FINE purveyors of electronic hip-hop poetry, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, book into Grays library tomorrow night. The musical wordsmiths, who come from Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham, are back on home turf at 8pm, as part of a sold-out Christmas library
AFTER nearly 40 years at the top of the singing game, Errol Brown is visiting Westcliff to bid an intimate final goodbye to his fans. The former Hot Chocolate frontman, best known for hits You Sexy Thing and So You Win Again, brings his warm voice to
TRAFFIC cops have arrested nine suspected drink- drivers in south east Essex already this month. Eight were arrested for being over the limit and one for refusing to give a sample of breath across Southend, Rochford and Castle Point. One 44-year-old
SOUTHEND Hospital has admitted it made a mistake after an elderly woman spent eight weeks in pain before she died because a fracture went undiagnosed. Maisie Worthington, 82, was taken to hospital after a fall in her Hockley home, but doctors could not
RECYCLING rates in Rochford district have continued to remain high since the new bin collection system was introduced. The latest figures for September and October show about two-thirds of waste is being recycled, compared to less than 20 per cent under
LOOFER’S food and coffee house has proved fundraising can be tasty and creative. Rachel Sayer, 20, who works in the cafe, used coffee granules and glue to make a picture of a cup which was sold to raise money for Little Havens children’s hospice. Paul
PASSENGERS on a bus route through Leigh let out a cheer yesterday when they were told the route was to be saved from diversion. The number 21 First Essex bus service between Southend and Canvey looked set to be re-routed after a single speed hump made
A MAN punched a policewoman police officer in the face, a court was told Terence Bullock, 42, admitted the assault and a separate charge of stealing scrap metal where he appeared before Southend magistrates. The court heard police were called to Bullock
ALMOST half of Basildon’s council houses fall below the Government’s “decent” standard, yet rent is still due to rise by 5 per cent next year. St Georges Community Housing, the firm set up to manage Basildon’s 12,000 council houses, revealed just 52.9
THE Youth Offending Service will be sending a bus to Belfairs Park to speak to teenagers who congregate and drink alcohol there at night. The initiative hopes to curb antisocial behaviour in the park on Friday and Saturday nights. Groups of up to 100
STREETS in Rochford and Ashingdon will be going green as part of a major tree-planting project The two areas will be the first to benefit from a major programme of tree-planting in the Rochford district, which will take place each winter over the next
A NERVOUS robber threat-ened staff at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant with a knife – then ran away empty-handed. The twitchy thief showed the knife to a worker at the chain’s Canvey High Street branch and demanded cash at about 2.40pm on Wednesday
A JETSETTING great-grandmother from Shoebury has touched down in the UK just in time for Christmas, after her ninth trip Down Under. Maude Bench, 94, returned from Australia after spending three months visiting sons Peter, 74, Paul, 73, and Alan, 71,
THE construction firm due to oversee the £200m transformation of the Craylands estate has pulled out, just weeks before building work was set to begin. The Echo can reveal Lovell has been replaced by Loughton-based construction firm, Higgins
A DATE has been set for a by-election to replace a town councillor who died from cancer. Christine Andrews, who died in October, aged 64, represented the Canvey Independent Party and was elected to Canvey Town Council in May last year. A replacement
LUIZ Felipe Scolari is looking for another win this weekend to keep the pressure up on league leaders Liverpool. Chelsea are just one point behind the Reds and with Liverpool facing Hull at the weekend it could prove costly if the points are not taken
A PROMINENT Southend estate agent, which once had an annual turnover of £3million, has folded. Dedman Residential, which has run successfully for 35 years, has been put into receivership after it failed to find a way out of the downturn which
WHEN it comes to gun dogs, Dexter can hold his own. The retriever can sniff out hidden handguns and take them to his handler Tony Best. He is part of the Essex Dog Display Team, which been running for more than 25 years and regularly showcases amazing
TRAVELLERS are preparing for an “uprising” if a Court of Appeal decision leads to evictions at Dale Farm Crays Hill, and Hovefields, Wickford. Traveller activist Joe Jones said the Gypsy Council would tomorrow discuss defending the sites against a Basildon
HUNDREDS of music buffs will find tickets to Katherine Jenkins in their Christmas stockings this year. Basildon Council has reported a recent flurry of ticket sales for the singer’s outdoor show in Billericay next July. More than 1,300
A PUB will be serving up a little more than pints and food...including celebrity memorabilia, a grand piano and even chandeliers from the ladies loos. Landlord Steve Haslam is selling off memorabilia and parts of his White Horse pub to mark the completion
A SUSPECTED burglar fled in his pants, after police raided his flat. Police burst into the flat, in Sutton Road, Southend, in response to a string of burglaries in the town. They disturbed a 37-year-old man who fled across the rooftops
A ONCE-struggling school is no longer in special measures after an improved Ofsted report. Thorpedene Junior School, in Shoebury, was classified as good by Government inspectors. It had been in special measures since March last year following an inspection
A NURSE at Runwell Hospital has written two books helping to explain mental illness. Chris Healy, a staff nurse on the medium-secure Harman Ward, has written the books on schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder for the benefit of patients and
ARMED robbers burst into a Leigh supermarket and demanded customers get down on the floor. Two men entered Iceland in London Road, Leigh, armed with a meatcleaver and a knife at 6.40pm yesterday. They threatened the staff and fled with
A 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being hit by a car. Paramedics arrived in under five minutes after being called to Bridgwater Drive, Leigh, just after 7.30 this morning. The boy was taken to Southend hospital with minor
David Barratt says we’ll never be multi-cultural (Dec 2), but does not take into account any timescale. We are, in evolutionary terms, in the early stages of civilisation and the primitive fear of the stranger is the underlying problem of racial disharmony
A COUPLE driving home were shocked when their car burst into flames. Firefighters were called to the A13 between Sadlers Farm and the Pitsea turn off, after a car on fire was reported at 2.20am today. The driver and passenger, a husband
A BROKEN down train on the National Express route caused delays today. Train services on all routes through Wickford were disrupted, with delays of up to 20 minutes can be expected.
CHRISTMAS is all about families and a time of giving, and the annual StreetSmart campaign reflects this more than ever. Stephen Colyer, fundraiser for Homeless Action Resource Project said: “We have received amazing support since we started
WEST Ham United are looking to avoid more derby disappointment at Chelsea on Sunday when they visit Stamford Bridge, and after their 2-0 defeat against Spurs on Monday the team desparately need a result. The Hammers’ last win away at Stamford Bridge
A CAR ended up in a ditch after hitting ice this morning. The Daewoo left the road at the junction of High Street and Southend Road in Great Wakering at about 6am. The driver, a man in his 20s, was not hurt in the crash.
BLUES right-back Simon Francis has heaped more importance on tomorrow’s clash with Huddersfield Town. Southend are currently one place and one point above the Terriers. And the 23-year-old insists it is therefore imperative for the Shrimpers to come
SOUTHEND seafront has long been associated with fish and chips and arcade games, but that is all changing. Fine restaurants are now springing up along Marine Parade, as well as Eastern and Western Esplanade and one seafront entrepreneur has
DAN Harding is convinced Southend United will soon be rising back up the League One table. And the on-loan left-back wants to play a permanent part in the Shrimpers’ push for promotion. The 24-year-old’s temporary spell from Ipswich
LEIGH student Vikki Love interviewed a Star Wars actor and saw her article make the front page of her college magazine. Vikki, 27, a media student at South East Essex College, in Southend, interviewed actor Dave Prowse, 73, who played Darth Vader in
ALEX Revell is hoping to serve up more treats tomorrow when the Shrimpers host Huddersfield Town at Roots Hall. The striker is a keen cook in his spare time. And, after playing a part in a frustrating spell which has seen his side go five league games
A SCOUT group is celebrating the launch of a new Beaver colony, providing activities for younger children. The First Thors Oak Scouts recently started its Beaver group for girls and boys aged six to eight. The colony was launched after adult volunteers
HUNDREDS of Christmas shoppers descended on Woolworths as the ailing retailer held the first day of its closing down sale. On offer were cut-price toys, CDs and DVDs and other items at the chain’s 813 stores nationwide. The administrators
CASTLE Point MP Bob Spink was involved in an extraordinary Commons clash with Tory heavyweight David Davies. Former front-bencher Mr Davies physically grappled with Dr Spink in the Commons in the heat of the debate about the police search of
Jackie Jones has been dealing with young offenders for nearly four years and knows more than anyone how antisocial behaviour can blight people’s lives. But rather than just harassing the youngsters, the police community support officer has
ORPHANAGES have not always had the best of press, and the new London production of the musical Oliver! is unlikely to do anything to improve their image. Yet waif and stray children’s homes could often be happy places and the proof of that sits in the
IT is the end of an organ era. Ron Guttridge has retired after 38 years running the Benfleet and District Organ Society. “I don’t feel the urge to go out so much these, days,” says Ron, who also has a long background in voluntary service as a youth
