THOUSANDS of people braved the damp conditions to watch the Olympic Torch pass through Southend.
From about 9am, visitors started lining the barriers along the route through Prince Avenue, Victoria Avenue, the High Street and the seafront.
People waved flags and blew whistles as the torchbearers completed their relay in 300metre stints.
Olympic swimmer Mark Foster carried the torch from the Lloyds bank to the top of Pier Hill where he passed it to Sonia Richards from Canvey.
She then passed it to FitzWimarc schoolgirl Sophie Riches, 16, who carried it to the 1,750-strong choir on the seafront.
The choir, made up of schoolchildren and adults from Southend, sang a specially-commissioned song and entertained crowds before the torch moved off along the seafront towards Hadleigh.
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