AN ambitious £2million project to improve a coastal community has moved one step closer to becoming a reality after a talented design team was appointed.

CONCERNS have been sparked over the proximity of high-voltage electricity cables to homes.

KIND-HEARTED hairdressers have swapped their scissors for snacks as they deliver food packages to the needy of Colchester.

THE installation of a £1million bridge which has proved controversial but will provide easier access between two caravan parks has now been completed.

HUNDREDS of patients have waited a year for routine treatment at the trust which runs Colchester Hospital.

A FUMING councillor has branded the lack of desire to properly repair a road as “disgusting and dangerous” for drivers and residents.

THE installation of a zebra crossing near a primary school has finally been given the green light, much to the delight of a dedicated councillor.

STEPS are being taken to bring a lake back to its former glory following concerned residents' calls for action.

AN “isolated” young man who stored indecent images of children on an online storage account said he first accessed the pictures through pop-ups from pornography websites.

A MUM who was cleared of breaching lockdown restrictions after she was stopped and searched twice in a single day while trying to shop for essentials says she was left scared she would receive a criminal record.

A new map shows how many people have died with Covid-19 in each part of Tendring.

A CARE home manager says residents have been left “worried and very scared” by the on-going wait to receive a vaccination against Covid-19.

Two refuse workers with Colchester Council have died unexpectedly, the authority has confirmed.

THE eye-watering price tag of a slightly bland looking beach hut is testament to the rising popularity of staycations, according to one property expert.

A WOMAN has received a suspended sentence following a crash where two people from north Essex were killed.

A RESPECTED businessman has hailed a major victory after a court ruling demanded insurance payouts for losses incurred during the first national lockdown.

A NEW temporary mortuary is set to open as the numbers of deaths from Covid-19 in Essex continue to rise.

A PROVISIONAL post-mortem found that a woman at the centre of a murder investigation died after she was stabbed.

FAMILY members with more than 90 years of nursing experience combined reunited the first time in years to administer coronavirus vaccines.

Critics have hit out the move by Colchester Council to use legal powers to remove access rights from the site of Alumno's development in the town.

HOUSEHOLDS will pay on average an extra £19.80 in council tax to help support adult social care in Essex.

THERE is big disruption on the rails this afternoon due to a track defect at Ingatestone.

Police are appealing for information to find a man after he failed to appear at court.

Firefighters have rescues a 200kg pig which was trapped in mud.

HOME Secretary Priti Patel told Tory supporters that she argued for the UK border to be shut to international visitors last March when the pandemic first emerged.

More than 800 people have now died with Covid at the trust which runs Colchester Hospital.

The East of England Co-op said staff weren't told to prevent access to stores due to the risk of anti-social behaviour.

The coronavirus infection rate in Colchester has dropped by a third in a week, with cases falling in our part of Essex.

MINDLESS vandals have defaced the memorial of a teenage boy who tragically took his own life.

A YOUNG boy who has spent ten months living in a tent to raise money for charity has been given a sleeping bag which belonged to a paratrooper who died in Afghanistan.

A CONCERNED resident and furious campaigner fears a fresh planning application could “open the flood gates” for hundreds of homes but not much else if it is approved.

A VILLAGE’S last remaining pub could now be run by members of the community after an application put forward to convert it into homes was refused.

A FUMING councillor has said it “feels like a kick in the teeth” to see park benches which he spent months campaigning for destroyed.

PATIENTS are being reminded to book their Covid jabs as soon as they are contacted by the NHS.

Priti Patel said the UK has a “long way to go” before coronavirus restrictions can be eased.

AN interactive map has shown how many people have died with Covid in each area of Colchester.

The chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust has stepped down following a period of ill health.

A hardworking postman is urging residents and MPs to be more understanding of the impact of Covid on deliveries.

THE new year started in the best possible fashion for happy couple Ryan and Elysia Harvey.

Arts aficionado Dorian Kelly has come up with ten ways to ‘save’ Colchester. He believes we should trumpet and celebrate all that is special about our town, especially its rich history. Here are his first five suggestions.

IT'S amazing how things change.

Boris Johnson suffered a major Commons rebellion as Tory rebels - including three Essex MPs - narrowly failed in their bid to outlaw trade deals with countries that are committing genocide.

STORM Christoph is set to batter Essex in the next 24 hours and bring heavy rainfall across the county.

Essex Police has issued fines to people who travelled 45 miles for their fast-food fix.

A CONCERNED carer has called on health bosses to vaccinate elderly people in their own homes to prevent them from having to queue outside in the freezing cold.

A POPULAR village pub which was forced to close down as a result of the financial pressures of the coronavirus pandemic has been taken on by a new landlord.

I wish to say how impressed my wife and I were when we attended the Fryatt Memorial Hospital, Dovercourt.

THESE are challenging times for local businesses.

A FORMER policeman has questioned why care home residents like his elderly and vulnerable mother-in-law are still waiting to be vaccinated.

POLICE who swooped in on an “illegal rave” in Southend instead found queues of pensioners lining up to get their Covid jab.