Storm Austen brings heavy rain and winds to Essex on October 23, with gusts reaching 48mph in Clacton and 46mph in Chelmsford.

Essex Police apologises after body-worn footage captured officers joking about musician Paul Hardcastle’s son Paul Jr, who died in a motorcycle crash.

Drivers face chaos on the M25 as a major storm has caused the road to flood between Enfield and Potters Bar causing severe delays.

Storm Austen is expected to bring gale force winds and torrential downpours to Essex today. The Met Office has issued a weather warning for wind.

BBC Look East presenter Susie Fowler-Watt is leaving after 35 years, with her final bulletin on December 18, as she pursues a career in psychotherapy.

Essex Police investigate a Southend vehicle workshop assault on October 22, involving four masked suspects and a blank-firing handgun.

Drivers are being warned with a 25-mile diversion route in place overnight on the A120 this weekend near Braintree.

M25 flooding causes long delays anticlockwise between Junctions 25 and 24, with two lanes closed near Enfield and Potters Bar; congestion reaches Waltham Abbey.

Tendring Council refused Welbeck Strategic Land IV’s plans for 85 Elmstead Market homes on October 15, after 130 objections over traffic and infrastructure.

Colchester debate will ask whether religious street preachers should be banned from public spaces, examining free speech and religious expression on October 25.

More than 75 Essex pupils explored maritime careers at Harwich Haven Authority’s first A Haven of Opportunities Festival on October 16.

Manningtree author Clem Luxford publishes Sands of Solace, a novella of tragedy, healing and friendship and set around the Stour Estuary, Harwich and Wrabness.

An independent specialist school still fails to meet key education standards despite making "significant progress".

Colchester residents oppose plans for 340 co-living units and 30 flats at Fairfax, Digby and Century House, citing conservation area concerns as decision awaits.

LAWYERS and environmental campaigners have warned plans for around 300 new homes on Mersea Island could threaten protected marine habitats and the island's historic oyster industry.

Major supermarket, Tesco has announced it will be hiring 28,000 temporary workers across the UK

Anglian Water has given its verdict on whether Storm Austen will end the hosepipe ban across Essex.

Maldon Promenade Zoo has announced it will be closing tomorrow due to the threat of Storm Austen.

The A12 is currently closed near Chelmsford after a crash which is causing severe delays.

Essex Police appeal for help finding wanted man Carl Clarke, 40, after he left Southend Hospital on October 21. Contact police on 101 with information.

A man with dementia stabbed himself with scissors before climbing over a hospital railing and falling onto a glass table, an inquest has heard.

Radio Caroline’s pirate radio ship Ross Revenge will leave Essex’s Blackwater Estuary for Hull in February 2027 for vital structural repairs

The Colchester Fringe Festival got under way this week, launching ten days of theatre, comedy, cabaret, dance and family entertainment across the city.

A road closure has been put in place, on Shrub End Road, as emergency works continue.

New water safety measures are planned at West Mersea waterfront after three deaths.

Harwich and Dovercourt Golf Club has reported one of its golf buggies was stolen from the venue on Monday

Frinton residents were stunned by reports of a sudden tornado on Sunday, which brought down a brick chimney and trees.

Colchester city centre will ban waiting and loading from November 7 to November 8, 2026, for Remembrance Day, with restrictions on four roads and a taxi rank.

Storm Austen brings strong winds, heavy rain and flooding risk to Essex on October 23, with closures at Markshall Estate, Brentwood Market and pumpkin patches.

SuperValu and Centra salmon and prawn products recalled after Listeria monocytogenes found. Essex Trading Standards says do not eat.

New red and green warning lights and audible alarms installed at Spring Lane and Woodgrange Close level crossings on Greater Anglia and c2c routes in Essex.

A van has had its roof severely damaged after crashing into Manningtree railway bridge.

Essex men Elliot Reddington and Joe Mongan jailed for cocaine and cannabis supply, firearms offences and money laundering at Basildon Crown Court on October 5.

One person has been taken to hospital after a crash involving a motorbike in Colchester.

A two-week operation saw officers make 105 arrests while recovering drugs, weapons and stolen vehicles across the county.

A man was assaulted on Fowler Road, Essex, and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries; Essex Police investigate the incident on October 21.

White Elm Garden Centre in Bicknacre condemns repeated Halloween vandalism and a break-in at its petting farm, after displays and enclosures were damaged.

Essex Police appeal to identify man after woman was injured by an unknown liquid in a Saffron Walden alleyway attack on August 30.

A12 crash in Essex: traffic is held London-bound between junctions 25 and 24 near Marks Tey and Kelvedon, causing delays towards Chelmsford and London.

Delays are building on the A12 near Howe Green after a crash with long queues forming.

M11 crash between junctions 8 and 9 leaves one casualty in ambulance care, as Essex Police report delays on the northbound carriageway on October 22.

Colchester fly-tipper Benjamin Perry gets suspended prison sentence after dumping used motor oil barrels, with £1,400 costs ordered at Ipswich Crown Court.

M25 crash near Dartford closes two anticlockwise lanes after Junction 1B, causing severe traffic delays back to Swanley and queues across the QE2 Bridge.

Essex Police report motorcyclist allegedly reaching 140mph after failing to stop on A120, as officers record 5,223 speeding offences in September.

A famous comic has been spotted at a popular restaurant in Leigh whilst on tour at Southend Cliffs Pavilion.

The Pumpkin Patch in East Bergholt, near Colchester, will close on October 23 as Storm Austen brings high winds and heavy rain to Essex.

Greater Anglia trains between Harlow Town, Bishop’s Stortford and Stansted Airport face cancellations and delays after signalling faults on October 22.

A weather warning has been issued as Storm Austen is set to bring strong winds of up to 55mph to Essex.

Markshall Estate near Colchester will close its arboretum and woodland walks on October 23 as Storm Austen brings high winds and safety concerns to Essex.

A "PLEASANT and charming" man who was unwell with dementia was found trying to dig under a fence to escape a care home, an inquest has heard.