A BILLERICAY drummer has been making some of Hollywood’s top actors sit up and listen, after his band scored a part in a new Drew Barrymore move. Piers Hewitt, 30, and his three fellow bandmates in the Boxer Rebellion have been thrust into the limelight
A RESTAURANT has been dealt a blow after councillors vetoed retrospective plans to use a shop next door as a bar and waiting area. The Estuary restaurant, in Leigh Broadway, has been using the adjoining linked premises as an area for its customers
MY head is bloody, but unbowed,” goes the famous poem from William Ernest Henley. If ever the phrase summed someone up, it would be Cherry Scott: Poet, performance artist and domestic abuse survivor. Cherry has an incredibly infectious personality
A LAUNDRY boss says he has been left high and dry after his plans to expand a business were knocked back by the council. Simon Bannister, who runs Canvey Island Ironing and Laundry Services, wanted to expand his business by creating a new laundrette
RESIDENTS warned council leaders they will not allow a “single brick” to be built on their playing fields. The latest public meeting over Basildon Council’s plans to sell off playing fields across the district to fund the new Sporting Village in Gloucester
A FLUKE Micah Hyde goal settled an entertaining FA Cup tie in which both teams ended with ten men. The former Watford man’s corner floated straight into the corner of the net after 68 minutes. It was the least Town deserved, but nobody could fault
MAX Lette-Jallow hit a debut goal for Thurrock to earn a point which has lifted them out of the bottom three. The new recruit from Bishop’s Stortford latched on the Matt Bodkin’s pass in the 65th minute and fired them in front with a composed finish.
CONCORD Rangers booked their place in the next round of the FA Cup thanks to a late winner against Hemel Hempstead from Tony Stokes. With the scores tied at 1-1, Stokes rose highest in the 85th minute to head home Danny Glozier’s cross. A victory for
JASON Fontaine’s wonder strike was enough to see Grays through in their FA Cup first qualifying round tie with Windsor & Eton yesterday afternoon. More than 300 went to Rookery Hill to see Julian Dicks’ side record their fifth straight win. Fontaine
HULLBRIDGE Sports had to settle for a 3-3 draw at home to Barkingside following a late equaliser. Barkingside had blasted seven past Buckingham Athletic without reply in their FA Vase replay on Monday. And they took the lead at Lower Road through Reece
CANVEY survived an early scare and then hit four-second half goals to cruise past nine-man Newport Pagnell Town in the FA Cup on Saturday. The Gulls controlled the first-half and were only denied an 18th-minute lead when Jason Hallett’s shot was saved
SOUTHEND United manager Paul Sturrock was left fuming at his side after they lost a game he felt they should have won at Northampton Town on Saturday. Anthony Grant fired Blues in to a second half lead at the Sixfields Stadium. But the Cobblers came
CANCER patients at Southend Hospital are the first in the county to benefit from a revolutionary new treatment technique. The hospital is the first in the UK to use intensity modulated radiation therapy, known as IMRT, which can produce individually-tailored
SOUTHEND has struck up new links with a seaside town in sunny Florida, USA. The town has agreed a “three-way” association with Lake Worth, which also has a pier and major regeneration plans. The third town in the arrangement is Sopot, Poland, which
CYCLISTS of all ages got a rare glimpse of a hidden landscape as they took part in this year’s Foulness Island charity bike ride. Organised by the Rotary Club of Thorpe Bay, the annual ride saw 1,500 riders and about 100 volunteer marshalls enjoy the
BLUSTERY winds, blue skies and bags of fun saw visitors to this year’s Leigh regatta enjoy another weekend of seaside entertainment. The free two-day event saw everything from wacky water-based events to uplifting music and football in the mud, with
ALMOST 100 jobs were lost at Essex County Council in just four months earlier this year. Months before the Government’s comprehensive spending review, due in October, Essex County Council has been cutting costs and jobs as part of its attempts
A FOURTH resident has complained about large numbers of fish dying in his back garden pond. Nigel Stevens, of Gainsborough Avenue, Canvey, woke up to find 29 fish floating lifeless in the water. The 40-year-old suspects it may have been caused by
A MAN who guarded St Paul’s Cathedral during the Blitz has spoken of his pride after joining a special ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the bombings. Richard Holsgrove, of Triton Way, Thundersley, went to a service at St Paul’s Cathedral
WORKERS for maintanance contractor Connaught are fearing for their future after the company was placed in administration. Staff based at the company’s depot in Progress Road, Eastwood, told the Echo they were unsure if they would have jobs or be transferred
