THE Samaritans has launched an e-mail service from its Southend branch to help people in distress, despair, or who feel suicidal.

Based in York Road, the branch will now field e-mails from across the country and internationally, providing support.

The service is confidential and volunteers aim to respond to messages within 24 hours. Anyone who wants to ensure anonymity can set up a free e-mail service specifically for that purpose through providers such as Hotmail or Yahoo.

James, who works at the Southend branch, said: "A lot of people do communicate by e-mail now, more than they do by phone.

"Some people are using e-mail all the time and youngsters tend to be texting all the time.

"I think it follows that it's more natural for them to communicate in that way. We want to respond to people in distress or despair and we have to be ready now to respond to them in the way they are most comfortable."

There are now 150 branches across the UK which are trained to respond to e-mails and they field 400 queries a day.

To contact the Samaritans e-mail jo@samaritans.org or phone 08457 909090. People can also write to Chris, PO Box 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA or visit the branch at 154 York Road, Southend.