THEY’VE already performed live on morning TV in America, in their quest for musical stardom. Now, the Peppermint Apes are turning their attention closer to home with a prestigious radio appearance back in Britain. The Basildon band are playing a late-night
MEET Gabriel, a band making waves in the world of pop and rock – but whose members have only met each other twice. The twosome is made up of Sally Elsey a mum-of-two from Canewdon and Albert Vinasco who lives more than 7,000 miles away in Argentina.
ESSEX moved into the top four of the Friends Provident t20 South Division with a comprehensive 66-run victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol. The Eagles posted 184 for four after winning the toss, Matthew Walker top-scoring with 66 and Scott Styris
SEASIDE sounds will be floating down the estuary as Leigh’s answer to Glastonbury kicks off tomorrow. The acclaimed Leigh Folk Festival returns for its 19th year and to celebrate its roots in the town, is inviting people to be a part of the music. A
GRAYS Magistrate Court could close, the Government has announced. Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke announced plans to close 157 magistrates' and county courts across England and Wales today to try and save £15.3m a year and a maintenance backlog bill
AFTER providing respite for carers for the past 18 years, a south Essex charity is spreading its wings. Crossroads, based on Canvey, aims to lessen the burden on those caring for sick or disabled relatives and friends, by offering respite care. The
EIGHT piglets have been born to a rare breed of curly-haired pig. Three mangalitza pigs, which have curly sheep-like hair and are native to Hungary and Austria, were introduced at Tropical Wings, in South Woodham Ferrers. At the time staff suspected
THEY say dogs are man’s best friend – but even by that high standard, those trained by the charity Canine Partners go the extra mile. The charity teaches puppies impeccable behaviour and household tasks, before placing them with a disabled person to
FIVE fearsome fish are the newest additions to a Southend aquarium. Five wolf fish have just arrived at Sea Life Adventure on the seafront – all named after characters from the Twilight films, which are about vampires and werewolves. The monsters of
A COMPANY is sending truckloads of teabags and custard creams over to France for ex-pats who can’t live without a taste of home. La Maison Removals, based in Rayleigh, was set up by John Steventon ten years ago to move furniture and personal possessions
MULTIPLE travel claims for back-to-back meetings, and claiming for party group meetings are among the items councillors have “inappropriately” put on their travel expenses forms, a report says. An internal investigation at Southend Council
THE head of Essex Police Authority has said more backroom jobs may have to go. Chairman Robert Chambers spoke after Prime Minister David Cameron met the chief constables of every force in England and Wales to discuss how constabularies could save money
SOUTHEND Council has trained its 41st recycling champion to boost the town's recycling rates. The volunteers encourage their friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to recycle more. Eight new champions were trained up during Recycle
ANY higher education cuts in today’s emergency Budget will mean less choice for students and could cost jobs, academics have warned. Staff at Essex University, which has a campus in Southend, were braced for bad news with Chancellor George Osborne expected
SOUTHEND is celebrating National Armed Forces Day in style this weekend. The Southend Salutes event is two days of family fun activities, entertainment and a parade in recognition of our servicemen and women of the past, present and future. Chalkwell
A WOMAN turned away from a Southend nightspot for having too many tattoos has accused the club of double standards. Sarah Woodford, 31, was refused admission to Dick de Vigne’s nightclub while out with friends, because of the extensive tattoos
DETAILS and images of a housing estate plan-ned on Thundersley green belt have been revealed. Earlier this month, the Echo reported Barratt Homes wanted to build 239 new homes on the controversial site, north of Daws Heath Road. Residents
GRASS in public areas across Basildon is not being cut. People in several parts of the district have complained about how untidy it is making their neighbourhoods. Now the council has given its grass cutting contractor, English Landscapes
THE Echo’s deputy sports editor Dick Marshall died on Sunday following a short illness. Dick, 63, clocked up 40 years of service with the Echo and its sister paper the Southend Standard. He was well known on the local non-league football circuit, but
IT was the best turnout so far for the Wednesday match at Northlands Park, where Wayne Candy once again took first place with a total weight of 28lb 10oz. Candy decided to fish the shallow end of the cafe lake where a gentle breeze was pushing. John
SCHOOLCHILDREN, residents and councillors have united to get behind Billericay’s trailblazing green campaign. The quest to crack down on the town’s above-average carbon emissions, was celebrated at the Emmanuel Church, with a special green day. Earlier
RESIDENTS say a quarter of an £80,000 community fund should be spent on a new garden for the local nursery. Neighbours packed a meeting at Ghyllgrove School, to tell Basildon councillors they wanted some of the cash spent on a garden at Barnett Bears
CHILDREN have designed posters for a competition to deter would-be criminals. Leigh Crime Prevention Panel, supported by the Lions Club of Leigh, organised the contest to involve young children in crime prevention. Each year group in schools across
BASILDON and Billericay MP John Baron has urged the Government to persuade the Israelis to negotiate with Hamas. Hamas, classed as a terrorist organisation by the West, holds power in the Palestinian Gaza strip. During a debate on the
SOUTHEND Council has completed its latest phase of sea defence repair work. Contractors have completed work along Westcliff and Chalkwell seafronts. Sections of the sea wall which had been damaged by 100 years of exposure to the elements have been reinstated
A GOVERNMENT review of health and safety legislation could help to save Canvey’s under-threat seaside paddling pool, according to MP Rebecca Harris. Castle Point Council had planned to bulldoze the pool, which is located on Canvey seafront, because it
David Cameron, in the lead-up to George Osborne’s emergency budget today, tells us the deficit cannot be reduced just by tackling the rich and benefit scroungers – public pay, perks and pensions will be the main target of cost-cutting measures
I have lived in Basildon for 32 years and have always gone to see the carnival. Is it just me, or has the carnival got worse over the years? I remember when it was worth getting wet to stand and watch, now it’s all pointless. There are many
I have been riding in the Progress Road area of Southend for 30 years, crossing the A127 to Hockley Woods, Edwards Hall park and Jubilee park, linking up with Gusted Hall. These bridleways are off road and safe. I and fellow riders find the
It is sad that 19 ATC Lasham workers have lost their jobs at Southend Airport (June 15), and I’m sure members of Stop Airport Expansion Now offer their sympathy. However, the Echo’s claim that any suggestion airport expansion is in question
The speed with which World Cup bunting was removed from lampposts and surrounding a pub in Great Wakering due to possible infringement of health and safety rules shows Essex County Council has its priorities firmly in place. There are benefits
SOUTHEND youngsters have helped create a breathtaking exhibit for the Hampton Court Flower Show. People from Southend’s youth offending service have been working since November on The Walled Garden, spending a total of 150 hours building the
PARENTS in Laindon can learn how to protect their children from the dangers of the internet. The increasing popularity of the web has seen a rise in the number of crooks targeting youngsters online. Now, in a bid to educate parents, the James Hornsby
SOUTHEND Council is being praised for reaching more than 85 per cent of its targets to improve services for residents. Latest figures reveal that the council has reached or exceeded more than 85 per cent of its corporate priority targets, which is the
A YOUNG man had his jaw broken in a Southend nightclub and his teeth damaged. The 20-year-old was attacked at Dick de Vignes, in Warrior Square, while enjoying a night out on Saturday, June 19. Police have now arrested a 26-year-old
Saturday November 13 O2 Arena Includes £24.50 seated/standing ticket and coach No under 16s admitted to standing area To book, call 01268 270027
OPERATORS of an unauthorised car wash have been given their marching orders. Turlbrook Properties, which owns the former Railway Hotel, in Pitsea Broadway, had rented the site to a hand car wash business. Bosses allowed workers to start washing just
A new performing arts school is to open in Basildon town centre this autumn. Kayzar Youth Services has plans to transform an empty shop in Market Pavement into the new Rhythm and Funk Performing Arts Centre. The company, which already runs weekly urban
AUTHOR Martina Cole has branched out into the music business, but even this venture has a “crime” angle to it. The writer, 50, who has sold more than three million crime fiction books worldwide, has formed her own record label, Hostage Music. The writer
A CAR and a motorbike were involved in a crash in Thorpe Esplanade last night. A silver Suzuki motorbike and a blue Ford Fiesta crashed in Thorpe Esplanade close to the Thorpe Bay Yacht Club at 9.45pm. The motorcyclist suffered some
TWO young mums brutally attacked a 13-year-old girl as she played on swings in a park. The schoolgirl was playing alone in Gainsborough Park, Westcliff, when the women demanded she get off the swings immediately. One then grabbed her hair and the other
A DISCOUNT clothing store in Southend High Street has closed unexpectedly. The former Madhouse shop, at the junction with Clifftown Road, was empty yesterday morning. Even the shop sign had been removed and the only evidence of the former
A MAN caught growing cannabis by firefighters who were called to his home to tackle a blaze has avoided jail. Barry, Earnshaw, 43, was caught out when a fire started in a hot tub in the garden shed at his home in Woodbury Road, Wickford, in
TOLL barriers at the Dartford Crossing could be removed in a bid to stop daily road chaos. The Government has said it will investigate how barriers on the crossing can be removed, with motorists using new technology to pay. The toll at the bridge and
PEDAL power was put to the test as 100 children christened the opening of a new cycle track. Southend mayor Ann Holland cut the ribbon for the new cycle track, which runs the length of the seafront. The new cycle track forms part of a cycle route that
ESSEX County Council had tough choices to make when it decided it needed to slash spending. Did it squeeze the budgets of departments which deliver frontline services? Or did it cut back on high-earning officers paid to make the big
