Archive
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New loos for Wickford Memorial Park
WORK is due to start in the new year on new public toilets in Wickford Memorial Park. Basildon Council is investing £100,000 in the project, as part of its parks improvement programme. The work at the Runwell Road park should be completed by spring.
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Man taken to hospital after accident on industrial site in Wickford
A MAN was taken to hospital with leg injuries after steel sheeting fell on him at an industrial site in Wickford. The man, believed to be in his forties, suffered wounds to one of legs after he became trapped under the sheeting at an industrial site
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Kat prepares to sail with point to prove
LEIGH’S Katrina Hughes, who had her Olympic sailing dreams shattered when she missed out on selection for the 2012 Games, is out to prove the British selectors wrong at the sailing world championships in Australia. The former Westcliff High School for
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Billericay continue to set the pace at the top
LEADERS Billericay continued their winning streak with a 40-14 win over Bancroft. But for once Billericay did not have it their own way as the visitors raced in to a 14-0 lead with two converted tries. Billericay hit back midway through the first half
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Basildon lose out in battle of the defences
BASILDON slipped to third in the table after a narrow 8-7 defeat at their high-flying rivals Enfield Ignatians. The teams cancelled each other out with excellent defensive displays. But it was Basildon on the back foot for the first half. As a result
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Burr’s debut delight turns sour with loss
BRADLEY Burr was thrilled to make his full Southend debut against Hartpury College. But he was not so pleased with the result as the Seasiders sunk to a 66-14 defeat at Warners Bridge on Saturday. Burr was handed his first start at fly half for the
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Westcliff find winning touch
WESTCLIFF returned to winning ways after four straight defeats with a 35-21 victory over Bracknell. Westcliff hit the ground running and took a very early lead when superb support play let Ash Whiting in for a try. Ben McKeith’s conversion attempt fell
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Rochford beaten by Manor
Rochford Hundred were beaten 35-12 by Eton Manor after producing a disappointing performance. Rochford’s set scrum, which had been improving, was dismantled by the aggressive East London outfit which made Rochford’s attacking platform weak.
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Signalling problems hit train services to Southend
COMMUTERS on National Express East Anglia services heading to Southend’s Victoria Station suffered delays of around 10 minutes tonight following earlier signalling problems in the Mile End area. Train services on all routes via Stratford were disrupted
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Basildon Ladies dream of Arsenal
BASILDON Ladies’ boss Peter King says he is starting to dream about an FA Cup third-round home tie with Super League champions Arsenal. Basildon host Lewes in a First-Round proper tie on Sunday in one of the biggest games in the club’s history. It is
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House fire in Wickford
FIRE crews were called out to a house fire in Wickford. The crews were called to the cooker fire at house in Alicia Avenue just after 5pm on Thursday (December 8) It took them 20 minutes to put out the blaze.
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Man pelted with bricks in suspected racist attack in Laindon
A MAN was pelted with bricks and bottles by a gang during a racially motivated attack, police said. A group of up to seven men approached and attacked the victim, who is in his thirties, on the Five Links housing estate, in Laindon. The man suffered
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Steve’s fine back nine is decisive
A SUPERB three under par back nine steered two-handicapper Steve Weidner to victory in Rochford Hundred's December Saturday medal. But Weidner's 68-2 = 66 was only just good enough to win division one ahead of Steve Smyth (76-9=67) and Rob Moss (73-6
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Flood warnings for Thames estuary
A COMBINATION of strong winds and high tides could cause flooding along the Thames estuary this weekend, the Environment Agency has warned. The government agency said in a statement it will be carefully monitoring wave levels, tide heights
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Multi-cultural event in Southend proves successful
MORE than 70 different faiths and backgrounds were represented at an event looking to strengthen relationships in Southend. Groups including Love Southend, the Faith Based Regeneration Network and Southend Faith Forums attended the event in
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Leigh's Bell Hotel plans abandoned
UNPOPULAR plans to convert a landmark hotel to flats have been abandoned at the last minute. Robin Levy, who owns the Bell Hotel in Leigh Hill, Leigh, was due to find out whether his plan to use the building’s shell to create five flats would be approved
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Cancer trust collection at DIY store
A GARDEN and DIY store is hosting a charity collection for sick children. Homebase in Stadium Way, Rayleigh Weir, will be getting into the Christmas spirit this weekend by aiming to raise hundred of pounds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Fundraising
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Southend business organisation welcomes funding for green projects
AN organisation which looks after the interests of small businesses welcomed today’s announcement of £10million Government funding for community energy projects. The Organisation of Responsible Businesses (ORB)based in Wimborne Road, Southend says
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Firefighters called to try and rescue horse
TWO fire crews were called out to try and rescue a horse which had keeled over in its owners' garden today (Thursday, December 8). The 30-year-old horse collapsed and was unable to get up in a garden in Well Lane, North Stifford. Fire
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Power cut affects Benfleet businesses
A POWER cut shut down almost half of a busy shopping street for six hours. Some traders in High Road, Benfleet, stayed open with no lights, phone lines or heating, but experienced a severe drop in customers. A fault with an electric cable cut off
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MP Baron urges Cameron to fight for Britain in Europe
BASILDON and Billericay MP John Baron urged the Prime Minister to seek a fundamental change in Britain’s relationship with the European Union – based on free trade, not closer politicial union. Mr Baron spoke out during Prime Minister’s Question Time
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Liverpool Street line railway work sparks fears over delays
COMMUTERS could experience disruptions at Christmas, after railway engineering work on the main line into London was announced. Network Rail plans to replace overhead cables on the London Liverpool Street to Ipswich line on Tuesday, December 27 and between
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Neil by Mouth: Our disappointment lasted five minutes
FIVE minutes after Tuesday night’s defeat to Swindon Town our dressing room was very disappointed having just been beaten. But, five minutes after that, our attention turned to making sure we prepared correctly and stayed focused for what is a very
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Prosser: I don’t think I’ll cut it as a winger!
SOUTHEND United's Luke Prosser was as shocked as anyone to be handed a recall on the left wing against Swindon Town. Prosser usually plays in the back four for Blues. But for Tuesday night's Johnstone's Paint Trophy clash against the
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Cement mixer crashes into elderly woman's car on A127
FIREFIGHTERS had to free an elderly woman out of a car after a crash involving a cement mixer on the A127 today. The accident happened on the Rayleigh Weir roundabout just before 1.30pm. It took around 15 minutes for fire crews to free
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Rayleigh MP visits the Falklands
AN MP has visited the Falklands to lay a wreath in memory of British servicemen. Mark Francois, Rayleigh and Wickford MP, islands with three other MPs to lay wreaths at the Liberation Monument in Port Stanley, commemorating the members of the armed
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MP attends successful open day
AN MP attended a successful open day supporting charities and community groups. Mark Francois, MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, went to the Rochford and District Association for Voluntary Service event at the Mill Hall in Rayleigh. RRAVS run the
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Charity shop searching for owner of misplaced cash
CHARITY shop staff are trying to locate the owner of a large sum of money accidentally left in a donation bag. The discovery was made at the Sue Ryder store on the Broadway in Leigh after the bag of items was handed in last week, with the cash
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Fight on to keep Timlin
SOUTHEND United face competition to bring midfielder Michael Timlin to the club on a permanent basis. Timlin has shone since joining Blues on loan from Swindon Town in late August. But his current deal at Roots Hall expires at the start
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'My wife was covered in blood after being hit with concrete'
A motorist has described how he looked over to see his wife "covered in blood" after a bucket-sized piece of concrete was dropped on to their vehicle from a bridge. Steve and Carol Manley were driving home after visiting some friends when the missile
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Sturrock: It's not time for feeling sorry
SOUTHEND United manager Paul Sturrock has told his players they cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves ahead of this weekend’s vital league clash at Cheltenham Town. Blues’ 17 match unbeaten run was ended in the southern area semi-finals of the
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Conference debates life on streets
CHARITIES and community groups have teamed up with Basildon Council to tackle the problem of homeless people sleeping on the streets of Basildon. Nine homeless people were given temporary accommodation by Basildon Council last winter and a conference
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Man grabs teenage girl
A TEENAGE girl was grabbed as she walked to school. The 13-year-old was walking along Church Road, Pitsea when the man approached her. He told her he was a social worker and then grabbed her wrist. The girl managed to pull free and escape following
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Developer’s plan for 250 homes on green belt land
A DEVELOPER hopes to build 250 homes on green belt land in Benfleet. Building company Persimmon Homes wants the homes to be built on Jotmans Hall Farm, off Jotmans Lane, Benfleet. This comes after the company’s previous negotiations with the council
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Huts could be back on East Beach
UP to 20 beach huts could be built on the front at Shoebury and then sold off to raise money. Southend Council is looking to build the huts on a concreted area of East Beach after a plan was put together by Shoebury ward Conservative councillor Roger
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Pupils to grow their own school dinners
PUPILS will be given the chance to care for animals and grow vegetables on their school field. A section of the playing field at Bardfield Primary School, in Vange, is being turned into a smallholding. There will be two paddocks, where animals from
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Motorcyclist hospitalised as car driver fails to stop
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a crash which left a motorcyclist in hospital and the driver of the car failed to stop. The collision happened when the motorbike and a car struck each other at the junction of Woodgrange Drive and Park
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Brave James stops cash machine criminal
A CRIME-FIGHTING councillor foiled a thief as he tried to steal from a woman at a cashpoint. James Cottis, who is a district councillor in Rochford, was in London’s Leicester Square when he saw a man snatch a credit card and some cash from two elderly
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17,000 sign petition for hospice on green belt
A PETITION with 17,000 signatures has been handed to Southend Council supporting plans for a new £15million hospice on green belt land in Leigh. Fair Havens Hospice, based in Second Avenue, Westcliff, launched the petition in May to test public
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£180m plans for Lakeside are revealed
THE £180million transformation of Lakeside shopping centre is one step closer after bosses submitted their plans. If approved, the ambitious expansion of the indoor shopping centre would involve the extension of Debenhams and add 40 other new
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Getting a chemical tan nearly killed me
A HAIRDRESSER has told how his quest to get the perfect tan almost killed him. Garri Bailey, 31, from Westcliff, had to be rushed to hospital after injecting himself with a chemical designed to darken his skin. However, within an hour
