LAKESIDE Hammers return to action this Friday with the visit of local rivals, the Eastbourne Eagles, for a Sky Sports Elite League track clash. This is the team’s only home meeting during the period of the World Cup and the meeting is a must-win for
CUTTING an idyllic and colourful figure against Southend seafront, beach huts that have weathered the test of time highlight memories of a bygone era. Walking along the seafront, passersby are greeted by the colourful wooden huts, crammed with
A GANG of thieves is being hunted by the police after they stole from stores across south Essex. The crooks are believed to have struck at six stores in one day and police believe they could be responsible for similar crimes in other parts
VANDALS who sprayed new bus shelters and street signs with graffiti have been branded “mindless yobs” by Southend councillors. The brainless taggers daubed their identification markings on shelters and “keep left” signs on the A13 London Road
EVIDENCE of people living in Essex 600,000 years ago has been discovered in a school playing field. Part of a flint, created by a human hand and thought to date back 600,000 years, was dug up underneath sports pitches at Westcliff High School
CARERS who dedicate their lives to looking after others were honoured with a special buffet lunch at the Salvation Army's Training Centre at Hadleigh Farm The lunch marked Carers Week, which ended yesterday and celebrates the contribution that
SHOPPERS donated more than £1,000 for Bosom Pals. Organiser Malachy O’Sullivan, from Shoebury, along with 15 other volunteers spent Saturday carefully chalking out the name Bosom Pals on the pavement outside Jessops, in Southend High Street, and arranging
RESIDENTS are urging councillors to block costly plans to widen two country lanes for access to the Olympic mountain biking venue at Hadleigh Farm. Members of Castle Point Council’s development control committee are due to vote on the application
Rochford parish councillors should hang their heads in shame for objecting to a 12ft by 10ft shed, which would house a few garden tools and outside play equipment for disabled groups. They are discriminating against disabled children and adults
It’s good to see the English flag being reclaimed from the fascist fringe during the football World Cup, but is Chas Cheesman right to say the England team should at least all learn to sing the national anthem? (June 16) What if a player had perfectly
Servicemen will die as long as we continue the unnecessary and probably unwinnable war in Afghanistan. A withdrawal would would save lives and many millions of pounds. David Barratt Southbourne Grove Westcliff
I was disgusted to read of the failure to declare an interest in a local planning application by Leigh ward councillor Alan Crystall and his wife, Elaine, a Leigh town councillor. Mr Crystall has served on the council for what seems like a decade
On behalf of the Southend and District branch of Guide Dogs for the Blind Association I would like to thank customers and staff of Tesco, Prince Avenue, Southend, for the £954.52 collected on June 2 and 3. This will help the association to provide
As a Castle Point resident I am fed up with the ever-increasing range of bins needed to segregate my rubbish into. We already have the black, pink, green and blue bags and the yellow bin. Now, I read an article in the Echo headlined Food Recycling
Southend Council group manager states the boot sale at Leigh station car park would “lead to conflict in vehicle movements to the detriment of highways and pedestrian safety and the free flow of traffic”. That sentence defines this bureaucrat
The council has employed architects AEW to design and build its seafront eyesore, sorry restaurant with museum on the side. It described the Manchester firm as prestigious – so prestigious it doesn’t even have a working website! I have tried
I share David Barratt’s concerns about immigration, but he is wrong about the majority of immigrants coming from within the EU. (June 11). The House of Commons library shows that of the jobs created by New Labour, 1,130,000 went to immigrants
As two correspondents pointed out, Southend Council seems hell-bent on laying speed humps in as many roads as it can (June 14). Aware of the damage these do to cars, I always make an effort to avoid such roads. There are enough warning signs
I would urge the people of Canvey to think twice before endorsing plans to turn the town centre shopping area into a pedestrian precinct. Having experienced the pedestrianisation of Woolwich, Bromley, Bexleyheath and Dartford town centres,
I pay tribute to the generous people of Canvey. During this time of recession and anxiety over jobs, the local church raised £2,500 for Christian Aid by making door-to-door collections, and holding a coffee morning, lunch and a jumble sale. Sheila
Despite daily news bulletins telling us the country must reduce our debts, the public sector still doesn’t get it. If a Southend Council manager is off sick, his or her workload should be shared by other staff. Why recruit someone else and double
I was sorry to hear of the problems encountered at Southend Hospital by G Strobridge. However, I cannot let this pass without mentioning my own experiences over the past 15 years with the hospital. On my visits I have found the appointment system
I would like to express my outrage at comments recently made by Dr Jennifer Blandford regarding South Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust. I am a previous employee of the trust and a former colleague of Dr Blandford, and I can say
In response to John Bulley’s letter on June 11, I say since moving back to Southend last year I have experienced a rich mix of interesting events that Metal has produced. I’m sure the 20,000 people who went to Village Green last year would agree
J Hargreaves suggests councils should seek to cull the growing populations of urban foxes (June 16). Yet how can this be done? We can’t have wardens roaming our streets with shotguns, nor can we use traps or poisons as these would destroy more
With regard to the article on June 15 about the proposed alcohol exclusion zone in Shoebury, it appears a number of areas wish to benefit from such schemes. A recent letter from councillor Judy McMahon advised she had been pursuing such a scheme
Dave Blackwell makes a valid point that the cabinet system in Castle Point should go (June 15). However, an elected mayor is unlikely to be any better. There has to be a system in place that is competent, democratic and transparent. Most important
ALASTAIR Cook is to be given the opportunity to captain England again. The Essex batsman will captain the England Lions in a one-day triangular tournament against India A and West Indies A. Cook will captain several players with full England experience
ESSEX Pirates star Taner Adu will pull on an England shirt for the first time this weekend. Adu, who was Pirates’ top points scorer last season, will be facing both Scotland and Lithuania in friendly clashes which are being held in Worcester. And
FORMER Southend United man Justin Hazell has signed for Braintree Town. The ex-Southend United striker has rejected a new one-year contract at Roots Hall. Instead, the 18-year-old former Westcliff High School for Boys pupil wants to pursue a career
A NEW shop aimed at helping out small local businesses has opened in Southend. Business To Go, in London Road, aims to be a walk-in service for people who want to set up their own business, offering accountancy and web design packages. MP James Duddridge
TWO multimillion-pound sporting projects in south Essex have reached another milestone. The ambitious £38million sporting village in Basildon is taking shape, with steel framework now in place. While the external work on the 25-metre swimming pool at
AN 11-year-old boy was dragged into an alleyway and beaten in an unprovoked attack. He had been walking past the path which runs from Rayleigh Road to Steeplefield, in Eastwood, when he was grabbed and pulled out of view. A teenage boy then repeatedly
IT was obvious straight away this was not an ordinary school dinner. The small group of about 15 staff and pupils of Canvey’s controversial Continuum School all sat down to eat together like a close, if boisterous, family. The school caters for children
A MAN with learning disabilities was brutally set upon by robbers, twice in a month. He was first attacked in an alleyway, off Southchurch Road, Southend, and sustained a broken nose. The 25-year-old was approached by a thug, who punched him in the
WHEN is a shed not a shed? When it’s a pirate ship... Reg Miller, 65, has spent more than two years converting his home-made garden shed into a pirate ship paradise after being inspired by the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
POLICE will be stop checking riders on mopeds, motorbikes and bicycles to try to crack down on an increasing number of thefts. Officers and PCSOs will be checking riders’ details and the ownership of their vehicles following the rise of thefts across
THIS is the face of the thug who threatened three women with a broken bottle before robbing them. Detectives have released the e-fit of the man in a bid to snare him. The crook has now struck three times in recent weeks, robbing a terrified nurse
WORKERS facing redundancy were furious to be told their company would be spending millions of pounds to continue sponsoring the FA Cup. Bosses at energy giant Eon told employees via e-mail the company was extending its sponsorship of the football tournament
POLICE are searching for a 17-year-old girl who has gone missing from her home in Hullbridge. Mao Ying Zhang, an asylum seeker from China, who has been living with foster carers in Hullbridge, went missing on Tuesday, May 25, after taking all her possessions
PARENTS, teachers and community groups across Essex will be able to set up and run their own schools under Government plans. Education Secretary Michael Gove announced he will be relaxing planning laws to make it easier to set up new, state-funded independent
A CONTROVERSIAL school which residents blame for an increase in antisocial behaviour looks set to stay put – despite promises to move it. Police have received complaints of youngsters throwing stones at vehicles, shouting abuse at passers-by and running
THIS is how the A127 at Progress Road will look once a £5.2million road widening scheme is complete. Work is due to start on the scheme any day now. The long-awaited improvements to the junction, which is notorious for rush-hour delays
A MURDERER who is serving a life sentence for the ruthless execution of a police informer, has lost an appeal against his conviction. Ricky Percival was found guilty of the cold-blooded killing of Dean Boshell on the evidence of informant,
A REVIEW into the effectiveness of Basildon Hospital’s managers and board of directors has been called for by Thurrock councillors. An overwhelming majority of councillors from all political parties voted in favour of the motion, which also
