News in Thurrock

A THROWBACK to days gone by which will rekindle memories of great sailing sights will happen on the Thames within the boundaries of Thurrock later this month.

The Gravesend Reach to Mouse Channel Thames Sailing Barge match on Saturday, 14 August will feature nine sailing barges.

A NEW community focal point is about to be created in Grays.

The Community Cafe at Grays United Reformed Church on Bradleigh Avenue will be opened each Wednesday, from 15 September.

A VAN fire on the QEII bridge this afternoon (Wednesday, 4 August) has caused huge tailbacks on the clockwise M25, tailing back to past junction 29.

Traffic is also backing up on the Kent side.

WHILE many sectors of Thurrock Council's operations are undergoing a jobs freeze, the authority is seeking to make two appointments at director and consultant level to its public health leadership team.

A permanent post for just under 30 hours a week will pay between £66,400 and £76,800 while a similar post is being offered on a six month contract as maternity cover.

SOUTH Essex College's main enrolment for new students starts on Thursday, 12 August when students can sign up for courses at the Grays town centre campus and he High House Production Park at Purfleet or others in Basildon and Southend.

The college will open its doors and welcome further education students fresh from receiving their GCSE results. Students will be able to sign up for their chosen courses due to start in September.

A MUM who lost one of her twins soon after giving birth is taking on the epic Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, helping to raise money for the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) at Basildon Hospital.

It's a cause close to the hearts of Lauren and John Hatful, who had twin girls Poppy and Daisy prematurely in Basildon and Thurrock Hospital's maternity unit in September last year. Poppy passed away at just 18 days old.

NATURE-themed events are being held at two Thurrock libraries this summer to celebrate the Summer Reading Challenge.

This year's theme Wild World Heroes is a collaboration between the Reading Agency and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) showcasing nature and action for the environment.

DESPITE significant local opposition and many local residents continuing to object to plans to build a pre-delivery inspection car plant on the site of the former Thurrock Football Club in West Thurrock, local ward councillor David van Day has come out in support of the renewed bid.

The original plans were defeated at a meeting of Thurrock Council's planning committee in February but a second application was made in June with plans that residents say offer only minimal changes to the original.

THE Essex and Suffolk Water company has apologised to residents in Aveley today for problems associated with a water leak.

The issue came to the notice of local residents early this morning (Tuesday, 3 August) when it was reported there was a significant water leak in the area.

FIREFIGHTERS have tackled a lorry blaze on the eastbound A13 this morning (Tuesday, 3 August).

The blaze happened around 11.30am when the 7.5 ton truck caught light just past the North Stifford interchange.