RAYLEIGH Windmill is offering browsers an insightful free taste of China. The Bellingham Lane venue is currently playing host to an exhibition of striking images, giving a rare glimpse into the people and places of Jiangsu. Photographer
TWENTY-THREE people were held by police after more than 50 officers raided a scrapyard. A convoy of three police vans and numerous cars descended on Benfleet Scrap, on the manor Trading Estate, in Thundersley, at 4.30pm yesterday. Officers
A MAN was left with a torn lip after a fight broke out in Westcliff in the early hours of the morning. The 28-year-old was outside the Mac Mart in London Road with a group of friends when the fight started. He received serious facial
BASILDON Council is to spend more than £150,000 a year cleaning up the district’s grimy streets and targeting “grot spots”. The council has set up a “pride team” to remove graffiti, litter and chewing gum from the dirtiest parts of the district’s housing
A NEIGHBOUR from hell has been jailed for a campaign of terror, which included bullying an 80-year-old woman. Susan Cook, 53, must spend 28 days in prison before serving a four-year antisocial behaviour order. Cook’s abuse towards her
A DEVASTATED mother has pleaded with crooks to return a stolen camera containing irreplaceable pictures of her son’s first birthday. The 31-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, heard the crooks kick open the front door, at 2.35am yesterday.
Batman fans are in for the treat of their lives when the Batmobile cruises on to the Festival Leisure Park tomorrow. The £300,000 car is coming as part of the hype surrounding the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale and
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a fire in a roof space at lunchtime. It is understood workmen were in the loft of the house in Grange Road, Leigh when a small fire started. The occupants got out quickly and two crews from Hadleigh fire station
BASILDON AC travelled to Norwich for their latest National Young Athletes League fixture, but finished a disappointing fourth despite a solid team effort. The Under-17 men found victories hard to come by but Ryan Wennington won the A javelin with ease
THE rising number of young drink-drivers detected by Essex Police makes a sad statistic. The increase is no blip, but a spectacular leap – the number has almost doubled year-on-year. The news is particularly lamentable since this is the age-group
POLICE are investigating an armed hold-up on a security van. The Securicor van was making a stop at the Tesco Express in Drake Road, Chafford Hundred when the robbers struck. They threatened the guard with what is thought to be a handgun
THE modest level of support from Southend AC’s Under-17s at the UK Young Athletes’ League match was overshadowed by the even more modest backing from other clubs. Even eventual winners and hosts Thurrock were far from presenting a full side. As a result
DANISH Kaneria believes he has a “vital” role to play in Essex’s assault on Twenty20 Cup Finals Day. The 27-year-old Pakistan leg-spinner has taken 15 wickets in the Eagles’ flight to the Rose Bowl – and he expects to be at the forefront of the Essex
SIX fire crews tackled a blaze across an area of grassland covering 2,000 square metres, in Ashfield, East Tilbury. Firefighters from Orsett, Grays, and Brentwood used hoses and beaters to tackle the flames. They took almost two hours to bring the fire
JAMIE T will drop into Chinnery’s on Southend seafront for a special V Festival warm-up gig on Friday, August 15. This is a special night not to be missed as Jamie T’s debut album, Panic Prevention, was shortlisted as one of the Mercury prize nominees
A COUPLE who lost their son from a heart attack when he was just 28 have taken part in an emotional event. Peter and Gillian Patterson raised almost £800 by taking part in Saturday’s walk over eight Thames bridges, from Hampton Court to Tower Bridge
A community hall, which created a spectacle when it “landed” by crane on an estate’s former ball court to avoid damaging trees and fences, has been officially opened. Grays Riverside Community Association member Taff Edwards cut the ribbon of the £100,000
JAMES Foster’s England mission has been stuck on the launch pad for too long – not just for him, but for the vast majority of his Essex team-mates and supporters. However, his tremendous Twenty20 form this season has thrust his image straight into the
MP Mark Francois has praised the organisers of a free fun day in King George’s field in Rayleigh. The event was organised by local Christian Churches to help provide a lively and enjoyable day out for families from in and around the town. Ten of the
BELFAIRS High School in Leigh will be hosting a public information day to showcase its multi-million pound rebuilding plans. The event is scheduled for Thursday, September 4, and is expected to last 90 minutes, starting at 7.30pm. The programme includes
FOR Essex captain Mark Pettini, reaching Twenty20 Cup Finals Day is a vindication of all the hard work he and first-team coach Paul Grayson have put in over the past 12 months. The 24-year-old endured a baptism of fire after unexpectedly taking over
TURN the clock back to March 2003 and Ryan ten Doeschate was at a crossroads in his life. Having recently graduated with a Business Science degree from the University of Cape Town, the 22-year-old was struggling to make an impact as an aspiring young
WHAT is the most constant activity at Adventure Island? Screaming? Licking ice creams? Health and safety checks? All close - but it’s the man who said “dead heading the plants’ who should get the cigar. Many visitors have eyes only for the roller-coasters
THE number of young drivers caught drink-driving in a summer crackdown has soared, alarming figures show. Essex Police stopped 995 drivers under the age of 25 during its campaign in June. Statistics show 4.42 per cent tested positive for alcohol, almost
Here we go again, another great signing of EU agreement to give away our civil right to privacy in our own homes. At was reported this was actually signed by a lowly Whitehall official, not even an elected one at that. Council officials will now be
Is it not time this thug of the canine world was banned (July 18)? If rottweilers are not attacking humans, they are attacking other dogs. Those often strange owners of the breed, who name these dogs Tyson, Rambo etc, need to accept their chosen breed
Roger Newsham (July 17) justifies the public workers’ industrial action by correctly stating that lower-paid ancillary workers contribute as much to society as many of the higher paid, yet suffer far more from the increased costs of living. But surely
Surely, the time has come for Southend Council to actually do something about Priory Crescent! I do not mean grandiose schemes that are formulated by people that have no interest in Southend other than to further their own aims and greedy ambitions.
APART from a sudden 10 minute downpour, it was a perfect athletic day when Southend AC held their club championships and open meeting. The event was very well supported especially in the sprints, hurdles and the girls’ long jump. And no fewer than
A MOTORIST was high on ecstasy and alcohol when he ploughed into a lorry, killing his friend. Adrian Blake, 26, got behind the wheel of his BMW and drove as fast as 90mph after taking the Class A drug and drinking. He left a nightclub
ZIMBABWEAN refugees living in south Essex face long weekly journeys to register at reporting centres as far away as Edinburgh. Many people who have fled the troubled African country are waiting to hear if they can stay in the UK and have to
A PUPIL who has overcome difficulties in life to achieve high standards at school has been given an award. Luke Emerson, 11, a student at Cherry Tree Primary School, Basildon, received the Bob Kirvy Endeavour Award for his commitment to his schoolwork
CELEBRITIES are joining forces to take part in a charity football match in memory of a young dad who died of leukaemia. Married father-of-three Mr Saunders, 24, of Steeple Hall, Pitsea, died in June after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form
THE family of a woman killed in a road crash have accepted police claims that stone-throwing yobs did not play a part in her death. Suzanne Singer, 40, from Shoebury, died on Saturday, December 22, last year, when her car veered from the A127 and hit
A TEENAGER in a stolen car was injured in an accident which also left another motorist seriously hurt. Police and fire crews were called to the junction of Bournemouth Park Road and North Avenue, Southend, just after 11pm on Wednesday, after a
STEVE Harmison, Liam Plunkett, Azhar Mahmood, Shaun Udal and James Tredwell – you have been warned. Essex’s very own “Rocket Man” – Graham Napier – is planning to launch you out of the Rose Bowl at Twenty20 Finals Day tomorrow. The 28-year-old all-rounder
A VETERAN anti-nuclear weapons protester has chained herself to the gates of a nuclear power station. Irene Willis, 62, from Buckland, Shoebury, was one of eight environmental activists protesting outside Sizewell nuclear power station in Suffolk
FROM the waist upwards Jake Stacey is a happy, healthy, little boy. Unfortunately, the two-year-old is unable to move his legs properly. After months of tests and hospital visits, Jake has been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy. The condition
BOYRACERS will be able to race and show off their cars at an official cruise. The Arena Essex raceway event will be professionally marshalled and see car enthusiasts pay to race their cars on the professional track. The JDM All Stars, a professional
HISTORY enthusiasts can take a step back in time when a museum re-opens its doors following a £40,000 refit. The Cater Museum will open to the public tomorrow. Renovations have been paid for by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The building, in Billericay
A TORY MP is fighting to save a threatened post office in Southend. Rochford and Southend East MP James Duddridge has sent a submission to the Post Office opposing plans to close the branch at 88 Sutton Road, Southend. The branch in Sutton Road and
THUNDERSLEY Guides are taking part in the largest ever summer Scouting and Guiding event in Essex. This summer, Frinton will be home to a huge UK Scout and Guide camping event. The camp runs from tomorrow until August 2, and will provide the opportunity
TEENAGERS can banish the summer holiday boredom by taking steps towards becoming music writers, songwriters or DJs. Basildon Council has organised a series of vocational courses for youngsters aged 13 to 19 to get them off the streets over the summer
POLICE Community Support Officer Jo Mitchell recruited local schoolchildren to help her with a graffiti clean-up in Crammavil Street, Stifford Clays earlier this week. Pupils from nearby William Edwards school were on hand to help out, which aimed to
