A SKIPPER was forced to evacuate ferry passengers after he feared the boat would sink. The Princess Pocahontas, a replacement boat for the regular Duchess M ferry, was being prepared for a return run from Gravesend to Tilbury when it was discovered it
A Territorial Army captain will soon be pounding the pavements to raise money to help save people's sight. David Daniel, 48, of Brightwell Avenue, Westcliff, is preparing to take to the streets of the capital in the London Marathon later this month.
YOU don't need to be an ardent admirer of Gordon Brown, or even an avid follower of politics to appreciate the Chancellor has been well and truly set up. What follows, then, is a rare thing: A defence of Gordon Brown, since fair play is an older principle
A TEENAGER was robbed at a cemetery by a mother and son who slashed him across the arm with a knife. The 16-year-old was walking through the graveyard, in Cliff Avenue, Westcliff, when he was approached by a man and a woman. They demanded his wallet
SOUTH Essex has got talent - television's Mr Nasty said so. Starmaker Simon Cowell has handpicked dance group Illuminate Beats, which has a base in Laindon, from 125,000 acts to join 39 others in the next round of a TV talent show, Britain's Got Talent
A HAPPY couple who met on an ice rink are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary. Joyce Leverington, who turns 80 on Monday, met her husband John, 81, more than 60 years ago at an ice rink in East London. Mrs Leverington said: "He was just riding
CHILDBIRTH - that ultimate labour of love - often takes on a rosier hue in the mother's eyes as the memory of it fades. But some would probably have to admit that, with the wisdom of hindsight, they might have gone through the process in a different
RESIDENTS aged over 60 are being encouraged to take part in a training programme to get their voices heard. Essex County Council and Anglia Ruskin University are offering people the chance to sign up to a free programme to help conduct research in adult
SPECIALIST workshops involving actors, musicians and dancers to help youngsters with Asperger's syndrome - a form of autism - are being set up in south Essex. The group, led by charity Supporting Asperger Families in Essex, will hold events aimed at
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a masked man driving a stolen car robbed a petrol station. The balaclava-wearing thief robbed the Three Ways petrol station in Runwell Road, Wickford, on Saturday morning. He pulled on to the forecourt at around
TEACHERS have united against students who bully them, saying their behaviour is "totally unacceptable". Union members say they are fed up with being targeted by so-called "cyber-bullies". Pupils use mobile phones or the internet to pass on inappropriate
THE family of a man with terminal bowel cancer has made a desperate plea to the council to find them a new home. John Geehan, 51, has spent months sleeping in the open lounge of his family's house in Ferrymead, Canvey, because he's too frail to use the
A WOMAN broke her wrist after her horse bolted because he was scared by a yob letting off a firework. Jenny Phipps, 20, was leading her horse back into stables at land off Haven Road, Canvey, where a gang of youths was loitering outside. As she shut
PLANNING permission has been granted for nine flats above a parade of shops. Officers at Castle Point Council have given the go ahead to developer BPT Southern for the three-storey development above a building in Roseberry Walk, off Church Road, Thundersley
WHEREVER there is a cause to be fought, Irene Willis is not far away. As a campaigner and eco-warrior, Ms Willis is always battling to protect the planet. She is an ardent supporter of anti-road protesters at Camp Bling in Southend and is a leading
PRIDE shows on the faces of these Southend, Leigh and Westcliff youngsters displaying their trophies after a successful outing to a karate competition held at Gable Hall school in Stanford. The young fighters - all members of the Goju style's Leigh dojo
ANOTHER 500 homes have been planned for Southend seafront and town centre after the council was forced to raise its housing numbers. However, Southend Council bosses have asked for more infrastructure funding to support the extra homes. Southend has
WHEN two shop workers arrived at work one day, they would never have guessed a chance meeting could have led to a possible television career. Charis Croucher, 23, and Emma Jarvis, 33, both work at the River Island clothes store in Southend High Street
A WOMAN convicted of selling sick and dying puppies three years ago is facing another Trading Standards investigation. Loretta Bastin, who owns Hot Dog Kennels at Dobe Farm, Wickford, is being investigated after a family claimed she sold them a dog with
DISGUSTED familes have called for an end to gay sex activity in a country park. Visitors to One Tree Hill Country Park, Langdon Hills, want police to stamp out the lurid goings-on. Jennifer Jarvis and Darren Ready, who run stables, at nearby Corringham
IF you were a member of the Phoenix Leigh East Ranger Unit, (part of Girlguiding UK we would love to see you at our 40-year celebration reunion on April 14 at St Michael's Church Hall, Leigh Road at 7.30. It promises to be an evening of nostalgia with
EXPANSION plans at Southend Pier Mus-eum have been put on hold - because the council has decided not to give it a grant. In the past, Southend Pier Museum Founda-tion has relied on annual grants from to help cover its running costs. This year, Southend
COME rain, wind or shine Sandra Walden has guided families safely across the road in Hadleigh. Now the popular lollipop lady is celebrating 30 years of patrolling the busy Rayleigh Road junction near Westwood Primary School. The grandmother-of-eight
TALENTED harpist Camilla Pay amazed audiences with her musical abilities at a meeting of Soroptimist International. She shared the stage with organist David Sandercock at St James Church in Leigh. Profits from the night will go to the group's charity
SCOUTS face a bill for thousands of pounds because people keep dumping waste on the site of their former sailing centre. Westcliff and Leigh Scouts hope to replace the centre, which burnt down on Two Tree Island a year ago, but their efforts to get the
A CRIME boss who stashed £100million of cocaine in a Leigh lock-up has been jailed for 30 years. Brian Brendan Wright, 60, known as the Milkman - because he always delivered - ran the most successful global trafficking network ever discovered in Britain
A HISTORIC fisherman's cottage has been rebuilt in Old Leigh and will soon be opened as a museum. The building is an exact replica of the original Plumbs Cottage, at Strand Wharf, and took more than a year to complete. It will now be opened as a museum
ANOTHER giant supermarket could be built in Southend as part of a plan to boost shopping in the borough. But small traders and residents' associations fear a large supermarket could kill off independent businesses. Southend Council believes there is
PHOENIX Leigh East Ranger Unit, part of the Girl Guides, is holding a reunion evening. Jackie Goddard, the original leader of the group, and who still runs it today, is searching for past members interested in meeting up and reminiscing. There will be
BILLERICAY Round Table has donated £3,040 to Sunnymede Pre-school to fund a playhouse and landscaping for its outdoor play area. The Table has helped the pre-school which recently had to relocate from the Outwood Community Centre
A MAN alleged to have helped a woman murder a young father has appeared at Basildon Crown Court for a preliminary hearing. Matthew Boulton, 30, of Victoria Avenue, Southend, is accused of assisting in the murder of father-of-one Ricky Wyatt and stealing
RESIDENTS planted permanent memories of their loved ones in a commemorative garden in Billericay. The 20 residents planted roses and shrubs in Festival Garden, in Crown Road, to remember relatives who had passed away. The scheme costs each person
CHILDREN and staff at a Stanford-le-Hope nursery have been expressing their artistic talents making banners for a nearby church and school. The children and staff of Footsteps Childcare Services - based at Hassenbrook School - have recently made two
ALMOST 90 patients escaped from mental health units in south Essex last year, raising concerns about the facilities' security. Figures obtained by the Echo, under Freedom of Information laws, revealed 87 patients sectioned at sites such as Runwell Hospital
A TAXI driver was punched and mugged during a racially-motivated attack. The Afro-Carribean man, 44, who lives in Basildon, was verbally abused, hit and robbed of more than £100. He picked up four men from Grays town centre in his grey Skoda Octavia
A WOMAN convicted of selling sick and dying puppies three years ago is facing another Trading Standards investigation. Loretta Bastin, who owns Hot Dog Kennels at Dobe Farm, Wickford, is being investigated after a family claimed she sold them a dog with
A DRINKER who stabbed a traveller love rival to death in a row over a girl wept in court as he was cleared of murder. Danny Turpin, 21, of Strait Road, East Ham, plunged the blade into the chest of Tommy Jones, 16, outside an East London pub, after he
The PDC World Darts Championship's 14-year love affair with Essex is over. From this December, the event - staged at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet since 1994 - will be held at Alexandra Palace in north London. Despite being a phenomenal success
AN online petition, calling for a third road off Canvey has attracted hundreds of signatures in just two weeks. Resident Jim Walsh, 48, set up the e-petition on the Government's website earlier this month, as reported by the Echo. The protest swiftly
CASTLE Point Conservative councillors say they are angry at being forced to fill in a questionnaire about how they paid for their football tickets. Footie fans who attended the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in March 2004, and the Southend United v Manchester
CAMPAIGNERS against the expansion of a gas storage terminal on Canvey are to hold a public meeting on Thursday, April 19. People Against Methane will meet at the Paddocks, in Long Road, Canvey at 7.30pm. Calor Gas wants to build two vast liquid natural
ELDERLY people will be able to get out and socialise more thanks to a £12,000 grant for a new minibus. The £33,000 minibus will ferry pensioners to Hockley and Hawkwell Day Centre for a hot lunch and entertainment. It took 18 months to raise enough
A LONG-serving council officer bade a fond farewell to life in local government at his retirement party. Friends and colleagues gathered at Castle Point Council's offices to toast John Hunter's achievements after 33 years' hard graft. Mr Hunter, of
THE devastated sister of a murder victim has paid tribute to her loving brother. Harpal Sumon had said he would "lay down his life" for his family. Tragically, last July, that was exactly what happened. Harpal was on a night out with his younger brother
Castle Point Sports Council meets today to set up a community sports network as an offshoot of the County Sports Partnership in the hope that it can get more people involved in sport. The sports council are taking an active role in the Essex initiative
Properties to Let in South Essex Units to Let Office & Workspace No Leas - No Legals All Inclusive of Business Rates Also Available on Site Large Commercial Units From 2,000 sq ft - 60,000 sq ft Call 08000 723348 Workshops & offices to let little
BOY racers using an industrial estate as a racetrack are finally being shown the red light by cops and transport bosses. What do you think? Click COMMENT For years, those living and working near to Paycocke Road, Basildon, and the nearby Mayflower
The Echo reports that sand from the beach by the new Ocean Beach Bar along Eastern Esplanade, Southend, has been washed away, some of it ending up in the nearby children's tidal pool (March 28). Consequently, the owners of the bar have had to pay for
I agree with S Askham (Letters, March 29 ) saying "Slavery wasn't my responsibility". None of my forefathers was connected with the slave trade. They were all desperately-poor Yorkshire agricultural labourers a long way from the coast. They wouldn't
I see members of Parliament have awarded themselves another back door pay rise. They might call it an allowance to run a website, but considering they already get in the region of £37,000 office expenses I feel another £10,000 is extremely generous. That
I do not know if Southend or Castle Point or Basildon Councils have plans to use the current once-a-fortnight refuse collection service that has been adopted by other regions. I hope not! This is a cynical EU- driven directive to help cut tippage into
Patients of the Hawkwell and Rochford GP practice are celebrating a victory inkeeping their surgeries open. I congratulate them on their campaign. However I believe this celebration may be premature, as the PCT has also decided to put the practice out
Last week I received a card through the post saying Royal Mail had a letter for me that was 5p short on the postage. To obtain this letter I could either post the card back with three first class stamps on or go and collect and pay £1.05 administration
The future decommissioning of the Gloucester Park swimming pool offers the people of Basildon a chance for their own art gallery. It would cost much less to convert an existing building than to create a new build, and we would be saving a valuable piece
Wickford residents will be well aware of the new apartment developments proposed for the town centre area, but are probably less aware of the benefits of these proposals to the shopping public. The majority of these developments also include a commercial
The Warren's Square Lake catch of the week went to Danny Jenkins. The Stanford-le-Hope lake had been fishing very well with bags of carp, tench, bream, roach and big perch reported. But Jenkins had seven carp in a session, with the best fish a
Northlands Park regular Lee Emery had a battle on his hands when he hooked a cracking 26lb 8oz carp from the cafe lake. Emery was fishing a swim below the cafe at the Basildon water when the big common accepted a fishmeal boilie cast tight to the reeds
Irene Willis, Canvey's legendary campaigner to save the planet, plans to move out of her Canvey home to live in a patch of woodland. "It's really difficult to be green living in a house," says the eco-warrior. There are downsides to living in a wood
Rail company c2c has made major strides in recent years, but it clearly still has lessons to learn. One is about communication. Monday night was clearly a nightmare on the Fenchurch Street line. Thousands of commuters were stranded for up to seven hours
Southend United defender Adam Barrett is ready to return to the Shrimpers first team. The committed centre-back has not figured since early February after undergoing surgery on a long-term groin injury. But with a successful week of training now
Having tackled the nation's finest, openside flanker Jackson Wray is now turning his attentions to the international arena. The King John School pupil has been called up into the England under 16 rugby squad. And he looks set to make his debut against
When Richard Thomas proudly looked on and saw his two daughters collect their karate black belts he thought: "If you can't beat them, join them". And now, two years later, Richard has done just that - at the same Hendon venue where his daughters achieved
Josh Batch helped England secure a shock success at the Chris Berwijst Tournament in Holland. The Wickford-based 16-year-old and his side had been tipped to struggle in Tilburg. But they upset the form guide by seeing of their rivals and eventually
Runnymede Swimming Club's young members continued to make an impact in the pool after great performances at the Borough of Waltham Forest Secondary Age Group Development Meet. This gala is run for the less experienced competitive swimmers in Essex
Southend-on-Sea Swimming Club ended the last block of the Essex County Age Group Championships on a high. The club, based at Warrior Swim Centre, finished in the top 10 clubs in the county for the first time since 1983. Twenty four swimmers from
BASILDON'S Festival Leisure Park is set to get more restaurants, bars and businesses. Chiquitos Mexican bar and restaurant is to open in the former Special Reserve computer shop, which has been closed for more than a year. A fenced-off patio area will
RAIL commuters have continued to criticise train company c2c, calling their trip home on Monday night a "train ride from hell". Some City workers reported boarding a train in London at 5.20pm, only to arrive home in south Essex seven hours later, after
WHEREVER there is a cause to be fought, Canvey's Irene Willis is not far away. As a campaigner and eco-warrior, Ms Willis is always battling to protect the planet. She is an ardent supporter of anti-road protesters at Camp Bling in Southend and is a
FOUR striking seafront apartment blocks have been shortlisted for an architectural award. The connected blocks, which form the Outlook Building, in Parade Walk, Shoebury, are up for the Royal Institute of British Architecture award in the East of England
A PITSEA mum cried tears of joy after scooping a £180,000 national bingo jackpot. The woman, who has asked not to be named, won the money by beating players at more 500 Gala Bingo clubs nationwide. The 25-year-old winner was playing at the Gala Club
A YOUNG man was killed instantly after he was hit by a fast-moving train. The 24-year-old from Basildon died from multiple injuries. Police said they cannot yet officially release the man's identity because they have been unable to reach his mum, who
POLICE swooped on a house and discovered more than 280 cannabis plants growing inside. Officers were tipped off about the unusual behaviour at the home, in Lifstan Way, Southend, from people living nearby. Police received reports of people acting suspiciously
YOUNGSTERS will be able to trip the light fantastic thanks to a gaudily-coloured caravan. The suitably-titled "cameravan" will be at the Focal Point Gallery in Southend Central Library and it will be taken around the borough over the next few months.
A DEVELOPER has resubmitted plans for apartments near a conservation area - with four extra flats in the application. Docnor Developments has submitted proposals for 22 one and two-bedroom apartments, to replace industrial buildings next to the junction
