SOUTHEND United have boosted their squad with two new signings ahead of tomorrow’s season opener against Accrington Stanley. Blues have brought in midfielder John Spicer on a year long deal. And they have also signed Watford striker Britt Assombalonga
ATHLETICS clubs have seen numbers swell on their track nights after the excitement of track and field at the Olympics got youngsters desperate to have a go at the sport. Basildon Athletics Club is no exception, with youngsters forming queues to
SOUTHEND AC are also experiencing a surge in interest – and it’s not just the youngsters. Club secretary June Cork said since the Olympics began she has had enquiries from parents of children as young as six and from people wanting to take up the
FITZWIMARC School teacher Kate Cowley insists she still unfinished business to attend to before she retires from athletics at the end of this season. The 29-year-old is a former multi-eventer, having represented Great Britain at senior, under-23
FAMILIES are invited to take part in a gardening funday at an allotments. Children and young people with disabilities are invited to the Growing Together Gardens in Fairfax Drive, Westcliff, on Friday, August 31 to take part in a range of garden-based
RUMBLING trucks, road closures and restricted parking will hit Southend’s seafront this autumn as £3.5million cliff slip repairs get under way. Southend Council will be forced to shut one carriageway of Western Esplanade and direct lorries full
MICHAEL Guess has been named as Southend Rugby Club’s new captain. The 28-year-old prop forward takes over from Mark Williams, who has gone full time as Southend United’s strength and conditioning coach. And Guess knows he has a tough act to
A GP who ran over and killed a great-grandmother in his Porsche while his eyesight was “severely impaired” could be struck off as a doctor. Dr Aloke Basu, 67, was jailed for two years and banned from driving for life after being found guilty of
WE get our league season underway again tomorrow against Accrington Stanley and we’re all very much looking forward to it. The last two games, against Tottenham Hotspur and Peterborough United, kicked us in the teeth a little bit, but before then
ANGLERS across Castle Point have been left angry, upset and out of pocket by a thieves targetting their fishing tackle. The angling community has seen thousands of pounds worth of equipment being stolen from garages and garden sheds. Gone Fishing
THE mum of a toddler who beat a rare kidney disease is hoping to raise money for the specialist doctors who saved his life. Jenna Webber, 25, of High Street, Canvey , is full of praise for medics at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London, who
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to stop hundreds of homes being built on a beauty spot hope a Tory MP will back them in the battle. Stephen Metcalfe, MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock , could be the ace in the pack for protesters against plans to
HOW’S that for a dog’s dinner? This loveable pet likes nothing more than munching on mobile phones, batteries and beer cans, instead of the usual canine treats. In fact, Nelson’s hazardous appetite for household objects has resulted in 45 costly
A SHOP worker was threatened by a knife-wielding robber during a hold-up. The 63-year-old man was working at the MiniMart in Hart Road, Benfleet when the raider struck. He threatened the frightened employee with the blade before forcing him
THE legacy of one of Essex’s most famous actresses is set to Carry On – thanks to a mum and daughter. The former home of Joan Sims, at Laindon station, has been transformed into a florist and barber shop by mum and daughter Renee and Ella Saunders
CONCORD are close to completing a deal to bring in former Charlton Athletic striker Tosan Popo ahead of their season opener against Bognor Regis Town. Beachboys manager Danny Cowley has moved quickly to fill the gap left by the health scare for
I THINK with the signings West Ham have made this season could be a long hard struggle for them. For me if they finish one place above relegation that will be a decent season for them. If they’d managed to bring in someone like Andy Carroll
STUART Bingham had a deflating day on his latest outing on snooker’s Players Tour Championship in the West County. South Essex’s top snooker player had a nightmare journey to the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester which ended in a luckless
JESSICA Judd ran her first race since the World Junior Championships in Barcelona on Wednesday night – and showed little sign of rustiness. The 17-year-old, who won a silver medal in the 800m in Barcelona and finished fifth in the 1,500m, won the
A MAN has been jailed for life after stabbing his ex-partner to death at her Southend home. Martin Bunch, 44, had been found guilty of the murder of 47-year-old Jeanette Goodwin following a four week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court
GAVIN Tomlin has declared himself fit for Southend United’s League Two opener with Accrington Stanley tomorrow. The 29-year-old attacker missed Tuesday’s Capital One Cup defeat at Peterborough United. But he is ready to return to action at
The first ever group of midwife helpers, known as maternity support assistants, are about to graduate from their two-year apprenticeships at Basildon Hospital . During their time split between on-the-job training and studying at the hospital’
FRIENDS, family and proud supporters got one over on Olympic medallist Max Whitlock when they surprised him with a party on his return to Basildon . The new poster boy of British gymnastics thought he was being dragged to the Holiday Inn, at the
POLITICIANS from all parties have vowed to help save a popular sports and social club, which is threatened by Coryton’s closure. MPs and councillors came together to discuss the future of the Pegasus Club, in Corr- ingham, which has been in doubt
DETECTIVES have issued an e-fit of a man who forced his way into a house in hullbridge and made a woman hand over at least £10,000 cash. He was one of three men that broke into the house in Lower Road between midday and 2pm on Wednesday, August
COUNCILLORS should “have some heart” and save two closure-threatened care homes, residents’ relatives have urged. Southend Council is looking at the future of Delaware House, in Maplin Way North, Shoebury , and Priory House, in Prittlewell Chase
DON'T miss today's Echo for your souvenir centre spread picture of Southend United's team and fixtures list for 2012/13.
SHOCKING online videos showing boy racers tearing around roads at Lakeside Shopping Centre have shocked residents and councillors. The videos uploaded to YouTube showed the extent of the danger the youngsters pose to road users as they race on
DRAINAGE problems which flooded homes in Benfleet could be dealt with by joint action by all the parties involved. Andy Copley, 41, his pregnant wife, Hannah, and their 18-month-old daughter, Isabella, have still not been able to move back into
CAMPAIGNERS claim council chiefs have “misled” the public over the need for new flood defences in Shoebury . Opponents of Southend Council’s plans to build a wall of mud and steel through Shoebury Common, using soil dug out during the cliff slip
SCHOOLCHILDREN are boldly going where many of their peers have been before by enrolling in an American space camp. Dozens of pupils from St Clere’s School in Butts Lane, Stanford-le-Hope have been given the chance to become astronauts for the summer
MONEY will be raised at a musical extravaganza thrown by an operatic and dramatic society this weekend. Members of Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society will perform chorus numbers and solos from musicals including Wicked, Les Miserables, Beauty
DAVID Martin has been made available for transfer by Southend United. The 27-year-old winger has fallen out of favour at Roots Hall since signing from Derby County for a nominal fee last January. And Blues boss Paul Sturrock has now revealed
