THE great fuel protest fizzled out. Instead of the mass demonstration expected at the Shell refinery, Purfleet, just one person turned out. Retired care assistant June Walker, 61, of Rainham, said: "I've got nothing to do with the haulage industry
A "CHAUFFEUR to the stars" will have to face a second trial over a horrific crash which left a woman paralysed - because the jury failed to reach a verdict. Paul Prior, 38, who reportedly counts Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston among his clients, denied
YACUBU broke the Hammers' hearts for the second time in a week as Everton made it back to back wins at Upton Park. Yacubu scored with two minutes to go on Wednesday as the Toffees won 2-1 to knock West Ham out of the Carling Cup at the quarter-final
SOUTHEND'S week of three wins on the spin came to an end away to League One leaders Swansea. The Blues had seen off Huddersfield, Swindon and Oxford at Roots Hall in the space of seven days, but knew they would have their work cut out at the Swans.
EUROPEAN Union commissioners were quizzed by a team of students about problems facing Essex fisheries. The 12 journalism degree students, from South East Essex College, Southend, travelled to Brussels to gather stories and research for an assignment
ZANY, outrageous, eccentric, crazy or just plain weird? David Gest has been described as all of the above and he relishes every description. He begins our chat with a tale of an aunt who lives in Southend an drank 50 cups of tea a day. You are never
THERE'S nothing more Christmassy than gliding around an ice rink, wrapped up in gloves and a scarf. You don't even have to travel all the way to Chelmsford or Romford for the chilly pleasure now, because there's a real ice rink based at Basildon's Festival
TWO men arrested after they fled from police have been released on bail. The two men sparked a police chase after they sped off from officers called to Basildon's Festival Leisure Park who had come to investigate two allegations of assault at the Ignite
AS MILLIONS of TV viewers get set for an evening of explosive entertainment tonight, TV licence evaders in south Essex are being warned there will be no place to hide. As the final of X Factor and the semi-final of Strictly Come Dancing are screened,
THE extension of kerbside recycling schemes could mean a big reduction in bottle banks across the Rochford district, councillors were told. A review of recycling banks in the district's car parks is set to get under way as the council adopts a new waste
ASPIRING pantomime artistes and writers take note! A new rule has been added to the ancient traditions of panto - don't do traveller jokes. Jonathan Kiley, executive producer of Cinderella at the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff, recalls an Ugly Sisters gag
SCROOGES claiming to be Jehovah's Witnesses have asked residents to take down their Christmas lights because they find them offensive. Notes were posted through several letterboxes, in Hyde Way, Wickford, urging homeowners to get rid of decorative Santas
A MAN apologised for smashing the window of a pub in anger after he was told his children could not go in. Daniel McGill, 30, of Hornby Avenue, Westcliff, pleaded guilty to criminal damage after smashing a pane of glass at the Blue Boar pub in Victoria
CASTLE Point Council has overpaid more than £750,000 in housing benefit in the past six years, it has been revealed. Figures obtained by the Echo under the Freedom of Information Act reveal a total of £774,797 housing benefit overpayments have been identified
JUST two of the 2,000 sex offenders in Essex monitored by police and probation officers have seriously reoffended, it has been revealed. In the first case, a high-risk offender seriously assaulted his drug dealer. In the second, Rory Griffin, 24, raped
