BASILDON fire station's toga party will bring a splash of much-needed summer colour to the scene. There is a serious purpose to the revelry, though. Money raised will go to a relatively little known, but valuable charity. The Fire Service Benevolent
WHEN 3,000 people sign a petition, there can be no doubt feelings are running high. The petition, raised by Leigh business That's Bizarre, in partnership with the Echo, calls for road safety improvements following the tragic death of 20-year-old Sheri
SHADOW Chancellor George Osborne "got it wrong" by saying a new Tory government would spell an end for grammar schools - according to a fellow Conservative. Mr Osborne said in a discussion with a Conservative activist grammar schools would not be part
A FORMER escort girl who admitted running three high-class brothels has walked free from court. Karen Williamson, 50, had been warned in court in April she would "very likely" be jailed, but Judge Phillip Clegg instead handed her a three-month suspended
FOUR women have been sacked from Basildon Council's housing department. Three of the workers were given their marching orders after trying to move a single man, who is related to one of them, up the waiting list. All three were fired for gross misconduct
SOUTHEND Hospital is celebrating its first year as a foundation trust The new status has transformed services and sealed it future success, the hospital claims. The hospital already had an excellent record when it gained trust status in June 2006 and
HUNDREDS of shoppers were treated to champagne and live music as the revamped Marks & Spencer store in Southend was officially unveiled. Crowds gathered to see the finished product after the company spent thousands of pounds refurbishing the High Street
STACEY Fox is Essex's most beautiful woman - and that's official. The teenager was crowned Miss Essex this week and will now represent the county at the Miss England finals in Leicester from June 28 to 30. If she wins again, she will go on to the Miss
A NOTORIOUS estate is bordering on anarchy with "plastic police" unable to control unruly youngsters, a councillor claims. John Dornan, Tory councillor for Laindon Park, wants tougher action to deal with large groups of youths at the Royal Court tower
A YOUNG dad has told how he saved his baby son and girlfriend following an arson attack. The 25-year-old man, his partner, 31, and nine-month-old son were asleep in West Thorpe, Basildon, when he was woken by a "crackling noise". When he looked out
Rayleigh-based boxer Joe Knighton is going for glory in the National ABA Senior Novice Welterweight Championship final tomorrow. Knighton has already beaten a previous winner of the title, Jerome Farrell, on his way to the showdown. And his camp
MEMBERS of a pigeon racing club were today counting the cost after thieves broke into their base and stole two generators. Laindon Pigeon Racing Club, in Holycross Recreation Ground, off Great Spenders, Basildon, will have to fork out around £1,000.
ESSEX captain Ronnie Irani has laid into his under-achieving side following their back-to-back defeats against Nottinghamshire and Gloucestershire. First the skipper, currently struggling with a knee injury, watched as his side collapsed to an innings
A CLERGYMAN has defended plans to pull down his dilapidated church and build a modern place of worship. The Rev Stan Hamberger fears the Union Congregational Church, in Pall Mall, Leigh, has become so damp and mouldy it will never be safe enough to use
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to replace a landmark house with flats is to be decided by a Government inspector. Developer Peter Wislocki wants to demolish a house at 89 Downhall Road, Rayleigh - well known for the lake in its garden - and build a block of seven
THE award- winning founder of a charity for people with learning disabilities has spoken out to scotch rumours it faces closure. Joan Lythgoe, who set up the Canvey-based Business Opportunities for the Physically Handicapped in 1994, said she wanted
YELLOW ribbons have been tied to railings in Billericay High Street, marking the town's support for the family of missing girl Madeleine McCann. The railings near the war memorial, on the junction of Chapel Street, are covered in yellow bows and ribbons
RESIDENTS are being invited to have their say on the development of a new RSPB nature reserve. The 640-acre West Canvey Marsh area is in the early planning stages after being bought by the bird charity from supermarket chain Morrison's last year. Three
SOUTHEND Hospital will soon get extra paediatric resuscitation kits to help revive children whose hearts stop beating. The hospital already has special resuscitation equipment aimed at children in key areas such as the children's ward and operating theatres
THE first phase of a £10,000 project to install new CCTV cameras in Rayleigh town centre has been launched. Rayleigh Town Council, which has been planning the scheme in the High Street and East-wood Road for more than a year, was forced to replace the
PARENTS of disabled children in Southend are having a big say in influencing the way services are provided for their youngsters. An increasing number of parents have been attending parent participation meetings, the next of which is scheduled for June
SHOPPERS were warned against becoming easy prey for thieves as part of a crackdown on car crime. Police at Lakeside were out in force at half-term advising shoppers how to avoid having their vehicles broken into. Crime reduction officers Steve Greener
"NO butts - bin it" is the message from Basildon Council. Pocket-sized ashtrays are being given away by traffic wardens and litter officers so smokers forced outside by the national smoking ban don't litter. Known as butt boxes, the 8,000 heat-resistant
TENANTS and residents are rallying around in a new campaign of action to help spruce up an dilapidated allotment site. The Leigh Allotment and Leisure Gardening Association was launched last night and the group hopes to apply for grants to help regenerate
A CLERGYMAN has defended plans to pull down his dilapidated church and build a modern place of worship. The Rev Stan Hamberger fears the Union Congregational Church, in Pall Mall, Leigh, has become so damp and mouldy it will never be safe enough to use
A BRAVE teenager has won a top award after saving ten people from a burning building. Samantha Cary, 17, was walking home from South East Essex College in April when she spotted smoke coming from a block of bedsits in York Road, Southend. She quickly
A DETERMINED councillor has launched a sixth bid to build homes on a former council car park. David Dadds, Tory councillor for Billericay East, has applied to Basildon Council to build five one- bedroom cottages on the former Crown Road car park in Billericay
EASING congestion and saving lives are the main aims for Essex's new roads and transport chief. Tory councillor Norman Hume, who lives in and represents South Woodham Ferrers, has taken over as county councillors responsible for highways and transportation
HUNDREDS of people have got behind a Basildon mum's campaign to have tuberculosis injections brought back for all schoolchildren. Denise Parker launched the online petition in May after hearing worrying reports TB was on the increase. Nearly 300 people
FAMILIES braved the soggy half-term weather and pulled on their wellies for a charity stroll through Little Havens Nature Reserve. More than 215 people took part in the fourth annual woodland walk in Thundersley, to raise funds for Little Havens Children's
SOUTHEND United are close to making their first two signings of the summer. The Shrimpers are on the verge of bringing in a winger, believed to be Tommy Black. And they are also hopeful of capturing the non-league goal-getter they have been chasing
Essex meet top of the table Surrey at Whitgift Scool, Croydon in a Friends Provident Trophy encounter on Sunday. The visitors have injury doubts over skipper Ronnie Irani, but fast bowler Andre Nel is expected to have recovered from a neck injury that
AROUND 3,000 people have signed up to a petition urging Southend Council to improve road safety measure where a woman was killed. Sheri Lawrence, 20, of Kents Hill Road, Benfleet, died when she was hit by a car as she walked across the pedestrian crossing
Ralph Walker (May 29) is right - it's essential to keep control. Plastic payment methods are very convenient. The safety angle is important, not having to carry large amounts of cash when going shopping, not keeping cash in the house thereby risking
The reality of fortnightly rubbish collection has not yet hit Castle Point but - have no doubt - it will, because EU directives have forced in on to our Government which, in turn, is forcing it on to local councils. Nobody wants it. Why doesn't the so-called
Please can we stop Southend Airshow from happening any more in the future. Enough is enough. The disruption and the noise is just unbearable. Moreover, the chance of a major accident and fatalities is very worrying. Why do we have to put up with this
Southend's new council leader Nigel Holdcroft has made a refreshing start to his new role. Never one to mince his words in the past, his plain speaking about Renaissance Southend's redevelopment of the town centre has restored my faith in people who
CAMPAIGNERS from the Crays Hill traveller site turned up outside a theme park - to stage an anti-eviction protest. A coachload of about 50 travellers from the Dale Farm camp, in Oak Lane, Crays Hill, went to the Diggerland theme park in Strood, Kent
