FIRE crews put out five tonnes of paper ablaze in Billericay. Four teams of firefighters were called out to Philpot Farm, in Billericay, on Monday evening, and doused the compressed paper with water and foam. The blaze was put out shortly
POLICE are trying to trace this man after he failed to answer bail. Paul Roberts had been arrested in September on suspicion on attampted theft and vehicle interference. He had been released on bail but failed to show up at Southend police station
POSTER problems have led to panto bosses pulling the plug on their production. Eurovision star Josh Dubovie was all set to appear as Aladdin in the pantomime at the Civic Hall, Grays. Meanwhile, posters have been going up across Basildon announcing
THE bust up between Natalie Cassidy and Denise Van Outen has reopened the debate over when is the right time to return to work after having a baby. The backbiting took place on the social networking website Twitter, between Basildon’s singing
HEART thudding, Georgina Hann watched through the window as her daughter Jayhan reached up to get the keys. With the girl’s grandmother in the next room reading the newspaper, Georgina breathed a sigh of relief as Jayhan opened the door and
SIX new brick homes could be built on the site of properties left destroyed in the blaze at Bockingham Green. Swan Housing, which manages numbers 70 to 77 which were all left gutted by the fire, has applied to bulldoze the burnt-out shells and build
Every morning People in Gainful Employment (hereinafter called PGEs) travel into Southend by train, along with hordes of students whose behaviour makes their journey miserable. Every morning, one student presses the emergency stop button at
There have been a number of letters about Southend Hospital charging for parking. Two years ago I broke my hip and was in hospital for three weeks. I then had a problem with my other leg, which turned out to be skin cancer. I
I was incensed at what I witnessed while shopping in my local Tesco yesterday. The store rightly observed the two-minute silence for Armistice Day, and it was nice to see people proudly observing the silence. That is, apart from one ignorant
At the risk of inviting the cry of “Scrooge”, I agree with the headteacher of Rochford Primary School, who has cancelled the school’s annual Nativity play for the older children, aged seven to 11. Of course he has not cancelled Christmas. Christmas
I have been on a not-so-magical mystery tour. I suffer from osteoarthritis and find walking, and especially standing, very painful, so I use a mobility scooter. I had to go into Southend and went in blissful ignorance, as I had not been able
A vehicle has struck a bridge at Rochford and trains between Southend Victoria and Wickford are being delayed by up to 30 minutes. National Express East Anglia say the delays are expected to continue until approximately midday. Until then engineers
BILEL Mohsni was thrilled to finally score for Southend United in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Accrington Stanley — but he would have much preferred all three points. The French-born centre-back thundered home a second half header to help Blues secure
BILLERICAY Netball Club are continuing to impress. The team play weekly at Gloucester Park in the Premiership Division and in other leagues around the county. They entered the England Netball Regional League a couple of seasons ago in Division Two and
PRIORY Crescent is to be closed to enable Cuckoo Corner improvement works to be carried out. The road will be closed from 8pm on Friday November 19 until 6am on Monday November 22. Residents wishing to gain access to Priory Crescent during this period
SIX new brick homes could be built on the site of properties left destroyed in the blaze at Bockingham Green. Swan Housing, which manages numbers 70 to 77 which were all left gutted by the fire, has applied to bulldoze the burnt-out shells and build
TWO men have been arrested following an armed robbery at a Southend jewellers. The thieves stole a large quantity of watches during the smash and grab raid at the Ernest Jones store in the High Street at 9am. Police have yet to reveal
POLICE are investigating a fire which destroyed a silver, convertible BMW M3 near Southend seafront Sunday evening. First spotted by callers in Hartington Place who reported the blaze as an “explosion” when they called firefighters at 7.45pm
TRIBUTES have been paid to a dedicated teacher with a “real zest for life” who has sadly lost her two-year battle with cancer. Suzanne Bailey, 53, was a history teacher and former head of year at the Cecil Jones College, in Eastern Avenue, Southend.
SEVERAL roads in Billericay will be dug up as £1.5million worth of new power cables are laid in the town. Motorists are being warned to brace themselves for delays when UK Power Network starts its four-month project on Monday. The project will involve
DEVASTATED staff at a newly refurbished pub, destroyed by fire, have visited the charred remains for the first time. The Corner Club, on High Street, Canvey, was destroyed by a fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Staff members
TWELVE council homes, being illegally sub-let by fraudsters, have been seized back by Basildon Council. The council-owned homes were illegally sub-let by tenants who live elsewhere and charge other people to live in them. Some of the
THE first swimmers have taken the plunge at Southend’s new £13.5million pool at Garon Park. Mary-Anne Therrien, from Southchurch, was the first person to try it out after she won a Southend Council competition and dived in with her husband and father-in-law
