News in Thurrock

A LITTER pick planned for tomorrow (Saturday, 19 February) has been postponed because of the impact of Storm Eunice.

The event [L]https://thurrock.nub.news/n/you-can39t-pick-quicker-than-a-purfleet-picker39 [L+] was planned to take place in Purfleet-on-Thames.

AS high winds continue to batter the area residents in Chadwell St Mary could only watch as roofs were ripped off garages, damaging cars.

The garages are adjacent to the Chadwell St Mary tower blocks.

WEST Thurrock and South Stifford ward councillor Qaisar Abbas has announced he is joining the Conservative group on Thurrock Council and hopes to stand for them in the local elections in May.

Cllr Abbas, the only Muslim member on the council, was deselected by the Labour group at a candidates selection meeting last weekend.

THURROCK is battening down the hatches in preparation for Storm Eunice which is expected to bring severe weather conditions to the borough.

A number of travel restrictions will be in place from early tomorrow (Friday, 18 February).

THURROCK MP Jackie Doyle-Price has told of her 'serious concerns' and how she was appalled to see how residents at Lionel Oxley House in Grays have been treated by Thurrock Council following the botched refurbishment of the tower block.

She says it is time to stop throwing 'good money after bad' and look after the real needs of deserving residents. And she has called for 'engagement and dialogue' with residents.

A THURROCK councillor has spoken of his concern that the impetus to protect Grangewaters outdoor activity centre as a community asset, sparked by a campaign launched when Thurrock Council announced it planned to sell the site, may be waning.

And Belhus ward councillor Mike Fletcher says he wants to ensure that the authority 'retains a will' to make a new community initiative work rather then selling the site to the highest commercial bidder. He is worried it could be a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'.

LEADING Thurrock councillors have backed down in the face of a concerted protest about imposing car parking charges that might impact on the use of sports facilities in South Ockendon.

But they are forging ahead with plans, first highlighted Nub Nub News last year, to implement a full range of regular charges across a number of other sites which include country parks such as Coalhouse Fort and Langdon Hills.

THURROCK Council has secured a £3.2 million slice of government cash set aside to improve home energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

And much of the cash is to be spent on Chadwell St Mary's three tower blocks - a move welcomed by local councillor Adam Carter who said: "This is a huge investment in Chadwell St Mary which will greatly improve the welfare and finances of all the residents benefiting from the heating system upgrade.

TRAFFIC is currently gridlocked in the west of the borough around Lakeside and congestion is getting worse report drivers, some of who have been trapped in the area around the regional shopping centre and retail parks for up to an hour already.

Just after noon it was reported that the QEII bridge had been closed following an earlier accident and that is believed to have precipitated the congestion.

POLICE have arrested a man in Tilbury they believe may be connected to a dog stealing racket.

The arrest happened last night (Tuesday, 15 February) when a resident in the town raised an alarm and a road policing unit tracked the suspect down and challenged him.