Archive

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Michael Kightly scores as he and south Essex pal Dean Marney send Burnley into the Premier League

MICHAEL Kightly scored for the second game running to send the Burnley fans into dreamland and his team into the Premier League. The Clarets beat Wigan 2-0 yesterday to seal second spot in the Championship and automatic promotion, sparking scenes

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Billericay Town beat champions Wealdstone to hint at bright future

BILLERICAY Town gave the Ryman Premier League champions Wealdstone a guard of honour before their match – then proceeded to outline why they could be genuine contenders to follow them next season. The Blues have had an inconsistent season back

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East Thurrock United hit five in crucial win but still face final day drama

EAST Thurrock United hit five at Enfield Town to ensure their bid for Ryman Premier League survival is still in their hands – but results elsewhere mean it will go to the final day. Rocks turned on the style when they needed it to defeat Enfield

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Concord's play-off dreams are dashed as they are beaten at Sutton despite dominating game

CONCORD Rangers’ brave attempt at reaching the Skrill South play-offs ended with a 1-0 defeat at Sutton but, like the season as a whole, they didn’t go down without an almighty fight. The Beachboys dominated Sutton and only the brilliance of home

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Ravi Bopara offers some resistance for Essex against Surrey

ENGLAND batsman Ravi Bopara proved Essex’s sole bastion of resistance, grinding out the top score of 49 as the visitors toiled to 225 for six at the end of the second day against Surrey at the Oval. Bopara was in cautious mood in the County Championship

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Chris Bourne comes back to haunt Canvey after fiery clash with AFC Hornchurch

CANVEY Island suffered last-minute heartbreak as former player Chris Bourne came off the bench to give AFC Hornchurch a late leveller in a game in which both sides played for 45 minutes with nine men. Bourne bundled the ball home in the fifth minute

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Two taken to hospital after Southend crash

TWO people were taken to hospital after a crash in Southend. The smash took place at the junction of Victoria Avenue and West Street where a lamppost was knocked over as a result of the collision which took place at 11.30pm on Sunday night.

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Seafront surge as thousands turn out for Southend Shakedown

TRADERS have reported a bumper Easter bank holiday as thousands of people flocked to the seafront as an annual biker event rolled into town. Huge crowds turned out on Southend seafront today as glorious sunshine beamed down for the 16th annual

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Kelly hopes she can win her first singing contest

A SINGER who first took to the stage 18 months ago has made it to the finals of a talent contest. Kelly Knight, 31, is one of 20 budding stars battling it out to be named champion of the last ever Factor Essex competition. She discovered her

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Southend United 1, Accrington Stanley 0

BARRY Corr’s second half strike secured Southend United a 1-0 win against Accrington Stanley and virtually a place in the play-offs too. The Irishman’s close range finish means the sixth placed Shrimpers are now six points clear of Oxford, who

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Naomi taught 10,000 people to swim

A PASSIONATE swimming teacher whose students won gold medals at the Special Olympics is retiring after a successful career spanning three decades. Naomi Pilkington, 65, from Benfleet spent 29 years teaching children and adults how to swim at the

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Car and lorry crash

LONG delays have hit the A127 after a car and lorry crashed. Police, firefighters and ambulances were called to Rayleigh Weir, London-bound, following the smash, at 2.50pm. Essex Police said a woman sitting in the passenger side of the car

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Hero saves disabled man from robber

A HEROIC member of the public came to the aid of a disabled man as he was being robbed in an alleyway. The 33-year-old victim, who has learning difficulties, was walking in Mill Green, in Pitsea, on April 4, when he was approached by a man and

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Southend United 1, Accrington Stanley 0, LIVE

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Council plea for early diagnosis: 56% of people with HIV in Southend unaware for four years

CALLS have been made for HIV to be diagnosed earlier as more than half of people in Southend with virus are unaware for at least four years. The National Aids Trust has called on Southend Council to do more as 56 per cent of people in the own with

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Southend United unchanged for Accrington Stanley clash

BLUES boss Phil Brown has named an unchanged starting line-up for this afternoon’s game against Accrington Stanley at Roots Hall. Centre back Jakub Sokolik and winger Kevan Hurst have both shaken off slight knocks to take their place in the side

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Just another usual week for Southend United!

IF ever there a week which summed up the crazy world of Southend United this was it. Last weekend seemed a home banker for Blues as they hosted struggling AFC Wimbledon at Roots Hall, only to suffer a disappointing 1-0 defeat. Six days later

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Michael Timlin will be tearing his hair out if Southend United fail to beat Accrington Stanley

MICHAEL Timlin will be left tearing his hair out if Southend United fail to beat Accrington Stanley at Roots Hall this afternoon. The sixth placed Shrimpers head in to the game on the back of a brilliant 3-0 win at high-flying Rochdale on Friday

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Teachers’ karaoke raises cash for hospital

SCHOOLTEACHERS have been singing their hearts out for a children’s charity. Staff at the King John School, in Shipwrights Drive, Thundersley, raised hundreds of pounds for Great Ormond Street Hospital by singing some karaoke classics, including

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Tot taken from mum adopted

THE daughter of a mentally ill Italian woman, controversially forced to give birth by Caesarean section in Essex has been adopted. The 2012 birth, at first kept secret, was later reported and commented on around the world when the mother, Alessandra

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Tories attacked over town plans

TORIES on Basildon Council have been accused of rushing through crucial town-centre plans, just weeks before elections could see the party kicked out. The planning application for the relocation of Basildon Market, so crucial to plans for a town-centre

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UPDATE: Man appears in court over murder of Southend man Michael Haastrup in Braintree

A MAN has appeared in court accused of murder. Luke Eva, 24, of Avondale Drive, Leigh, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates Court charged with the murder of Michael Haastrup, of Southend, this morning. Mr Haastrup, 24, died in Papworth Hospital

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Police bosses defend rising use of Tasers

POLICE in Essex are nowusing stun guns nearly three times a week – and their use is increasing. Figures released by the Home Office show the weapons were used 152 times last year, compared to just 34 in 2011. The force put the increase down

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Family fashion shop is 90-years strong

AN independent family-run shop is gearing up to celebrate an impressive 90 years in Billericay High Street. Women’s clothing store N Shelley, which originally traded out of a tiny front room, first opened its doors in 1924 and has continued to

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New pound coin to beat fakers has a hidden cost

MORE than £45million worth of fake £1 coins are in circulation in Britain today, making forgery an expensive business for traders. To try to tackle the problem, Chancellor George Osborne announced a new bimetallic coin based on the old predecimal

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Dave packs a punch in world record bid

DAVE Kates is attempting to set a world record – for throwing the most punches in an hour. Mr Kates, of Hill Road, Benfleet, is aiming to create the Guinness World Record – and raise cash for charity – by punching a bag 10,000 times in one hour

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First new council homes since 1988

A BLOCK of flats on Canvey is set to be turned into council homes – the first to be created in Castle Point for more than 25 years. Castle Point Council is in talks to buy 25 apartments, in Long Road, to help people on its housing waiting list.

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Payback time for the care Holly is getting

THE mum of a brave little girl fighting a rare illness is determined to pay a hospital back for the amazing care her daughter has received. Holly Charles-Pulfer, 11, of Basildon, suffers from the rare chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction condition

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Half the staff at Futures have left

MORE than half the staff at a troubled school will have left by the summer as a new executive board makes major changes, the Echo can reveal. Fifteen teachers left Futures Community College in Southchurch Boulevard, Southend, as the school broke