Stories for 28 March 2002

Basildon,Essex News

Basildon: Hi-tech idea to replace benefit forms

The misery of the 25-page benefits claim form could be a thing of the past after the Government announced it would be backing an innovative pilot in Basildon.   more...

Laindon: Sherry's a real headturner...

Sherry Higgs shows off her eggs-eptional creation which ensured she was a winner at an Easter hat parade.   more...

Billericay: Phew! What a load of rubbish

A towering mountain of rubbish outside a block of flats is making life unbearable, according to a nearby worker.   more...

Basildon: Top Tory helps launch campaign for power

Tory councillors formally launched their fight for power in Basildon, with shadow minister Teresa May called in to bolster the forces.   more...

Laindon: Route for ramblers

Ramblers are invited to join in a seven-mile walk starting in Laindon on Sunday, March 30, at 10.30am.   more...

Basildon: Secret home of sneaky travellers

Travellers are secretly building their own "permanent" concrete base behind an eight-foot mud mound screening them from the gaze of the concerned public, it has been revealed.   more...

Basildon,Essex Sport

Netball: Robins feather their nest in league

Wickford's Robins Netball Club are bobbing along nicely after sweeping the board in the Chelmsford Youth Netball League.   more...

Basildon,Essex,Southend News

Essex: Are schools so desperate?

A jobless actor who was asked to teach languages he couldn't even speak has claimed the issue highlighted the "dire" state of Essex's schools.   more...

Castle Point: Get your bags at the ready

Stand by your bag! Special biodegradable ones are about to be delivered by Castle Point Council for keen gardeners to fill up with lawn mowings and failed plants.   more...

Benfleet: Rotary quiz raises £200

A quiz night organised by the Rotary Club of Benfleet raised almost £200 for charity.   more...

Basildon,Essex,Southend Sport

Boxing: Mahoney hits out for quarter final place

Ryan Mahoney boxed his way to the national youth quarter finals with two wins at the Eastern Counties champs at Ingatestone.   more...

Basildon,Essex,Southend,Thurrock Sport

Soccer: McBride's woe as Fleet get cup boot

Purfleet soccer manager Colin McBride admitted to being bitterly disappointed at yesterday's news that his side have been thrown out of the Essex Senior Cup.   more...

Basildon,Essex,Thurrock Sport

Soccer: Easter rush starts

Both Billericay Town and Great Wakering Rovers start busy Easter programmes of three games in five days this evening.   more...

Chelmsford,Essex News

Chelmsford: Drug rape survey shock

A shocking catalogue of previously unreported crimes has emerged following a police survey in Chelmsford about drug rape and sexual assault.   more...

Mid- Essex: Baddow Race proving popular

Applications are flooding in for this year's Baddow Charity Races, which are on Sunday May 19.   more...

Chelmsford: Death crash driver named

A driver who died after his car collided with a tree outside the entrance to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, has been named.   more...

Chelmsford: Kids have fun getting better

Children recovering in hospital will be able to have fun and get better at the same time.   more...

Chelmsford: Woman scared to open door

A 91-year-old woman is afraid to open her front door after a couple in tracksuits stole cash she had specially saved.   more...

Ingatestone: Wife-strangler avoids jail term

A husband who killed his alcoholic wife during a row over cancelling a holiday had suffered enough and should not go to prison, a judge said.   more...

Colchester,Essex News

Colchester: Governor jailed for child abuse

A school governor has been jailed for six years after being convicted of using a game of Simon Says to sexually abuse two young children.   more...

Colchester: Bone scan service grinds to a halt

A unique scanning service for people at risk of osteoporosis has ground to a halt - just months after it was launched.   more...

Colchester: Afghan hound Tiger looking for a home

Animal lovers have been queueing up to offer a home to Tiger - the Afghan hound who was adopted by Colchester soldiers in Kabul.   more...

Colchester: Cycle track dream realised

The realisation of a dream - that's Colchester's new cycling track.   more...

Essex: Thief returned to old ways

A thieving heroin user who was given his freedom by a judge last year went home to find his wife in bed with another man.   more...

Colchester: Theatre set for first night

Fifteen years hard work to bring a centre for amateur performing arts to Colchester was realised today with the official opening of the £500,000 Headgate Theatre project.   more...

Colchester,Essex Sport

Soccer: Reuser's still razor-keen

Martijn Reuser believes he still has a vital role to play in Ipswich Town's quest to stay in the Premiership.   more...

Soccer: Holland brings home the bacon with assured display...

Ipswich Town's Matt Holland played 90 minutes for the Republic of Ireland in last night's friendly success against Denmark at Lansdowne Road.   more...

Soccer: Atkin's D-Day for Woodman

Oxford manager Ian Atkins has signed Colchester United goalkeeper Andy Woodman just ahead of today's transfer deadline.   more...

Soccer: Second string U's fall to O's...

Ben Cranfield netted the lone goal for Colchester United as the U's reserves lost 2-1 at home to Leyton Orient yesterday.   more...

Essex Business

Chelmsford: Cheer at funeral parlour

A Chelmsford funeral directors has become the first in Essex to achieve the prestigious Investor In People award.   more...

Essex: Trust gives advice on stress at work

As this year's Mental Health Week approaches, one hospital trust is advising that workers take a few minutes out every day in a bid to cut stress levels.   more...

Clacton: Probe into blaze at label factory

Investigations are continuing into a blaze which wrecked Yeomans factory in Valley Road, Clacton.   more...

Rochford: Paula's new pet shop is a dream come true

A childhood dream was realised last week when Paula Shutz opened her very own pet food store in Rochford.   more...

Colchester: Workers hurt after cinema scaffolding fall

Two builders were hurt when they fell from a scaffolding tower on the site of Colchester's new cinema.   more...

Colchester: Homes planned for office sites

Offices in Colchester's East Hill area are set to make way for 23 new homes - the latest in a flurry of developments east of the town's shopping centre.   more...

Frinton: Third rebuff for ice cream kiosk

It was third time unlucky for Frinton businessman Ernie White as his bid to open up an ice cream kiosk on Frinton's prestigious greensward was licked yet again.   more...

Colchester: It's the end of the yarn

A wool shop that has been in Colchester for almost two decades is closing down.   more...

Southend: Teenager left fake bomb at Royals

A teenager planted a fake bomb in a Southend shopping centre sparking a massive evacuation, a court heard.   more...

Colchester: Retail chains 'queueing up' to move in

More than 2,000 jobs could be created in Colchester - if extra shop space were available, it has been revealed.   more...

Braintree: Police 'two days late' says trader

Police took two days to turn up after youths caused havoc in Braintree town centre.   more...

Brentwood: Views sought on new street market

Councillors are to forge ahead with a public debate over ambitious plans for a new street market in Brentwood High Street.   more...

Basildon: BAE sweats on share price level

Defence group BAE Systems - employer of 1,400 workers in Basildon - is reviewing the proportion of foreign-owned shares in its company on a daily basis in an effort to maintain its status as a British-owned company.   more...

Essex News

Essex: Police plan goes online

Essex Police is to publish its Policing Plan for the coming year on its website for the first time this week.   more...

Chappel: Budding love at show

After falling in love at first sight, Bill and Lily Wendon had the job of finding their first home.   more...

Maldon: Police cover 'spread too thinly'

Fewer bobbies are on the beat around Maldon because the police station's cells are still out of action.   more...

Tiptree: Compensation for attacked brothers

Two brothers are to receive £800 in compensation after they were assaulted in a Tiptree street.   more...

Bradwell: N-station set to close

An official ceremony is due to be held to mark the closure of Bradwell power station on the Essex coast, one of Britain's oldest nuclear power stations.   more...

Wickham Bishops: Noticeboard set alight by vandals

A priest has branded vandals "stupid" after they set fire to a church noticeboard.   more...

Dedham, Lawford: Passenger, 17, dies in road crash

A 17-year-old girl was killed when the car she was in crashed into a telegraph pole in the early hours of this morning.   more...

Chipping Ongar: Safety boost for pupils

The safety of young children journeying to and from Chipping Ongar Primary School is set to be boosted under an innovative set of proposals unveiled this week.   more...

Little Oakley: Man 'snapped' after sex taunts

A man who assaulted a 14-year-old boy has been given a conditional discharge after magistrates heard how he had been taunted by the youngster.   more...

Mersea: Birds love the island life

The number of birds spending winter on Mersea Island is increasing, thanks to a Government grant scheme.   more...

Jaywick: Police sort out Eleanor's flood

A pensioner praised police for becoming her knights in shining armour after her bathroom flooded late at night - and Tendring Council refused to help.   more...

Braintree: House guest surprise for holidaymakers

When a couple returned to their Braintree home from a holiday in Cyprus they were surprised to find a lot of dirty crockery and food and property missing.   more...

Harold Hill: Mother and daughter killed in blaze tragedy

A mother and her young daughter died in a horror fire in their Harold Hill flat at the weekend, leaving the local community stunned.   more...

Essex: Waste plan challenge fails

Campaigners battling to overturn a council decision which they fear could allow incinerators as part of waste management in Essex lost their case at London's High Court this week.   more...

Essex Sport

Soccer: Dereham 0-1 Clacton Town (aet) (Jewson League Cup Final)

Better late than never! Clacton Town have brought the Jewson League Cup home after 28 years following a stunning extra-time winner by late arrival Shane Bailey.   more...

Soccer: Jubilant Bailey seals cup win

Jubilant Shane Bailey was in seventh heaven after netting Clacton Town's Jewson League Cup winner against Dereham.   more...

Essex,Southend News

Southend: Late-night attacker sought

Police are hunting a man who tried to force himself on to a woman at her house in Southend.   more...

Southend: Mentally ill to get new walk-in centre

A new £750,000 walk-in centre for people with severe mental health problems could be up and running by next year.   more...

Thundersley: Fundraisers take the plunge to make £8,000

Generous swimmers plunged in to raise an estimated £8,000 for charity at Runnymede Pool, Thundersley.   more...

Westcliff: Guilty of sex assault

A mosque volunteer hung his head as a jury found him guilty of indecently assaulting a nine-year-old boy.   more...

Thunderlsey: Two plan a fishing lake

Two Thundersley anglers are hoping to beat rowdy yobs by turning a pond in Thundersley's Coombe Wood into a fishing lake.   more...

Southend: £1m campaign to save Empire

Singer Tessa Davies is spearheading a £1m fundraising drive to safeguard the future of Southend's New Empire Theatre.   more...

Southend: Man rescued from old pipe

Emergency crews were forced to crawl into disused pipes to rescue a man believed to be attempting suicide.   more...

Essex,Southend Sport

Soccer: Flahavan may stay with the Shrimpers

Southend United's last remaining contract rebel -- goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan -- has revealed that he hasn't ruled out staying at Roots Hall for another season.   more...

Soccer: Rio signed to end of season

Southend United boss Rob Newman has signed midfield triallist Rio Alderton from Millwall until the end of the season.   more...

Soccer: Southend United 1-1 Millwall (Avon Insurance Combination League)

Southend United's second-string held Millwall to a Roots Hall draw yesterday afternoon, extending the Shrimpers' unbeaten Avon Insurance Combination League run to four matches.   more...

Essex,Thurrock Business

Horndon: Pub is blazing success

A pub in Horndon-on-the-Hill has been voted Essex Real Fire Pub Of The Year.   more...

Essex,Thurrock News

South Ockendon: Running robber snatches bag

A woman was robbed of her handbag in broad daylight as she walked along Derwent Parade, South Ockendon.   more...

Thurrock: Staff at schools cash in

Staff from 20 schools are to get a cash bonus from the Government for helping pupils to achieve high or improved test results.   more...

Tilbury: Inspectors praise school attendance record

Pupils at a Tilbury School have won praise from OFSTED inspectors .... especially for their attendance record.   more...

Essex,Thurrock Sport

Speedway: Tapes go up on Russell's season

Arena Essex Hammers get their season out of the gate with a challenge match against local rivals Rye House tomorrow -- but for co-promoter Ronnie Russell it is a past versus present clash.   more...

Weightlifting: Shaun weighs in with Championship silver

Horndon weightlifter Shaun Mason muscled his way in on a silver medal at the British Schoolboy Championships in Birmingham.   more...

  
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