Archive
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Fair price for a quick bite
I HAD only ever thought of Bellini as a place to hit the dancefloor with the girls on a Saturday night. But it also offers quite a reasonably priced, extensive menu for a quick bite. On a Sunday, they offer a carvery at £7.45 for an adult, or £4.95
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Only way is up for dazzling, but modest stand-up Daniel
MOST mums would be horrified if their sons threatened to give up a top university place to try their luck in the tough world of comedy. But when 20-year-old Daniel Sloss decided to make a break for it in stand-up instead of going to Dundee University
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Strike action: Southend schools affected
See below for a list of Southend schools affected by Thursday's strike by two teaching unions NUT and the ATL. Essex County Council would not release details of schools in Basildon, Castle Point and Rochford that had informed it of closures
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Film fan captures Southend in Lego
DESPITE leaving Southend more than two decades ago, John Ward struggled to Lego of his fond memories of the town. So the 64-year-old was delighted when he stumbled across a film he created in the Eighties, using the famous children’s toy.
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We’ll upgrade power lines, say rail bosses
Rail bosses have reassured commuters power lines are being upgraded to prevent a repeat on this week’s hot weather meltdown. Commuters criticised National Express East Anglia and Network Rail after dozens of trains were cancelled or delayed after soaring
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Quality care for the elderly and needy
The recent public outcry about care standards for the elderly and disabled, started with the BBC Panorama expose of a Bristol care home, was added to with the report on poor standards given by some care providers to people in their own homes.
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Snarled up at the Gateway
Southend Council chief executive Rob Tinlin says the new layout at Victoria Circus (sorry, Gateway) is working better, and we are dealing with more traffic more quickly. Before, if I drove up Queensway from the shopping centre, I would just have
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Plans to make Lakeside a town are destined to fail
The thought of turning Lakeside into a town is pure lunacy (June 24). Lakeside draws people from miles around, who enjoy shopping in a massive mall, with oodles of free parking and a sense of openness. If shoppers wanted to shop in the middle
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Hidden peril on waste tips
Like many others interested in the countryside, I never miss Springwatch, particularly the one featuring Pitsea tip. One item suggested gulls and other birds had developed an immunity to some of the unpleasant foods they find on tips. This has
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Too few bags to go round
Cory Environmental has just delivered my fetchingly coloured six-monthly complement of pink, black and white plastic bags, minus one of the usual two rolls of black bags. This along with a leaflet explaining why a solitary roll of 13 black bags
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Jobs threat as chain stores face closures
HUNDREDS of jobs across south Essex could go if more well-known high street names go out of business. The TJ Hughes, Thorntons and Carpetright chains all have local branches and gave announced looming administration or store closures in the
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World's biggest chips serving at Adventure Island
THE world record for the largest portion of chips is being claimed by Southend seafront attraction Adventure Island. Weighing in at 448 kgs it battered the old record by 79.5kgs and took four hours to complete today. A team of five lead
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Missing man sought by police
A MISSING man is being sought by police after he went missing nine days ago. Norman Hasson, 49,went to bed with his wife at their home in Prince Avenue, Southend, on June 20 but when she woke in the morning he had gone. Mr Hasson is
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Teachers out on strike - but at which schools?
SCHOOLS across south Essex are set to bolt their gates tomorrow as teachers walk out over cuts to pensions – but many parents say they are in the dark over what’s happening. Dozens of primary and secondary schools will be forced to close across Southend
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Hindu group voices interest in Leigh hall
SOUTH Essex’s Hindus have has shown an interest in using Leigh’s former St Clement’s church hall site for a new community centre. The Hindu Association (Southend and District) has been searching for a suitable meeting place for its members for some time
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How can fire chiefs and the union heal rift?
IT SEEMS to be hotting up every week with ongoing rows between Essex fire chiefs, the Essex Fire Authority and the Fire Brigades Union threatening to boil over. The three have been at loggerheads for several months and relations between them deteriorated
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Napier: I want to repay club's faith
GRAHAM Napier says he is raring to go after his three-week injury lay-off, but admits he faces a challenge in winning his place back in a rejuvenated side. The Essex all-rounder, who has been out since pulling a hamstring earlier this month in the defeat
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Updated: One lane of A127 closed after single-car crash
A CRASH closed one lane of the A127 near to the Halfway House. The incident happened at 12.35pm at the junction of the A127 and A128 on the sliproad near to the Little Chef. The Air Ambulance landed and one woman had to be freed from
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Life just fell apart after my Rey was killed
THE fiancee of a man who was murdered the day before her birthday says her life has fallen apart in the year since his death. Paula Haddlesey, 44, has lost her home, her business and watched her daughter drop out of college in the 12 months after Reynald
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Spartans slip to first loss
ESSEX Spartans American football team tasted defeat for the first time this season, when they were beaten by the Watford Cheetahs 16-9. The Billericay-based Spartans, who have been in dominant form this season, struggled to make any impact in the match
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Highland fling is best yet for Matt
THORPE Hall’s Matt Southgate enjoyed a career-best result as he finished second in the Scottish Hydro Challenge. The 22-year-old, in his first year as a professional, shot 12-under at the Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course in the Scottish Highlands.
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The only way’s up for Brady
SOUTHEND United’s chief executive Tara Brady insists Blues are targeting promotion next season. And he is certain Paul Sturrock’s squad can be pushing towards the top of the table. Southend finished 13th in the League Two standings last term. But Brady
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Double delight for basketball hot-shots
TWO budding basketball stars are celebrating an impressive double achievement. Ashingdon’s Maisie Elston and Hockley’s Christina Gaskin have been called up into the provisional England under-18 squad for the forthcoming European Championships in Hungary
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Tormented swan's mate killed by yobs
A SWAN which has been repeatedly tormented by yobs has now lost her mate following a sickening attack. The graceful bird has endured years of harassment by yobs who killed her cygnets and wounded her with stones, rocks, bricks, bottles and
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Rubbish lorry catches fire in Hockley
A BUSY road in Hockley was closed when a rubbish lorry caught fire this morning. Plumberow Avenue was shut in one direction while firefighters battled the flames. The lorry also spilled a large amount of its waste over the road, forcing
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Dame Helen Mirren: My friend's suicide changed my life
ACTRESS Dame Helen Mirren has spoken of her shock at losing a Southend schoolfriend through suicide. The 65-year-old Oscar-winning star of stage and TV, who grew up in Leigh, opened her heart to talk about a tragedy she says she will never forget. The
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Queuing traffic following A127 crash
A collision between two cars has caused traffic chaos on the A127 near Basildon. Police closed a lane of the London-bound carriageway near the junction for Chelmsford shortly before 9am.
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Shoebury Fair is a hit with fundraisers and visitors alike
THOUSANDS of people, including a former Big Brother contestant, turned out for the annual Shoebury Fair. Saturday’s packed event, which was held at Shoeburyness High School, in Caulfield Road, offered about 50 charities and local organisations a chance
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Shell shock for family on trip to the beach
A FAMILY trip to the seaside went with a bang after a four-year-old boy started playing with a bomb on old Leigh beach. Luckily little Hayden Pritchard and his mum and dad were all fine as the bomb squad were drafted in to deal with the unexploded Second
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Trapped! Mini caught in car park barricade
A MINI has been left stranded after the owner of a Benfleet car park got tough with motorists. The car has been barricaded into the former Focus store car park, in Tarpots, after the landowner used giant concrete slabs to stop drivers fromusing the site
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Hedge hacker says he did it for road safety
A MAN who claims he hacked back a hedge to improve road safety has gone on trial accused of causing criminal damage. Jeffrey Warren was arrested and charged after a 15-foot-high hawthorn hedge in Battlesbridge was trimmed back to about three
