SHOPPERS queued round the block to be the first through the doors of a new shop. Yours, which sells clothing in sizes 14 plus, gave away goody bags to 100 people who spent two hours lined up outside the shop in Basildon’s Eastgate Centre on Friday
WAR memorials across Castle Point will be restored in an £8,000 project. The memorials in Hadleigh and Benfleet commemorate residents killed or missing in the first and second world wars. Castle Point councillors agreed to spend £8,480 for
HADLEIGH & Thundersley saw off bottom of the table Ardleigh Green by two wickets at the weekend. But results elsewhere mean they are now unlikely to win promotion this season. Third placed Hadleigh are now 33 points behind Buckhurst Hill
SOUTHEND’S full council will meet for the first time since the summer recess next month. A special full council meeting has been organised for Tuesday, September 2, at 6.30pm, at the Civic Centre, in Victoria Avenue. The meeting has been called
OLD Southendian & Southchurch achieved their pre-match plan of getting 25 points but got an unexpected bonus when Harlow Town were held to a draw by Woodford Green. With promotion rivals Stanford le Hope having no game and Harlow picking up
IT WAS a labour of love and now the impressive, 262ft mural commemorating the devastating floods of 1953 is complete. The mural, revealed at a dedication ceremony earlier this summer, will be a permanent and poignant commemoration of January 31
SOUTHEND United chairman Ron Martin joked manager Phil Brown would not be forgiven for any more defeats after being drenched by him in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Brown nominated the chairman, chief executive Steve Kavanagh and TalkSport presenter
SOUTHEND United under-18s bounced back from the disappointment of a midweek thrashing at Peterborough United to record a 2-0 victory against Northampton Town at Boots & Laces on Saturday. Academy manager Ricky Duncan stressed after the fixture
FIREFIGHTERS joined other volunteers to clear ditches prone to flooding. The ditch, near The Avenue, Benfleet, was cleared in a two-day project with the fire service, Essex County Council and volunteers. Residents and Hadleigh Infant School
DETECTIVES have launched an investigation after a teenager was raped in an alleyway. The 19-year-old woman had just left the Liquid and Envy nightclub at Festival Leisure Park and was walking across the car park when she was approached by a man
Last weak, a friend sent me one of those emails with “cute” pictures of babies with dogs. I wasn’t amused. Many of the dogs were showing classic stress signs, the type they show just before they snap. Being bitten by a dog is no laughing matter
HULLBRIDGE cycling star Lloyd Chapman led his Leigh cycle team Richardson’s-Trek to an impressive one-two at the Chilham Summer Road Race. Chapman, 24, led the team in the 12th race of the South East Road Race League in Kent and completed the 130km
CAMPAIGNERS have spoken of their anger after plans for a private blood testing centre serving the NHS in south Essex were approved. Southend Keep Our NHS Public spoke out after the Echo revealed private firm Integrated Pathology Partnerships will
BILLERICAY and Leigh-on-Sea both lost ground at the top of the division, with next Saturday’s clash between the two sides set to be a blockbuster. Billericay were beaten by a fairly comfortable 72 runs in the end by Fives & Heronians, although
CHILLI chocolate and Malteser are among of the flavours on offer at a new ice cream parlour. Yusuf Rab and Azzen Ibrahim have opened a franchise of Creams Cafe, in London Road, Southend, serving ice cream, plus coffee, waffles and cakes. The
CRAIG Edwards praised his Billericay Town side for bouncing back to beat rivals East Thurrock United after being on the end of a thrashing at the weekend. Town were beaten 5-1 at Margate on Saturday and Edwards said he and the team were “taught
SOUTHEND United goalkeeper Daniel Bentley is being considered for an England under 21 call-up. The young shot-stopper has made an impressive start to the new League Two season, keeping two clean sheets in four outings. And Echosport can now
THE streets from Southend to Westcliff were brightened up as a group of young people made the short walk in fancy dress to raise money for charity. Members of the Essex Boys’ and Girls’ Club took part in the walk from Southend Victoria station
VOLUNTEERS are desperately needed to work in a charity shop. The Carers Choices shop, in London Road, Hadleigh, is run by volunteers, but can only open three days a week. Laura Stammers, from the charity, said: “We are desperate for some more
THREE people were trapped inside their cars after a two vehicle crash on a residential street. Fire, ambulance and police crews were called to Eastwoodbury Crescent in Southend, near Southend Airport, at about 5pm yesterday. Fire crews from
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to get residents to spill the beans on burglars – with the possibility of a cash reward. Crimestoppers is touring Basildon from today for the rest of the week and will be putting postcards through letterboxes and advertising
A TWO-YEAR-OLD girl suffered facial injuries after a car crashed into a lorry. An ambulance, a rapid response car and a paramedic officer were called to the Nestuda Way roundabout near Tesco on Prince Avenue at 8.25am. The girl, who was a passenger
ARMY Reservists have been recognised for their dedication to Queen and country. Explosive ordnance disposal experts from the Southend-based 33 Engineers Regiment’s 3 Troop, 217 Field Squadron were honoured at a special medal ceremony. Southend
POLICE have been cleared of any wrongdoing after an epileptic man died within hours of being arrested for not paying his council tax. Stephen Bore, 31, collapsed on a jetty at Smallgains Marina, Canvey, while being led away at midnight, Chelmsford
Lesley Billington, 54, of Cheddar Avenune, Westcliff, admitted drink-driving. She drove her Volkswagen Passat in Bridgewater Drive, Westcliff, with 101 micrgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath on July 2. The legal limit is 35. She was fined
THE boss of a garden centre which suffered £100,000 damage in a devastating flood has bounced back from bankruptcy. The Four Seasons Garden and Pet Centre, in Rochford, was flooded during the August deluge last year, forcing it to close for three
BRIDES-TO-BE are said to be clamouring for the glamour of a wedding in Leigh’s Grand Hotel once the famous landmark is open again. Owner Mick Norcross, who used to be the BBC docu-soap, the Only Way is Essex, has been transforming the Leigh Broadway
RESIDENTS at a care home were woken in the middle of the night to find people rummaging through their belongings, a health inspector found. Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission found problems with staffing levels and hygiene at Stafford
A FAMILY who were told to switch off their baby’s life support machine are looking forward to his first day at school after his miraculous recovery. Five years ago, Kelly Grahame, 38, and her husband Richard, 41, were faced with the heartbreaking
