April

April saw ram raiders smash their way into a supermarket in Witham before attempting to steal a cash machine from inside.

A silver Land Rover was driven into the front entrance of the Aldi store, in Reid Road early one morning.

Two men forced entry to the store by smashing one of the front windows. The duo then made an unsuccessful attempt to remove the cash machine from inside. Both got back into the vehicle and headed in the direction of the town centre.

The Land Rover, which had been stolen from an address in Silver End on a previous day, was later found abandoned outside White Notley Football Club, in Church Hill, Faulkbourne. The vehicle was set on fire and was totally burnt .

Witham Town Mayor JoAnn Williams claimed there was little danger to the immediate public after the raid but admitted it was a growing problem.

Elsewhere, tributes poured in for a stalwart of Coggeshall Town Football Club who died aged 90.

Fanatic John Alston spent more than 50 years helping the club win promotion and two cups as a player, supporting and working for them.

Mr Alston held roles including club secretary, club captain and even honorary groundsman when he used to mark out the pitch in preparation for matchdays. He helped shepherd the club through some of its most successful years, and was awarded a long and valued service to Essex football gong by the Essex Football Association in 1969.

A spokesman for Coggeshall Town Football Club said: “John worked tirelessly for Coggeshall Town for five decades, making him a true club legend. “

Drivers along the A12 were a little surprised to see a new adult supermarket, branded a “sexy superstore” open in Rivenhall.

Pulse and Cocktails, the largest sex shop chain in the UK, opened it’s latest store in the former the Empire Diner.

The new store saw five fulltime jobs created.

Just day’s after opening, a spokesman for Pulse and Cocktails said: “We have only received words of encouragement from everyone we have come into contact with.”

May

In May, a village pub made national headlines after becoming the first watering hole in the country to be named after the newest edition to the royal family.

The McMullen and Sons pub, in Notley Green, Great Notley, was renamed The Prince Louis ahead of its opening on Wednesday, May 9.

The name marked the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s third child, and meant the pub became the first boozer in the country to pay homage to the youngster.

It also completed an astonishing turn around in fortunes for the once troubled public house, which had been facing closure just 12 months before.

Claire and Aaron Wood, general managers of The Prince Louis, said: “We are thrilled to be opening in McMullens newest pub, our team have commenced training and were excited as us to know the name of the baby and pub.”

Concerns over the future of Braintree hospital were raised following the announcement a new health centre would be built in the town.

The Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group revealed the new centre, which forms part of the Manor Street regeneration programme, would offer treatments such as blood tests and ultrasounds.

But Professor Christopher Green, chairman of the Friends of Braintree Community Hospital, said there were concerns over what the new facility would mean for the existing hospital in Chadwick Drive.

He said: “We are really concerned at the moment about the development in Braintree town centre.

“I am not saying it is bad news, but we need more information. It is a worry of the unknown at the moment.”

The CCG played down the concerns, insisting it valued Braintree Hospital's services and the new health centre would only offer complimentary outpatient services.

And the search for a man who had been missing for three years was officially brought to an end when a man's body was found in a wooded area in Faulkbourne.

Essex Police would later confirm the body was that of Chris May, who had been seen leaving his home on Kelvedon on May 25, 2015.

Mr May's family had issued several appeals for information throughout the three year search to find him and investigating officers had themselves launched a murder investigation in 2016.

Two people were arrested in connection with the investigation but later released without charge.

A full inquest into Mr May's death will be held in the new year.

June

June saw Highways bosses reveal their preferred route for a dualled A120 between Marks Tey and Braintree.

Essex County Council held a special meeting with stakeholders to announce it would look to pursue option D once funding for the new road was confirmed.

The chosen route would see a new road built at the current A120 at Galleys Corner junction in Braintree.

It would then travel south, past Cressing and Silver End, passes Bradwell Quarry and the site of the planned Rivenhall Incinerator and re-join the A12 at Junction 23, just west of Kelvedon.

Estimates suggest it could cost £550 million to build the new road.

Kevin Bentley, deputy leader of Essex County Council and councillor responsible for infrastructure said: “If we miss this opportunity we have let down the next generation. It is important economically for the county, the region and the UK.”

A pensioner who stored up his own faeces for two months before driving 200 miles to hand-pump it through a former friend’s letterbox has been branded “despicable”.

Geoffrey Holroyd-Doveton covered the hallway, staircase and carpet of Donald Wick’s High Garrett home in excrement during a late night attack. The 75-year-old was handed an eight week suspended sentence when he appeared at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court.

He was also ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work. Holroyd-Doveton had travelled from South Yorkshire while Mr Wicks and his husband Richard were on holiday.

He had defecated into a container and kept that for six to eight weeks before using a pump to push the excrement through the letter box.

Victim Mr Wicks, 54, said: “The damage and destruction was of such a despicable and disgusting nature. He spread his own excrement through our letter box. “My home has been invaded and this has made me feel very anxious and fearful of further attacks. “I no longer have a letter box in my front door now as I could not tempt for it to happen again.”

And controversial plans to build three new towns across north Essex were found to be “lacking” by a government inspector.

Roger Clews said the proposals for the new communities put forward collectively by Colchester, Braintree and Tendring councils were innovative but had serious shortcomings.

The three authorities had been working together to build the new towns, known as garden communities, in an effort to create 43,000 new homes.

Of these, up to 20,000 could be built at West Tey and up to 13,000 west of Braintree at Andrewsfield.

In a letter to the three authorities, Mr Clews said: “Greater certainty over the funding and alignment of the A120 dualling scheme and the feasibility of realigning the widened A12 at Marks Tey is necessary to demonstrate that the garden community proposals are deliverable in full.

“It is unlikely those extremely ambitious targets would be achieved or even approached, unless rapid transit services to key destinations are available early on in the lifetime of the garden communities."

Braintree Council leader Graham Butland remained confident the garden communities scheme is deliverable despite the inspector's verdict.