the Dakota, rightly described as having only two engines (Apl 17). Nor was it the DC8, a sleek four-engined jet with
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Lakeside up the pressure to get first Elite League win
LAKESIDE produced a magnificent performance in the second-half of the match to beat Wolverhampton 49-41 at Monmore Green last night and record their first Elite League win of the season. They had to overturn a six-points deficit at one stage as the Wolves
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Bingham shocked after dramatic win over Davis
STUART Bingham was gobsmacked after knocking veteran snooker star Steve Davis out of the World Championship. Davis threatened to pull off a remarkable fightback when he recovered from 8-3 down to level the match at 8-8, only for Basildon professional
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Muslim thinktank set up
A MUSLIM man from Westcliff has set up a counter terrorism foundation. The Quilliam Foundation, being launched today, says Muslims can discover a form of "Western Islam" by returning to the heart of the faith. Maajid Nawaz, from Westcliff, and Ed Husain
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Woman attempts to tackle fire
A WOMAN and her elderly mother escaped a house fire in Canewdon. The younger woman tried to tackle the flames when an electrical fault started a fire in a fridge freezer. She suffered smoke inhalation and slight burns to her hands. Crews from Southend
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Hal misses out on Hatters trip
BLUES reserves are in action at Luton Town this afternoon, kick off 2pm, but striker Hal Robson-Kanu will still be absent. The on loan Reading forward has been sidelined for a month with an Achilles injury. But he is still not yet ready to return.
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Behind-the-bars tour of court
INTRIGUED visitors were given the chance to be handcuffed and placed in the cells as they looked at life behind the scenes at Basildon Crown Court during a special open day. Judges, magistrates, law-yers, police officers and court, prison and probation
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Cooking fat is clogging our sewers
BASILDON Council received 600 calls regarding drainage problems caused by congealed fat poured down the drain in the past year. The local authority revealed the figures yesterday, to emphasise its warning to residents and businesses not to pour cooking
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Taxi drivers throw a party for underprivileged kids
UNDERPRIVILEGED and disabled children enjoyed a belated Easter party. About 150 youngsters from Southend, Rayleigh, Rochford and Castle Point enjoyed the event at St Thomas More High School, Westcliff. It was organised by the Southend Taxi Drivers'
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Credit woe is piling on the mortgage pressure
It's crunch time for homeowners with hefty mortgages as more and more people struggle to keep up with their repayments. The global credit crunch has forced more property owners than ever to resort to drastic measures just to meet their monthly mortgage
