News in Thurrock

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.

BOROUGH Mayor Cllr Terry Piccolo was one of many who turned out for a successful switch on Stanford-le-Hope's Christmas lights this evening (Sunday, 1 December).

A large crowd attended the event on the green outside St Margaret's Church where carols were sung.

EAST Thurrock United may not have had a match yesterday - their scheduled opponents were otherwise engaged in the FA Cup - but the players were still celebrating.

The Rocks squad took part in the Movember challenge, to grow a moustache and get sponsored.

Grays Athletic 2, Hullbridge Sports 0

JUST like buses you wait a while and then two come along at the same time, that applied to Blues today with two wins and two clean sheets in two weeks after a barren spell of late.

A THIEF who stole a Christmas wreath from a borough home's front door has been captured on film.

The theft took place last night (Saturday, 30 November) in Little Thurrock, Grays.