News in Thurrock

A THURROCK man who sexually abused a girl over the course of two years has been jailed for nearly a decade thanks to work by specialist police officers.

Thirty-five year-old Shane Clarke was jailed for eight-and-a-half years last week having admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child.

In 2017 plans were first mooted to close Orsett Hospital and replace it with four centres across Thurrock in Corringham, Tilbury, Purfleet and Grays.

THURROCK'S senior councillors will meet tonight (Wednesday, 9 March) and a highly contentious cash-saving project that has caused great local concern appears to have dropped off its radar.

Thurrock Nub News has reported extensively on a plan put forward by the council to scrap free school buses for children in East and West Tilbury who attend St Clere's School in Stanford-le-Hope. Nub News broke the story last year and highlighted the objections of and fears from St Clere's School in Stanford-le-Hope where 376 children from the village and surrounding rural area are educated.

IN the coming weeks there's likely to a lot of light-headed talk in the borough as communities come together to plan a series of events for the Light Up Thurrock Festival.

The initiative is being steered by Grays-based Creative Blast and you can learn more about it via this Facebook page.

BOROUGH MP Stephen Metcalfe is calling on police to increase the enforcement of the law on low-level drug use and has asked Home Secretary Priti Patel urging her to ensure there is more backing for officers to act locally.

Mr Metcalfe, MP for South Basildon & East Thurrock, says: "One of my key campaigns is to protect our local community, therefore I am liaising with the local police to ensure we are doing enough to crack down on low-level drug use, which is a scourge on our community. I want to protect our values and preserve our way of life and the casual use of drugs is a scourge on our society.

IN honour of International Women's Day on Tuesday, 8 March, a Thurrock-based businesswoman has been named as one of 15 winners of NatWest's 'BeThe Role Model' competition, a nationwide campaign to tackle stereotypes of female business founders.

Janine Davies-Tutt owns and runs Ashwells Reclaimed Timber which is based at Wicks Place on the A128 close to Bulphan.

POLICE have appealed for help to find a missing Thurrock man, last seen this morning (Monday, 7 March).

Blake Williams, 27, is missing from South Ockendon and police say: "We are very concerned for his welfare. We would like to locate him as quickly as possible."

MORE details have been revealed by Essex Police about the lifestyle of a young woman, who previously lived in Grays, and her mother who ran a drug-dealing operation.

As reported previously on Thurrock Nub News Keani Hobbs, 23, formerly of Argent Street, is back behind bars after being convicted for her role in the drug-selling operation. Her incarceration also represents her recall to prison after reoffending after being given a early relase after being convicted of manslaughter.

Occasional Nub News columnist Monty Panesar pays tribute to the late, great Shane Warne and tells how inspired generations of cricketers.

SHANE Warne was rightly regarded as the Einstein of cricket.

TO celebrate the 25th anniversary of World Book Day, Orsett Church of England Primary School in Thurrock created an Amazon Wishlist of books that they were hoping to add to their library shelves over the coming weeks.

The list started relatively small, with a collection of culturally diverse books that the school were eager to introduce to the children as part of their extra-curricular reading, and was sent out to parents with the option for them to donate a book should they wish to get involved.