News in Thurrock

A DOG in an empty house sparked an emergency after it somehow started a microwave and caused a kitchen blaze.

Firefighters dashed to the house in Stanford-le-Hope this afternoon (Monday, 2 December) after being alerted to the blaze by the homeowner, who spotted the fire on a video link to his mobile phone.

BUS services in the west of Thurrock have been hit by the significant traffic congestion caused by emergency gas works.

The work - and temporary traffic lights - on London Road near Devonshire Road has brought traffic to a virtual standstill. And the knock-on effect is that roads in the area are also backed up.

A THURROCK school is taking in donations of food to give to some of its pupils who are turning up hungry – and it is also planning to provide Christmas presents for children whose parents can't afford them.

Headteacher at Purfleet Primary Acadeny, Eugene Samuel says: "Too many of our children are coming hungry to school and there is no way that academic progress can supersede the very basic human need for food."

VOLUNTEERS from a borough coffee shop and staff from Thurrock Council joined the weekend's regular monthly plastic and litter pick along the bank of the river Thames in Grays.

Grays Beachcombers meet at the Thurrock Yacht Club on the first Sunday of the month through the year and their last pick of 2019 proved very productive – and was witnessed by Keep Britain Tidy ambassador Wayne Dixon and his dog, Koda, who are 4,000 miles into a 7,000-mile litter pick around the UK's coastline.

THE recently opened Harris Academy Riverside at Purfleet will open its doors to local residents later this month for its first winter fayre.

It will take place on Friday, 13 December from 4 to 8pm at the academy on London Road and will feature many attractions including a number og games for families to enjoy.

RESIDENTS, wildlife campaigners and local councillors are continuing a battle to stop a housing development on an area of woodland in Thurrock which gave an adjacent housing development its name.

One angry resident has described the scheme as "frankly insane and is clearly of the 'make a fast buck and scarper' genre."

ESSEX Police officers in Thurrock took to social media this evening (Sunday, 1 December) to tell how they have been engaging with local community events – and how they ended up taking teenagers in possession of drugs home to their parents.

Among a number of community events, officers attended the Christmas lights switch on in Stanford-le-Hope and the official opening of the annual festive display put on to raise funds for local charities at the home of Jamie Bagge in Whitmore Avenue, Grays.

Aveley Christmas tree and street lights switch-on proved a popular event and is the forerunner to another local community event later this month.

Aveley Primary School Singing Group took centre stage at the switch on and sang four carols and 'Last Christmas'.

A MAN escaped a fire that destroyed his Thurrock flat but suffered burns as he tried to fight the flames before fleeing.

He had fallen asleep with candles alight in the premises and when the first broke out he was alerted by a fire alarm.

STAFF and students from Olive AP Academy are inviting the whole community of Thurrock to join them for festive fun at their first Christmas Bazaar.

The academy, in Tilbury, provides provides a broad curriculum to a diverse group of young people and children who have experienced difficulty in learning for a variety of reasons. It also offers support to students in mainstream schools who are experiencing difficulties and are at risk of exclusion.