A HUGE fire in the heart of Thurrock grabbed most of the headlines and social media comment in Thurrock over the past week – which also saw great scenes of celebration and ceremony.

The fire on Monday on the Globe Industrial Estate in Little Thurrock took many crews of firefighters several hours to bring under control as an automotive works was razed to the ground – with a huge pall of noxious smoke rising high above the borough and seen from as far away as Southend.

Thurrock Nub News brought readers live coverage of the incident as it progressed – with films and pictures contributed by readers.

In the wake of the blaze, Thurrock Council leader Cllr Rob Gledhill admitted that there has been concern for some time that the Globe Estate is more of a liability than an asset and he criticised council officers for not progressing plans to relocate many of the businesses on it.

And the debate continued into the week – with more concern about the site's future.

Over the weekend two events took place that drew many hundreds of local residents together.

In Horndon on the Hill celebration was the order of the day over Saturday and Sunday with the return after two years of the Feast and Fair. It was acclaimed as a great success.

Click here to see many pictures from the weekend's activities – and here to read about one the weekend's many heroes.

At Tilbury's London International Cruise terminal there was an open day and commemoration of the Windrush Generation with thousands of people enjoying the activities at the port.

The upbeat side of life in Thurrock has been recognised by new Mayor, Cllr James Halden, who has introduced a new 'Roll of Honour' to recognise the deserving people, businesses and companies across the borough.

The week hasn't been without its controversy, with a planned new Youth Zone splitting opinion, but it is being welcomed by many of the borough's younger generation.

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