POLICE have slammed "reckless" people and issued £18,000 fines for illegal New Year raves overnight.

Albatta Restaurant in Colchester is one of dozens of UK firms to be named and shamed by the Government for failing to pay staff the minimum wage.

A CHARITY which supports people with incurable illnesses has been forced to cancel its annual festive fundraiser as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lieutenant Theodore ‘Teddy’ Chabo works in the Army’s Educational and Training Services but is from Brightlingsea.

RESIDENTS rallied together to provide sandbanks for a restaurant which faced being “washed away” by flooding.

HARWICH Port has been award nearly £23 million of post-Brexit cash from the Government.

LITTLE Emilia Estcourt has a middle name that will always remind her of her special Christmas arrival.

A RECORD number of Essex Police officers and staff have been rewarded in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.

FESTIVE revellers are set to enjoy alcoholic beverages aplenty this New Year's Eve.

A BIG-name restaurant chain is set to arrive in Colchester as part of the £5.5 million revamp of the town’s old Co-op store.

THE family of a man murdered during a burglary-gone-wrong say they are still searching for justice one-year on from the tragedy.

A STUNNED homeowner has thanked his neighbours after they alerted him to an ancient oak tree which experts said could have been moments away from crashing into his home.

POLICE have discovered the body of a man who sadly died in a housing estate over the holidays.

COLCHESTER'S coronavirus infection rate has dropped with 708 cases confirmed in a week.

A GRIEVING friend paid tribute to a neighbour “with a heart of gold” after police launched a murder probe into the death in a quiet village.

Important message to every Essex resident in Tier 4 on New Year's Eve from Essex Resilience Forum. This is made up of the NHS, police, fire service and councils.

THE family of a man known around the world as one half of the longest-running married couple with Down’s Syndrome are by his bedside as he battles Covid-19.

A SCHOOL boss has said the Government’s plan to reopen primary schools but not secondary schools “makes no sense.”

CONCERNED parents are calling on the Government to ditch its plans to delay the reopening of north Essex schools in favour of keeping them closed all together.

Colchester’s MP Will Quince says the UK can look forward to a bright future now a Brexit deal with the EU has passed in Parliament.

Police are hunting for a man wanted in connection with a murder investigation after an 83-year-old man was found dead in his own home.

A MAN in his 70s has had to pay out in court after threatening to destroy someone’s cat.

A MAN was arrested and had his vehicle seized after officers responded to reports of hare coursing in Abberton.

FIRE crews were called out to a shed fire in Colchester.

The Education Secretary said he is “absolutely confident” there will be no further delays to school reopenings, after soaring coronavirus case rates in December forced the Government into a U-turn in pushing back the start of terms for million...

POLICE would like to speak to this person in connection with a purse theft in Colchester town centre just before Christmas.

EVERYONE loves a bargain.

A CHARITABLE resident has been dubbed 'the face mask queen' after her humble campaign raised thousands for charities.

A loving husband with Down's Syndrome is fighting Covid-19 in hospital.

TRIBUTES have been paid to a "young at heart" 83-year-old who died at home in Aldham.

A BID to save Walton's town centre loos has been blocked for good.

A HOMELESSNESS charity has appointed three of its former service users into full-time jobs in 2020.

A COLCHESTER charity has been given a boost after it received hundreds of pounds of vital funds thanks to the dozens of knitted hats.

A CONSERVATIONIST who spent 60 years on Walton's Backwaters is among those to be named in the New Year’s Honours list.

A tree fell on to a property and two vehicles after being felled due to high winds in Lexden Road, Colchester.

A DEDICATED charity champion who has spent decades supporting good causes in Colchester has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list.

Beryl Jonsen, from Colchester, has been award a British Empire Medal in the New Year's Honours list.

It has been a tough year for just about all of us.

GROUPS of youths meeting up in large numbers in Southend are “putting lives in serious danger”, it has been warned.

Here's all the latest as our hospitals and heath services battle a major incident due to the number of Covid patients

AN animal charity is issuing their top tips to dog owners to help their furry friends cope with fireworks this week.

MINISTERS have announced some primary schools in highly-infected parts of England will not open as scheduled next week.

DETECTIVES have named a man they believe was murdered at home in a village.