IT was a case of let there be light when a power cut threatened to put an abrupt end to a church musical concert. Members of Rayleigh Brass were three quarters of their way through a charity evening performance at Battlesbridge Free Church when the electricity
DRIVERS who witnessed a dramatic crash on the A13 which saw a car flip over the central reservation are being asked to come forward by police. At around 3.20pm yesterday, Monday, a blue Ford Focus, a grey Ford Focus, and a white lorry were all involved
JUBILANT staff and pupils are celebrating their school coming out of special measures. A lot of hard work has turned things around after a catalogue of failings were identified at the Waterman Primary School, Rochford, a year-and-a-half ago. The school
A TEAM of road rangers have been branded a waste of money by furious councillors. Castle Point Council spends £139,000 a year for a squad of highways workers, who are supposed to specifically target minor issues such as overgrown verges and potholes.
I clarify the point made by Ted French (Dec 8) in regards to Basildon’s Sporting Village and the £16m grant he mentioned. Basildon Council has received £16.65million in external grants towards building the Sporting Village, with the cost to
I read with trepidation about the proposal to continue with the work on the Nirvana apartments on Westcliff seafront. The building is a blot on the landscape and how it was allowed to be built higher than other buildings in the vicinity beggers
Those wishing to protect our heritage and public spaces should take comfort from the new Localism Bill. The Government has ambitions to make the planning system fit for the 21st century by removing the imposition of a local authority on the people
Leo, seeing the snow, must have decided now was the time to seek out Father Christmas from our chimney and ascended with all due haste until he became firmly wedged. Initially, we were at a loss as to what to do, but as the minutes ticked by,
The Labour chief at Basildon, who supports the travellers continuing to stay unlawfully at Dale Farm, is an amazing example to us all of the sickness in this country that the last administration left behind. She is reported as saying that she
J Hitchcock rightly takes T A Davis to task for foolishly accusing the last Labour government of being “the most incompetent in our history’. (Nov 30, Dec 3). While one set of bad bankers got the world into this recession, another set of financial
QUICK-THINKING sailors have been praised after plucking a father and son from freezing waters after their dinghy capsized. The four rescuers – Southend Council workers Peter Vadden, Nick Corrigan, Edward Spacey and Gary Cullen – were on a sailing weekend
RESIDENTS hope to stop homes being built on Laindon playing fields by turning the site into a village green. Basildon Council provoked a public backlash when it announced plans to build 23 homes on the fields, and a neighbouring community hall and car
A CONVICTED burglar is being hunted by police after going on the run from prison. Wayne Ward, 41, was serving 42 months for house burglary at an open prison in Suffolk. But he has gone on the run and could be heading to ths Southend area where he has
A SENIOR councillor has joined the battle to save a Laindon community hall being demolished. Laindon Park conservative councillor Frank Tomlin, who is also responsible for community safety, has been convinced by large numbers of local residents the hall
A broken down car on the A127 caused long delays. Traffic is queuing along the London-bound carriageway in Basildon. The Toyota coupe broke down at 11am just before the Laindon turn off and was recovered at 11.45am.
A DEFIANT cabbie has been fined for for the second time after smoking in his taxi. Paul Sutton, the former chairman of the Southend Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, appeared before Southend magistrates after council officers filmed him taking a puff
RYMAN LEAGUE CUP TOM Broadhurst’s late winner put Swifts into the fourth round as Canvey were punished for not taking their chances. An experimental Gulls side dominated but lacked a cutting edge and were made to pay when Broadhurst finished
BLUES youngster Alex Woodyard was left suffering mixed fortunes after making his senior debut at Burton Albion on Saturday. The 18-year-old defensive midfielder was delighted to be named in the starting line-up for the first time against the Brewers.
A BIKER who suffered multiple injuries in a crash has launched a legal battle for compensation of more than £300,000. Burim Shala, 22, is suing motorist Victoria Read for the injuries and continuing difficulties he suffers since the smash on November
A TWO car accident blocked Lonsdale Road in Southend in both directions this morning. Lonsdale road was been blocked both ways at the Central Avenue junction after a green Peugeot GLX and a silver Vauxhall Zafira collided. Police were
THE company set up to manage council housing in Basildon is failing to respond to emergency repairs on time. St Georges Community Housing is supposed to deal with all emergency repairs, including life and injury threatening situations such as fires and
TWO people were taken to Basildon Hospital following a crash in Wickford this morning. The accident happened just before 8.20am in Brock Hill. Two ambulance crews were sent and police also attended the scene.
BASILDON Council bosses have hit back at criticism their free Christmas parking scheme over the festive period is “Scrooge-like”. The council came under fire from Billericay town councillor Terry Gandy for introducing free festive parking in the borough
THE runway extension at Southend Airport could be ditched because of a looming legal challenge, a leading councillor fears. Tory cabinet member Anna Waite has expressed frustration that airport operators Stobart could abandon plans completely because
The busy quietness of the nerve centre of the ambulance base is reassuring. About 20 staff are manning the phones, taking the details of emergencies across the county, and dispatching countless ambulances and rapid response cars to incidents. As a 999
