News in Thurrock

SATURDAY will be a busy at at Thurrock RFC's Oakfields home.

All three men's sides are at home with the firsts welcoming Old Haberdashers to Oakfield for the first ever time. The 2nd XV host Eton Manor III and the Mongrels will host Runwell

ALL three Thurrock non-League sides in action this weekend will have to travel.

East Thurrock United will be hoping to fare better at Carshalton athletic in the Isthmian Premier than they did in midweek at Potters Bar where they went down 3-0.

56 NEW police officers took part in a passing out parade at Essex Police headquarters.

The parade was the first opportunity for families and friends to join the event since March 2020. In spite of restrictions imposed over the last 18 months, 507 men and women have been trained and have qualified as new officers, that's the equivalent of more than one officer a day for the past 16 months.

THE first few days of the trial of a teenager accused of murdering former Thurrock man James Gibbons are drawing to a close after the dramatic events that led to his stabbing were told to Chelmsford Crown Court.

The trial of the 16-year-old youth, who cannot be named because of his age, is expected to last four weeks and there will be more recollections of the harrowing last few moments of 34-year-old Mr Gibbons' life.

SENIOR Thurrock Council officers were left red-faced last night after the latest bureaucratic bungle that meant the authority's cabinet meeting was cancelled moments before it was due to begin.

Over the past 18 months as the council has had to adapt to the problems of Covid-19 and, in recent weeks, issues caused by a flood in the council offices, a number of meetings have been cancelled, abandoned or muddled through in part chaos.

ALMOST two years after damning Thurrock Council Conservatives' plans for the demolition of part of its main building to create a development opportunity which would fund its new and highly controversial civic office extension, a borough councillor has tonight announced a scheme for the site that will see the council build 86 council flats there.

Cllr Luke Spillman says he has come forward with an innovative new plan, telling Thurrock Nub News that 'the previous plan isn't good enough for Thurrock so I trashed it."

ESSEX Police has announced that the 35 people who were arrested during a demonstration by the Insulate Britain campaign group in Thurrock yesterday (Wednesday, 13 October) have been released.

No charges have been brought as yet.

FROM the beginning of next month the window of opportunity opens for parents in Thurrock to register preferred choices of primary school for their children.

Parents and careers must apply between 1 November 2021 and 15 January 2022 for admissions in September 2022.

ONE of Thurrock's most successful community run ventures, Stanford-le-Hope's Hardie Park, is looking to increase its number of trustees.

A spokesperson for the Friends of Hardie Park says: "We are looking to grow our Trustee team, and as such would like to bring up to four new Trustees on Board to help us in our work to ensure that Hardie Park is able to continue making a difference to the people of Stanford-le-Hope, and beyond.

ORSETT Heath Academy and Thurrock Rugby Club hosted the Thurrock School Sport Partnership year 5/6 tag rugby festival.

Eleven schools from across the borough took part ably assisted by year 8 sports leaders from Orsett Heath Academy. The tournament was organised by Alexa Joel (school games organiser) for the Thurrock School Sport Partnership.