WEST Ham striker Carlton Cole was delighted to hit the winner in tonight's Carling Cup semi-final against Birmingham - even if his goal owed much to an unfortunate error by Blues goalkeeper Ben Foster. After Mark Noble's opener for the Hammers had
BLUNDERING Ben Foster may have saved Avram Grant's job tonight as 10-man West Ham survived a moment of madness from Victor Obinna to beat Birmingham in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final. England goalkeeper Foster allowed a powder-puff shot
SERVICES on the c2c line are suffering delays after a person was hit by a train at Stanford-Le-Hope. The incident happened shortly before 7pm and at least one train has been cancelled. Other services are either terminating early or bypassing stations
POLICE are growing concerned about the welfare of a man who has gone missing from a hospital in Rochford. Daniel Cousins, 49, was last seen when he left the unit on Monday, January 3 on day release. He was due back on Monday evening
CONTROVERSIAL plans to demolish a seaside paddling pool sparked a furious debate as £225,000 was “wasted” trying to make it safe just two years ago. Castle Point Council planning officers recommended demolition of the pool, next to the Concord Cafe
A DISCARDED cigarette is thought to have set fire to cables supplying electricity to an office block in Southend. Firefighters from Southend and Leigh were called to the fire in Kingswood House, Baxter Avenue at 2.20pm today. Station
A CONMAN will only have to pay back a fraction of his £683,000 fraud. Richard Leeson, who ran Basildon-based internet furniture business Pine Online, tricked online payment company PayPal into reimbursing the money to about 3,000 customers
A PUB could face closure following fears over crime and drugs. Bosses at the White Horse, Southchurch, will have their licence reviewed in 11 days time. Police licensing officers have demanded the hearing take place following concerns
THREE of tonight's games involving our Essex Senior League teams have been postponed. League chairman Rob Errington has confirmed that Hullbridge Sports v Stansted, Takeley v Southend Manor, and Witham Town v Basildon United, have all been called off
A MAN, alleged to have been murdered by his neighbour, has been officially named by police. The Echo revealed today that 66-year-old Roger Berwick had died following the alleged murder at a house in Palmerston Road, Westcliff. Today police officially
TRAINS on the c2c line are delayed due to signalling problems. There are delays of up to 15 minutes between Pitsea and Basildon on the line which runs from Shoebury to London Fenchurch Street.
Southend Council has been criticised by Ofsted for the number of schoolchildren playing truant. The council claims that since the report things have improved. It says attendance in Southend is pretty much in line with the national average and
If Andrew Baggott really wants to encourage local business, free enterprise, voluntary organisations and freedom of speech, then why charge anyone wanting to leaflet in the town centre (Jan 6)? This would be fair policy as it costs nothing to
Anna Waite (Jan 5) is certainly right in campaigning for more homes in Southend. Without some significant new provision the conversion of quite unsuitable premises into small flats and bedsit units will continue. The condition of some tenants
I read with interest your article (January 5) regarding the rubbish in Canvey Lake. I suggest if the town council had co-operated with the angling club this time last year, this debris would have been removed by club members months ago, at no
WESTCLIFF extended their lead at the top of London One North to 14 points with a comprehensive 46-0 victory at Stevenage, which was aided by two chasing teams slipping up with a loss and a draw. In carving out this victory, Westcliff put on one of their
My mother-in-law spent the last two weeks of her life in Fair Havens Hospice and we shall always be grateful for the loving care she received during her final days from the dedicated staff. Since then, our family has supported Fair Havens in
RESIDENTS are celebrating after plans to make unpopular changes to roads around two schools were sent back to the drawing board. Parents complaining about traffic congestion during peak times, at West Leigh junior and infant schools, in Ronald Hill Grove
Billericay have released top-scorer Anthony Robinson after a string of poor performances. The striker has scored six goals for Town, but has not found the net since the club’s last win at Horsham in mid-November. The former Kettering
PLANS for a privately-run festival for up to 5,000 revellers in Gloucester Park have been revealed. Gary Roberts, from Great Knightleys, Basildon, is applying to Basildon Council for a licence to put on the Ndangered Festival over two days in August.
SOUTHEND’S scrum half Sam Arnott felt his side’s 27-0 defeat at table-topping Ealing on Saturday was not a fair reflection of the game. The Seasiders trailed the league leaders just 5-0 at the break. And Arnott insists his team could have fought back
A MOTORCYCLIST was rushed to hospital after his bike collided with a car. The blue Yamaha 125 motorbike was in collision with a silver Mitsubishi car in London Road, by the junction with Bradley Avenue, Thundersley, just after 9am yesterday. An ambulance
ROCHFORD Hundred staged a stunning late fight back to force a 26-26 draw against Chelmsford, but they still slipped off the top of the table. The men from Magnolia Road scored a try right at the death to salvage a share of the spoils from a topsy-turvy
ESSEX Pirates’ new boy Ronnie Baker may be 41-years-old but he is confident of still showing the league’s young guns how it should be done. Baker has won more than 100 caps for England during an illustrious career which has seen him win every trophy
MARK Phillips is keen to bring his injury nightmare to an end by forcing his way back in to the first team at Southend United. The 28-year-old centre-back has figured just three times for Blues so far this season after suffering hamstring and hernia
LEE Barnard is already relishing tackling the mighty Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Southampton striker, who hails from Billericay, scored on Saturday to help the Saints secure a shock 2-0 success over Premier League Blackpool
A COUNCIL decision to give similar names to roads in one area has led to fears drivers could become confused. Labour councillors have questioned a decision by the Tory-controlled council to name a new road leading into Markhams Chase in Laindon, ‘Markhams
Essex Police have been criticised for coming up with a new set of policing promises despite the last ones being scrapped due to costs. The Policing Pledge was scrapped by the Government last June despite costing £3.5million to promote.
PRISONERS in a south Essex jail throw human waste out of windows at night because of poor sanitation, a report has claimed. Bullwood Hall in Hockley, which holds only foreign nationals, has been criticised in the past for lack of provision of toilets
CONCERNED patients have started a campaign to save one of the busiest surgical wards in Southend Hospital. The Echo revealed last Thursday the George Foster Taylor ward would be closing in April as part of planned cuts. It will follow the closure
PART-time firefighters will be brought in to man Canvey fire station from April as part of a wave of cuts. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has revealed all 25 firefighters currently based at the station will be moved elsewhere in Essex. They will
GOOD genes and the ability to strike a pose certainly run in the Franklin family. Lauren, 16, of Chestnut Avenue, Great Notley, has been selected as a finalist for the Top Model UK competition and she credits her mum for helping her success. Her mum
TESCO is blaming unforeseen delays to repairs to Pitsea flyover for its need to extend permission for a temporary car park. Ongoing repairs to the flyover could be scuppered if Basildon Council does not approve the latest bid for extra time
SLOPPY administration means a council’s plan to dredge Canvey Lake has been held up. Last summer, Canvey Town Council contracted Norfolk-based Jex Plant UK Limited to undertake a study of the lake ahead of the dredging, which is being done to make the
BENEFIT fraudsters conned Basildon Council out of more than £800,000 last year, the Echo can reveal. Figures released by the authority show it paid out £656,804 in housing benefits to 96 fraudulent claimants between November 2009 and November 2010.
BOWERS & Pitsea moved up from third from bottom to 10th in the Essex Senior League following their 3-2 home win over Sawbridgeworth Town. Tom Dodkins put Bowers ahead in the third minite but Scott Williams got a 43rd-minute equaliser.
