News, sport & info for Braintree, Witham, Bocking, Coggeshall, Cressing, Kelvedon, Rivenhall...

MP demand over watchdog 'cover-up'

5:57am Wednesday 19th June 2013

An MP has called for an urgent question to be tabled in the House of Commons following allegations that health bosses covered up a failure to investigate a hospital where mothers and babies died through neglect.

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Father's grief over train deaths

5:17am Wednesday 19th June 2013

The father of a teenager who was killed by a train in an apparent suicide pact with a school friend has spoken of his grief.

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Iraq claims legal ruling expected

4:04am Wednesday 19th June 2013

The Supreme Court is due to rule on whether families of soldiers killed fighting in Iraq can bring damages claims against the Government.

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Osborne to spell out bank plans

3:13am Wednesday 19th June 2013

George Osborne is to shed light on his plans for the banking industry following the long-awaited report from the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards.

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PM faces MPs' questions on G8 deals

3:33am Wednesday 19th June 2013

David Cameron is to face questions from MPs after G8 leaders thrashed out limited agreements on how to handle the Syria crisis and tackle tax dodging.

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UK set for hottest day of year

3:33am Wednesday 19th June 2013

Vast parts of the UK are expected to bask in the hottest day of the year so far.

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New food labels help fight obesity

12:13am Wednesday 19th June 2013

A new front-of-pack food label that has the support of health groups and all the major supermarkets has been launched to help tackle the obesity crisis.

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Patient restraint data revealed

12:13am Wednesday 19th June 2013

Nearly 40,000 incidents of physical restraint on mental health patients in England were recorded in one year - with more than 3,000 in the "dangerous" face-down position - according to figures released by a charity.

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Many roads 'could become unusable'

12:13am Wednesday 19th June 2013

Much of the local road network could become unusable should there be more flooding or another severe winter, highways bosses are warning.

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Assange expects to stay in embassy

12:13am Wednesday 19th June 2013

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in London even if sex charges against him are dropped, because he fears moves are already under way to extradite him to the United States, he has revealed.

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Guides drop God vow from Promise

12:13am Wednesday 19th June 2013

It has been a part of the Promise for over a century, but from now on girls will no longer pledge their devotion to God when they join the Guides.

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RBS split raised amid banks rethink

12:13am Wednesday 19th June 2013

Radical plans to split Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) into a "good" bank and a "bad" bank must be looked at immediately as part of an urgent rethink of Government plans for privatisation, according to an influential Parliamentary commission.

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Ex-soldier guilty of further rapes

7:38pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

A convicted date rapist has been sentenced to life imprisonment for three more rapes on teenage women, Scotland Yard said.

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Experts probe UK's unusual weather

6:43pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

Leading scientists and meteorologists gathered at the Met Office to discuss the UK's unusual weather patterns in recent years.

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Teacher's wife weeps over split

5:53pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

The wife of a teacher who allegedly abducted a schoolgirl to France has broken down in tears as she told a court how their marriage was falling apart.

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Knox acquittal 'full of mistakes'

5:42pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

The acquittal of accused murderer Amanda Knox was full of "deficiencies, contradictions and illogical" conclusions Italy's high court has ruled, ordering a fresh look at all the evidence to determine whether she did kill her flatmate Meredith Kercher.

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85,000 support Woolwich medals bid

5:13pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

A petition backed by more than 85,000 people calling for bravery medals to be given to three women who intervened in the aftermath of the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby has been delivered to Downing Street.

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Tributes for rail death teenagers

4:17pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

A headmaster has paid tribute to two of his teenage pupils who died after being struck by a passenger train.

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Ex-police boss guilty over points

3:39pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

A former police authority chairman has been convicted of persuading a friend to take three penalty points for him so he avoided a driving ban and furthered his career.

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Schoolboy and girl killed by train

3:09pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

An 18-year-old schoolboy and a 15-year-old girl have died after being struck by a passenger train.

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Crowds cheer Queen at Royal Ascot

3:01pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

Cheering crowds and ecstatic racegoers have greeted the Queen as she made a grand entrance to Royal Ascot.

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G8 leaders agree position on Syria

2:26pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

Leaders of the world's most powerful nations appeared to have papered over their differences on Syria to agree a joint position after fraught talks at the G8 summit.

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Army job losses 'kick in the teeth'

2:06pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

More than 4,000 soldiers have been told that they have lost their jobs in the latest round of Army redundancies.

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Missing boy found after search

1:23pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

An eight-year-old boy who was reported missing by his family has been found after a police search operation.

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Afghan army handover 'a milestone'

1:04pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

The handover of security in Afghanistan to its own armed forces is a "hard-fought milestone", Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said.

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Appeal over missing eight-year-old

12:56pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

Police are appealing for the public's help to trace a missing eight-year-old boy.

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Girl 'feared teacher faced prison'

12:33pm Tuesday 18th June 2013

A schoolgirl allegedly abducted to France by her married maths teacher was worried that he could be imprisoned for "sexual contact" with her, a friend has told a court.

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Brady's 'nocturnal' habits revealed

11:44am Tuesday 18th June 2013

Moors murderer Ian Brady only comes out of his room at night and shuns contact with others believing them beneath him - but also fears them, a mental health tribunal has heard.

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UK set for hottest days of year

11:35am Tuesday 18th June 2013

Britain is expected to bask in its hottest days of the year so far, with Wednesday predicted to be even hotter.

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Beach beauty spot ban for nudists

11:35am Tuesday 18th June 2013

Naturists are to be banned from a renowned beauty spot after police were alerted to indecent acts at the popular beach.

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Two killed, five hurt in house fire

11:28am Tuesday 18th June 2013

Two women have died and five other people have been taken to hospital after a house fire.

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'Nuisance' TV call centres fined

11:08am Tuesday 18th June 2013

Two companies which appear in BBC3 series The Call Centre have been issued with fines totalling close to a quarter of a million pounds for nuisance calls, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has said.

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Police acted unlawfully at demo

10:57am Tuesday 18th June 2013

A legal observer "kettled" during a demonstration against Government cuts has won a High Court declaration that police acted unlawfully when they filmed her and required the handover of personal information before letting her go.

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4,480 soldiers told of redundancy

10:52am Tuesday 18th June 2013

More than 4,000 soldiers have been told they have lost their jobs in the latest round of Army redundancies, the Ministry of Defence has announced.

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Osborne hopeful of progress on tax

8:36am Tuesday 18th June 2013

Britain is hopeful of achieving "real concrete progress" at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland on tightening international tax rules which allow rich companies and individuals to avoid paying their fair share, Chancellor George Osborne has said.

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Trade group expects 2014 to be a key year for gaming

12:25pm Monday 17th June 2013

A videogame organisation believes 2014 will be a pivotal year for games developers in the UK following a bumper week full of major reveals.

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Microsoft needs to look at UK indies, says gaming boss

12:44pm Monday 3rd June 2013

A gaming organisation says Microsoft must look after the interests of independent developers to help creative sectors in the United Kingdom.

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Bridger guilty of April's murder

12:26pm Thursday 30th May 2013

Former slaughterhouse worker Mark Bridger has been found guilty of abducting and murdering schoolgirl April Jones.

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April case evidence 'overwhelming'

1:20pm Tuesday 28th May 2013

There is "overwhelming" evidence against the man accused of murdering April Jones, a jury has been told.

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Unpredictable weather continues

12:23pm Sunday 26th May 2013

Britain's unpredictable weather is set to continue this Bank Holiday as parts of the country bask in glorious sunshine on Sunday before temperatures plummet to near freezing in places overnight.

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'Suspicious' vehicle closes M-way

6:15pm Friday 24th May 2013

Bank holiday travellers faced huge tailbacks on one of the country's busiest motorways as police closed a stretch of the M6 while they investigate a "suspicious vehicle" at a service station.

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Two held after mid-air plane alert

3:12pm Friday 24th May 2013

Two men have been arrested at Stansted Airport on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft after an RAF Typhoon jet was scrambled to escort a passenger plane travelling from Pakistan to the UK.

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Support surges for Help For Heroes

9:21pm Thursday 23rd May 2013

The charity Help For Heroes has been swamped with donations, leading to its website crashing, after Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered while wearing one of its tops.

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Man 'beheaded' in street attack

5:00pm Wednesday 22nd May 2013

A man has been killed and two others were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds following a "serious incident" understood to involve a serving soldier.

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Area shut after 'serious incident'

4:07pm Wednesday 22nd May 2013

Police are dealing with a "serious incident" after responding to reports of an assault.

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House asking prices reach new high

12:08am Monday 20th May 2013

House sellers' asking prices have soared to a new high, in further signs of confidence returning to the market, a property website has reported.

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Red Arrows cleared for new displays

11:19am Friday 17th May 2013

The RAF's Red Arrows air display team has been cleared by the Chief of the Air Staff to fly in displays this year, the RAF said.

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Fire services 'could save £200m'

11:07am Friday 17th May 2013

Fire and rescue services in England could save up to £200 million a year if they were operated more efficiently, according to a report.

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British Olympic sailor dies as America's Cup boat capsizes

11:44pm Thursday 9th May 2013

Olympic gold medal-winning sailor Andrew Simpson, from Sherborne, Dorset, has died after his yacht capsized off the coast of California, his team said.

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