TWO large and "beautiful" sycamore trees, which had lined the banks of Cripsey Brook for decades, were hacked at by diggers and pulled to the ground.

Disobeying polite requests from Epping Forest District Council not to destroy the four trees on the bank, a man, known by the council as Mr Rexha, and his workforce continued to pull them down.

By the morning of July 16, two of the trees had been pulled to the ground, shredded and dumped into a waste disposal unit.

On discovering that its requests had been ignored, the council placed Tree Preservation Orders on the remaining two, which had already been badly damaged.

Labourers were also told not to touch a preserved yew on the site, which sits next to the road opposite the Two Brewers.

An Epping Forest District Council spokeswoman said: "An order to preserve the two remaining trees of four large bankside sycamores was served on a Mr Rexha at the above site.

"Discussions the previous evening had been ignored by him when he was politely requested to refrain from destroying the line of trees beside the brook.

"On returning to the site, two of the trees had been destroyed and the remaining two specimens had been badly damaged.

"Mr Rexha was warned that wounds to the preserved Yew TPO/EPF/23/08 were unauthorised and might result in his prosecution.

"He had been told the previous day not to cut any branches off this tree.

"No planning applications have been made at this time and constraints exist both in the form of physical risk of flooding and green belt designation."

When a man at the site, who appeared to be in charge, was approached by the Gazette he refused to give his name, refused to tell us who he worked for and refused to give us the reason for the clearance.

The green belt site, which is also at risk of flooding, would be notoriously hard to develop.

When asked why he was doing it, the man said: "It will look a lot better – you should have seen it before we got here. It was a mess."

The site was at one point used as allotments but is not owned by the council.

The man, who said he was based in London, added: "I used to live here 15 years ago and it has always been a mess.

"We are sorting it out and making it better."

Fay Hewett, who owns nearby shop Balloonatics, in High Street, said: "I saw it happen. I believe they were told not to do it.

"The trees were beautiful and now it looks sparse, bare and ugly.

"The way they were hacking them down was ridiculous."

"AT LONG last". That is the feeling of many Ongar residents after hearing that a zebra crossing is to be installed in the High Street, near Love Lane.

The crossing, which will be situated between the junctions with Great Lawn and Bowes Drive, is being built as part of an agreement attached to a nearby development.

Ongar Town Council (OTC) has been pushing for the crossing on the busy stretch of road for many years, citing several reasons for its use.

Deputy town clerk Judith Cook said: "It is something I have been pushing for many years.

"I won't stop pestering Essex County Council until I have a date and exact location but, if all goes to plan, it should be built between Bowes Drive and Great Lawn junctions.

"There is a real need for the crossing. It is a busy road and the nearest crossing is outside Budworth Hall.

"Children get off the bus from school there, the Sports and Social Club at Love Lane is used by children and adults of all ages.

"Then there is the blood centre, also held at Love Lane, which many elderly people use."

Liz May, a member of the Ongar Mums Group (OMG), said: "I take my children to Love Lane all the time. It is great to hear that a crossing is finally going in.

"It is a very busy road and can be dangerous, especially with children.

"The only alternative at the moment is to walk down to the Budworth Hall crossing or wait for your chance.

"I just hope they build it quickly, but it is really welcome news and I know all the Ongar Mums support it."

Derek Jacobs, Epping Forest district councillor for Chipping Ongar, Greensted and Marden Ash, has also been a long-term supporter of the crossing.

The 72-year-old, of Mayfair Way, Ongar, said: "I proposed the site where it is finally going in many years ago. OTC had preferred a site closer to Love Lane but that was never going to be practical.

"Where it is going in there is perfect line of sight from both directions.

"There is plenty of room on the paths and the council own the land on both sides, whereas nearer Love Lane the banking is owned by the house there.

"It is really good news that it is finally going ahead and in the place I have supported for years."

An Essex County Council spokeswoman said: "A zebra crossing will be installed at this location. The cost will be met by the developer of the nearby new homes as set out in a legal agreement attached to the planning application.

"We are in the process of scheduling dates for its installation. The new crossing will improve pedestrian links within the area and into the town."

A BOY with special needs could be without a place at Ormiston Rivers Academy in Burnham-on Crouch in September because of a row over uniform.

Sean O'Mahoney, 11, from Eastern Road, Burnham-on-Crouch, has dyspraxia, ADHD, is on the autistic spectrum, and has sensory integration issues. Under medical advice he cannot wear a traditional school shirt.

But with less than two months until the start of the school year and Ormiston Rivers staff now on school holidays, Sean may be left without a place at a senior school in September.

His mother Carina O'Mahoney, said: "Sean can't wear the traditional school uniform, we have been told this by the medical profession.

"We offered a compromise, that Sean could wear a school polo shirt, but that doesn't seem to be agreeable.

"Ormiston Rivers seem to be ignoring all medical advice and believe that Sean is just being awkward and strong-willed. They seem to think they can understand Sean better than me and the doctors. It all seems really petty – why can't Sean just wear the polo shirt?"

Sensory integration may mean a person will over-respond to sensation and find clothing, physical contact, light, sound, food, or other sensory input to be unbearable.

Mrs O'Mahoney claims the school suggested Sean wear another shirt under his school shirt, but despite a series of meetings the school has refused to budge.

She said: "I'm sorry but how can he operate wearing two shirts for school? It will be just too uncomfortable for him. The shirt will still touch his face and neck."

Ormiston Rivers has now closed for the summer holidays meaning the chances that Sean will have a place at the school is increasingly unlikely.

Sean was rejected a place at special needs school in Wickford.

Ormiston Rivers was unavailable for comment.

A MUM of two is urging motorists to take care when driving in blinding sunlight after her pony was struck by a car and injured.

Shop worker Jackie Thompson, 48, was riding her five-year-old bay Welsh Section D mare Mena in South Weald, at around 9.15am on July 19 when the accident happened.

Mrs Thompson, of Stocks Lane, Kelvedon Hatch, recalled the incident, which took place in Weald Road between the junction for Sandpit Lane and the bridge over the A12.

She said: "It was a sunny day and there was no wind – it was peaceful until that happened.

"I was just riding down the road and other cars had managed to pass me quite safely but then all of a sudden behind me I heard a non-stop noise of screeching brakes.

"I just braced myself and put my heels down and said to myself 'don't panic'.

"Then I just heard the 'boom' and the horse leapt forward.

"She suffered cuts to her back legs and she made grooves in the road where her hooves have skidded."

Mrs Thompson, who was wearing a high-viz jacket and riding helmet at the time, added: "I am lucky to be alive.

"I haven't stopped shaking since and even now I find myself bursting out in tears all of a sudden."

Following the crash, Mrs Thompson visited House and Jackson vets in Blackmore where she was advised to clean Mena's wounds with antiseptic and to hose them with cold water to reduce the swelling.

The cuts have since healed and after a period of paddock rest, the 14.2hh former driving pony is expected to recover – although how well remains unclear.

Mrs Thompson told the Gazette the car involved was a purple Ford Fiesta and she said the driver stopped to make sure she was OK.

She claimed the man had admitted that he had not seen her horse due to the sunlight and said the incident made her recall how Brentwood resident Jane Mitchinson, 63, died after she was thrown from her horse into a ditch in Ashwells Road, Pilgrims Hatch, following an accident involving a white van in January 2011.

She said: "The driver of the Fiesta couldn't have been nicer but I just need to do this to warn drivers and horse riders about the dangers of bright sunlight."

Mrs Thompson reported the collision in person at Brentwood police station at 2pm on Friday although a spokesman for Essex Police could not find an electronic record of this.

IT WAS an end of an era for one group of Brownies this month, which was marked with a special Oscar-themed award ceremony.

Brown Owl Vicky White, 43, has led the 3rd Doddinghurst Brownies for 12 years but has now climbed off her branch in order to spend more time with her family.

In honour of Mrs White her second in command, Tawny Owl Kim Chapman, 53, and the Brownies organised an award ceremony at a nearby pub.

Oscars were awarded in a variety of categories to Brownies deemed the most artistic, most helpful, most enthusiastic, politest, biggest daredevil and many others categories.

The mother of three boys Mrs White said she will miss the girls but is looking forward to spending more time with her husband Jon, 49, and children Edd, 19, Matt, 15, and Chris, 13.

"I'd just like to say a massive big thank you to everyone," she said.

"What I'm going to miss most is the friends I've made and the girls, especially when they come out with the odd classic.

"I've had some really good fun. I think it's all the effort that the ladies put in, all the extra work behind the scenes

"Most girls in the Brownies are aged seven to ten but one of our brownies is leaving because I'm leaving and she's 13.

"When she was asked to go to Guides she just said she didn't want to go."

Tawny Owl Mrs Chapman paid tribute to Mrs White's efforts and agreed the fortnightly Friday meetings would be well missed.

She said: "The girls could have fun with us and we work well together. We had a laugh with the girls we made sure they did lots of badges, so they were achieving and learning."

EDWARD Bright was widely believed to be England's fattest man and he died aged just 29 and weighing 42 stones in November 1750.

His image has been immortalised in a bronze plaque in Maldon's Kings Head Courtyard off the High Street.

In the 1740s the young grocer gained the unfortunate distinction of becoming known as England's fattest man. Immediately after his death, his immense girth was commemorated in prints.

And on 1 December 1750, just three weeks after his death, a wager took place at the Bull Inn whether or not five local men could be buttoned into his enormous waistcoat 'without breaking a stitch or straining a button'.

In the event seven men were 'with the greatest ease included'.

All this is already well-known in Maldon, where there is a blue plaque to Bright and a fine bronze relief depicting the wager.

But the book reveals that there was much more to Bright than being just a very fat grocer.

He was born in 1721 into a Great Waltham Nonconformist and farming family, and was descended on his mother's side from Oliver Cromwell's family.

In September 1733 he was sent to Maldon to become apprentice to Joseph Pattisson, a well-to-do grocer and prominent Nonconformist.

Bright duly completed his apprenticeship with Pattisson and by May 1744, when he took James Chalk from Moulsham as his apprentice, had already established his own grocery business in the town.

The book also reveals, for the first time, the location of Bright's shop as well as the workshop where he made candles.

Edward Bright had a younger brother, William, who became a farmer and miller at Witham and Hatfield Peverel, and a sister, Mrs Sarah Suckling of Thaxted, both of whom also were fat, Sarah weighing 20 stones when she died in 1765.

At his death Edward's wife, Mary, was pregnant with their sixth child.

Of those six children, only two, Edward and Mary, survived to adulthood.

His widow continued the grocery and candle making business, and in about 1752 remarried, to Thomas Bayley, by whom she had two more children.

Bayley died in 1767 and Mary then remained a widow until her death aged 66 in 1786.

A Maldon diarist, John Crosier, recorded that 'no-one excelled her in economy, attention and vociferation of tongue ... a good wife and an excellent mother'.

She was interred in the family vault in All Saints' church with her first husband, and an engraved floor slab near the tower marks their last resting place.

Edward Bright, junior, the son of Edward and Mary, was born in about 1743.

By 1766 he had set up his own grocery business, and in about 1770 built a new house in the High Street that remains to this day a prominent feature of the Maldon street scene.

Like his father, he was a Nonconformist, but also became a controversial figure.

In the 1770s he openly opposed the American War and sympathised with the cause of the American rebels.

He was active politically and in 1779 became leader of the Whig party at Maldon.

His last business venture was the construction in 1788-89 of a public sea water bath near St Mary's church.

He died in 1790, leaving a widow and nine children and was interred with his parents in All Saints' church. He, too, was a big man, but an obituary in the parish burial register records he was only 'about half the weight of his late father'.

The Bright family was prominent in Maldon for several generations, and a direct descendant of the first Edward, Maldon's famous fat man, still lives in the town.

The Borough of Maldon, 1688-1800: a Golden Age can be bought in Maldon from Crackbone Books and Ansell and Sons for £35.

A CAT owner is frightened to let her precious pet leave the house after he was shot in the chest with an air rifle.

Linda Foote, 60, of Hockley Lane, Bradwell-on-Sea, found Smokey in a nearby hedgerow, covered in blood and with a pellet wound to his chest and a fractured shoulder last Tuesday morning.

Vets at Avon House in Maldon managed to save Smokey, but now he cannot leave the house for six weeks, must spend four weeks in a cage to let this shoulder heal and may yet have to have his front leg amputated.

"I'm not sure it will be a good idea to let him out at night again," said Linda.

"I'm frightened he will become a target and this time he won't come home. It's a shame because he loves going outside. Sometimes he just pops in for dinner and goes back out.

"It was shocking to see my poor cat like that. He was covered in blood. I was so upset. I see him as part of the family."

Mrs Foote knew something was wrong when Smokey failed to come home on Tuesday morning.

Smokey, who spent two nights on a drip at the vet, was shot sometime between midnight and 5am.

"I was so angry to find out that he had been shot. Who would do such a thing to a poor little defenceless cat?" she said. "Whoever did this was completely idiotic and stupid. They deserve to be shot themselves. If it was someone shooting rabbits then they must have been pretty reckless because he was shot from the front."

He has to spend four weeks in a cage, giving his fractured shoulder a chance to heal, or if his injuries fail to heal he may have to have his front leg amputated.

"I've tried to warn the community about this and I want to know if anyone else has experienced this. Then we can try to stop it," she added.

It comes in a week when the RSPCA revealed almost 800 air rifle attacks were reported to the charity in 2012, an increase of 40 compared to 2011.

The attacks include several cats shot in the face and whose eyes had to be removed, and others who did not survive.

In May, a cat called Rosie had to be put down after it was fatally injured with a shotgun in Wickham Bishops.

Figures are set to rise again this year with 438 reports already for the first six months of 2013.

"Cats and wildlife are often the target of air rifle attacks, simply because they are out in the open with no-one to protect them," said James Yeates, chief veterinary officer at the RSPCA.

"The injuries caused by such attacks are horrific and often fatal. These attacks are often deliberate by people who just don't care about hurting animals or are deliberately targeting animals to keep them away from gardens.

"Whoever carries out these attacks needs to understand that they are illegal and you face up to six months in prison if caught.

"The fact that we have received almost 800 reports of injured animals is deeply worrying and shows we still need to keep up our work to stop such attacks."

EXCITED schoolchildren waved goodbye to 6,000 baby eels they have reared and studied for three months, when they set them free into the wild.

The 150 children at Purleigh Primary school walked the short distance from their school down to New Hall Vineyards to release the tiny 2.5-inch-long elvers that were living in a tank in the school hall.

The eels have been looked after by the children as part of a national campaign funded and organised by the Severn and Wye Smokery to teach the children about the critically endangered species.

Susannah Hall, affectionately known as the "eel lady", is the education co-ordinator for the schools project in Essex.

She said: "The children have interacted really well with the eels, and it was a fantastic morning watching the children pour them into the pond. All the children tried eating smoked eel for the first time, it surprised me just how much they were all up for trying them.

"They were holding onto the eels as they were going to release them, saying that they were like spaghetti and all wriggly.

"It has been fantastic watching the children learn about the eels; now they will go to live in ponds, rivers and wetlands all over Essex. They are a very adaptable species and can live in all sorts of places, even in small ditches."

The children wrote messages on paper to the departing including: "behave yourself on the way home", "be nice to other eels" and "I hope you get home to the Sargasso Sea".

"I think they will be very tired when they get home, and I hope they had a good time at my school. I wanted them to stay longer but they need to go back. I know that everyone loved having them here," said ten-year-old pupil Sophie Brennan.

The European eel lives a well-travelled life – they are born in the Sargasso Sea, near Bermuda, and migrate on the ocean currents to freshwater rivers, lakes and ponds all over Europe.

As they arrive in Europe they change into "glass eels", or elvers, before growing into "yellow eels" and then "silver eels" as they become fully grown.

Reaching roughly 2ft long at sexual maturity, they migrate back to the Sargasso Sea to reproduce.

The Purleigh schoolchildren looked after and fed the glass eels for a period of about 10 weeks.

During this period they learnt about the fishery, the environment that they live in and the significance of human actions on both.

The eels are listed as critically endangered on the International Union of the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, and have been in steady decline all over Europe.

A SOLAR farm featuring more than 1,000 panels will be installed in a field in Little Warley, after Brentwood Borough Council's planning and development committee overturned a decision to reject the proposal.

The new installation will help power huge refrigerators at the Cheale Meats abattoir at Orchard Farm.

The panels will be located on green belt land – a fact which led planning officers initially to refuse the application. But at a meeting on Monday, councillors voted in favour of the removable structure, which will consist of six rows of panels in a field to the south of the abattoir.

Director Paul Cheale told members he had not anticipated getting planning permission would be so difficult, given the Government's calls for businesses to reduce their carbon footprints.

He said: "It is good news. We're very pleased that the councillors would have to see this will be a positive thing. While we are using it we'll take what we need first and sell any excess to the National Grid."

Designers claim the £300,000 investment will provide around 229,798 kWh a year for the business, approximately 80 times the energy used in an average family home in the UK,

Vice-chairman of the planning and development committee Councillor Linda Golding had called the application in for discussion.

She said the decision would not set any precedent for future applications in the area, adding: "If they were being stuck next to the Little House on the Prairie that would be different, but when you go and look at the site the panels will hardly be seen.

"This is why it is important to discuss these things. It's important make our decisions after hearing the debates in the chamber."

The plans were designed by Mosscliff Environmental.

Project manager Ollie Taylor told the Gazette: "We are extremely happy with the result of the meeting and what it represents for the future of renewable energy.

"We felt the council's balanced approach to the debate was brilliant, and really helped bring to light the many positives of renewable energy.

"The photovoltaic system at Orchard Farm will be a great flagship project highlighting how the technology can be effectively integrated into the operations of a business."

A BUTCHER who underwent emergency surgery after suffering a ruptured spleen is back behind the counter and says he is "incredibly lucky to be here".

Robert Mason, 30, fell ill while on a trip to a London meat market but has since made a full recovery.

Mr Mason has owned High Street-based Masons of Billericay since September 2010 alongside his wife Anetta.

The butcher, who lives in Chelmsford Road, Shenfield, fell ill on May 28 whilst on a trip to Smithfield with his mother, Jennifer Lindsell.

The father-of-one felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest on the A12.

"I would have gone home but my mum wanted me to go to hospital," he said.

When Mr Mason arrived at King George's Hospital, in Goodmayes, doctors found that he had a ruptured spleen.

He went under the knife for five hours and was kept in intensive care for four days before being moved onto a ward for recovery.

Speaking after the ordeal, Mr Mason said: "I lost about five litres of blood – I am incredibly lucky to be here.

"The staff were fantastic at the hospital, really wonderful.

"My care was second to none."

He added: "They are unsure what caused the spleen to rupture as usually it's from impact – like in a car accident.

"It's incredibly rare for a spleen to rupture for no reason so they are doing a case study on it at the moment."

The shop was kept open throughout the time Mr Mason was ill thanks to his mother and employee Charlotte Metaal.

He said: "This is our livelihood so we needed to stay open."

Mr Mason came out of hospital on Tuesday, June 6, and returned to work the following day.

He added: "I was on medical advice not to but was back to work on the Wednesday.

"I am feeling back to myself now.

"It was a big shock, not only to me, but more for my family because we have another baby due in November.

"It's nice to be back at work especially when you realise the severity of what happened – I was two hours away from not being here."

Mrs Lindsell said: "It was dreadful, something I wouldn't ever want to go through again.

"I would like to thank King George's, as without them he wouldn't be here – it was so scary."

AGAINST all the odds a young artist with Down's Syndrome has recovered from a brain haemorrhage and has gone from strength to strength.

Matthew Nash, of The Priory, Billericay, proudly showed his work during the town's art trail and the Gazette heard his inspirational story.

His mother, Pauline, spoke of the tough time her son has been through. The year before last he had a brain haemorrhage caused by an infection requiring emergency surgery.

In May 2011 he started to feel unwell, suffered sickness and his condition quickly deteriorated.

Mrs Nash explained: "We thought he had 24-hour sickness but then he suffered headaches all over Easter. One morning he became unconscious and we took him to hospital. He had emergency surgery on his brain. He was critical and it was frightening – the doctors didn't understand how he managed to pull through."

She explained that the infection was caused by a germ which could have been something as simple as a sneeze. Matthew was in intensive care for three-and-a-half weeks at Queens Hospital, Romford.

Mrs Nash continued: "Luckily, he's done really well and Basildon Hospital was absolutely wonderful. Matthew has a heart condition as well and they fought to get him into Queen's that Tuesday night. He recovered very quickly and now he does riding for the disabled. He managed to ride again within four weeks and also got to his regular heart check-up as well."

She explained that Matthew, who has two brothers, Timothy, 28, and Paul, 24, has always shown an interest in art and in the last few years has taken to his pursuit more seriously.

"He even managed to do his art when he was in hospital – he would do anything for his art teacher Jackie Abrahams.

"She is wonderful; she's really brought him on and out of himself."

Matthew lives with Pauline, 58, who is a dress and soft furnishings maker, and father, Michael, 60, who is a retired maths teacher.

Mrs Nash explained her son first became interested in art when he started at The Endeavour School in Brentwood aged just five. He then went on to study at Woodlands School in Chelmsford.

Mrs Nash continued: "He carried on with his art the whole time and loves being taught by Jackie.

"She has introduced him to lots of artists and he looks to their work for inspiration. Since he's been with Jackie his art has really taken off and she sees he has a natural ability for colour.

"Matthew's work is all abstract and he is very much into colour – he like bright colour. He loves seascapes and landscapes and uses lots of different textures.

"I am very proud of him – the whole family is. He didn't set up his art to sell but two people are interested in two pieces which we didn't expect.

"He's had some good feedback."

She explained: "All his work is done with acrylics and he has done a little in water colour."

Art teacher Ms Abrahams of Cromwell Avenue, spoke of her student: "His work was in the trail for all of last week and is really impressive – he has done incredibly well."

Recalling when Matthew was ill she said: "I got a call out of the blue to hear that he was in hospital.

"When I visited I took some art things with me and he did art in there while he was recovering. Since then, he's done more than he's ever done before."

TYE Green Post Office has opened its doors to the public once more for the first time in a year, with a new sub-postmaster at the helm.

The re-opening earlier this month will see vital service returned to the rural location after a temporary closure for "operational reasons" in May last year.

Neel Sudamalai, 35, from Cressing, has taken on the role of the new sub-postmaster for the post office in Evelyn Wood Road, Braintree, since July 1.

"The post office was closed for a year at least, so it will take a while to build up and get repeat customers, but it's good for the area to be open again.

"It will help local people be able to get their pension and do their banking," said Mr Sudamalai.

The store is open 31 hours a week longer than previously, opening Monday to Saturday at 6.30am to 8pm and on Sundays from 7am to 4pm.

Mr Sudamalai, along with wife Sopana, have been living in Cressing for nearly four years and have worked in retail in a number of different shops, both large and small.

The pair run the post office by themselves – with the help of only one part-time employee, Kumar Mugan.

Mr Sudamalai said: "If we get more customers in then we may look to get more staff in, but we don't want to hire someone, then have to let them go if it's not busy.

"We are glad to get the post office back open and possibly get all the services for the town again – it's good for the customers and it's good for us as well.

"At the end of the day it's a challenge and it's not going to happen straight away.

"Retail will be slow at first and it might take a year or so, but we had to make sure we could provide the service, then look at how we can improve services and how we can deliver the best for customers," he added.

This is part of a three-year investment from the Post Office to modernise 6,000 branches.

Mark Lawrence, Post Office regional network manager for south and east England, said: "We understand how important having a post office is to residents in Tye Green and I know that the local community will join me in welcoming this good news about the re-opening of this post office.

"This new modern post office will meet the needs of the local community and secure services for the future."

WOMEN can find out about reconstruction and get a chance to talk to others who have been through reconstructive surgery at a twice monthly BRA charity meeting.

Heidi Stubbings is one of five breast cancer nurses that work in the breast unit at Broomfield's world-famous St Andrews Centre.

She said: "My job is to support anyone with breast health problems.

"At the point of diagnosis if it looks like a breast cancer then we help them through the stages of treatment and offer support after surgery.

"This group started in 2005 and is a hugely valuable resource because at some point a patient has to decide if they're going to have a reconstruction and at the same time think about how it's going to affect them and how are they going to look.

"We also set up a group called Moving Forward, something that Breast Cancer Care have been running only three or four years.

"Patients can come along when treatment has finished, and this is not seen by family and relatives, patients are often left alone and start to think about what's happened to them and how their life has changed.

"They also start to think about how they come to terms with what's happened to them and the long term side effects and how work and relationships will continue.

"A lot of women have reconstruction can take up to two years and side-effects can go on for two or three years. The impact on their lives is so massive."

THREE kittens, who are just three-weeks-old, are looking for a home after being dumped in a cardboard box.

At just seven days old the three tiny cats, who don't yet have names, were left in Chelmsford without food or shelter and would have died within hours if an RSPCA inspector had not found them, attracted by the sound of their crying.

The young animals join another 32 cats currently being looked after by the mid-Essex branch of the RSPCA, based in Great Baddow, which staff say is "bursting at the seams" after a dramatic rise in neglected or abandoned animals.

"The number of collections we've had to make has gone up severely compared to last year," said chairman Clive Vallis.

"I think some of it is to do with the economic climate as animals are the first thing people turn out when they need to tighten their belts, but the animals suffer so much as a result, particularly in this heat.

"These three kittens can only have been left about a few hours we think or they wouldn't have survived as they need round-the-clock care. We were already quite worried at first the little black one wasn't going to make it."

Volunteer Emma Russell is one of a group of four at the branch who are taking turns caring for the litter of cats, who need hand-feeding and washing every two to three hours.

"I volunteer once a week so I'll take them home tonight, they sleep on a chair beside my bed, and I probably won't get much rest," said Emma, who will begin her training as a vet in September.

"The little black one is a bit difficult as he gets confused and tries to nuzzle off the other two, which has left their skin red and raw."

In a few weeks the kittens will be ready to find new owners, a task that will likely be much easier for them than for some of the other older cats found by the charity.

"We still have real difficulty housing black cats due to people's superstitions so a lot of those we have are black, or very close," added Clive. "But all the cats we re-home will be vaccinated neutered and spayed and we carry out a home inspection to check suitability too.

"Anybody who doesn't think they can manage their pet any more should contact us, or another rescue charity, and make provisions for the animal to be re-homed, not just left."

If you're interested in re-homing an animal, contact the mid-Essex branch on 01245 478886 or e-mail info@rspca-mides sex.org.uk.

FOR any proud parents the date of their newborn's birth will be marked in bold, highlighted, and underlined on the calendar.

But for couple Lucy O'Mullane and James Cooch, July 17 will have three times the significance, because their first child Ralphie shares a birthday with both his mother and his father.

Sitting in their Witham home, just two days after returning from Broomfield Hospital, surrounded by shelves of birthday cards, the family of three were as surprised as anyone at the three-way coincidence.

"We didn't plan the date at all, we had talked about having a baby but just not quite at this time," said Lucy, who turned 28 on Wednesday, although she had been a little too preoccupied to enjoy the moment herself .

"I realised I was pregnant last November and his due date was given to us as July 12 so at first people were just talking about how I would coincide with Kate Middleton's [baby's] birth.

"Then I was four days overdue which was really uncomfortable in this heat."

"Those days were filled with fans, bags of ice, and hours spent on the exercise ball," added dad James, who is enjoying two weeks of paternity leave with his fiancée and new son after turning 27 on the day of the birth.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Lucy, who is originally from Hatfield Peverel, went into the first stages of labour, by-passing birthday presents for 12 hours spent on gas and air instead, before Ralphie was born at 1.45pm.

Ms O'Mullane said: "My family were just so shocked, they couldn't believe we all shared a birthday.

"It wasn't till Saturday that we actually stopped round my parents and opened up some cards and presents for me and James but our actual birthday is a blur, I wasn't really aware of the time."

July is already a busy month for the couple, who also celebrate their anniversary and Lucy's brother's birthday within the same three weeks.

"Maybe we should get married on July 17 too!" said Ms O'Mullane, who got engaged to Mr Cooch at Christmas.

She said: "We haven't organised the wedding yet though as time has just gone so quickly and we've kept putting it off, and off.

"But we're just so pleased that Ralphie is finally here, he already has his own little personality and he's just worth all the pain."

And with three birthdays falling on the same day to plan for in 2014, it may be advisable to start party planning as soon as possible.

EVER since Bernie Nolan lost her battle with breast cancer and Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy, Broomfield Hospital's world-renowned breast reconstruction unit has been swamped by women wanting screenings.

The hospital in Chelmsford is one of the county's biggest breast cancer units and is one of nine national centres training plastic surgeons in different types of reconstructive surgery.

After actress and singer Bernie Nolan lost her two-year fight with cancer earlier this month, and Angelina Jolie underwent a precautionary double mastectomy last month, the hospital has seen a threefold increase in the number of women coming to it.

Simon Smith, oncoplastic consultant surgeon at Broomfield, said: "Most patients that present with symptoms won't have breast cancer, but the numbers we are seeing coming into the clinic is going up year on year.

"We saw 4,500 new patients last year, most were treated with surgery and most of that surgery involved removing a lump as opposed to the whole breast."

Ms Jolie discovered she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation that can lead to breast and ovarian cancer – the disease that killed her mother Marcheline Bertrand in 2007.

Although Ms Jolie's family history indicated that she could be at risk of contracting the genetic form of breast cancer, of the one in eight women who will contract breast cancer, only five per cent of those are due to genetics.

But that does not mean women should be complacent about their health, warns Dr Smith.

Jenny Race was diagnosed with lobular cancer in November 2010 and went on to have a mastectomy. It is one of the rarest kinds of breast cancer and it can't be found on mammogram tests, and although not the gene form of the disease, it is caused by a hormonal imbalance – namely too much oestrogen.

Jenny, 45, of Juvina Close, Witham, said: "I had a bit of sharp pain and my nipple was inverted, I got checked out by my GP and found I had a very small lump under my nipple.

"If I hadn't gone to my doctor I wouldn't have found it. By being a nurse I'm very breast-aware, but the symptoms weren't standing out to me as a problem.This type of cancer is very difficult to find.

"I have an implant every three months that blocks oestrogen. That's why I set up a support group – people are having to deal with a lot of side-effects and may feel very lonely and isolated.

"At work I'll offer my help and advice and let people know what to expect. But it's a huge thing for a woman to go through and the psychological impact is the main thing that women find hard to deal with.

"It's a huge change in lifestyle, but you've still got to run a family, bath the little one – it's massive to cope with all the things at once.

"But I'm a fighter, I have faith and great family and friends," added Ms Race, who works as a practice nurse at the Douglas Grove surgery in Witham and has adapted following her illness.

Dr Smith added: "Thirty years ago survival rates were lower and women were left with life-changing surgery on their body and often found it difficult to continue their normal lives.

"Now more women are surviving breast cancer, so we can then move from treating the cancer to treating the cosmetic side successfully. We can make them look better, which leads to patients living a full and normal life, in terms of self-esteem.

"As a doctor what we focus on is the cure because it is more important. But there's no point in making a woman look beautiful if you just make the cancer treatment worse. The key thing to this is to not interfere with effective cancer treatment."

Many women who have not only been through the trauma of cancer, but then also breast surgery and reconstruction, do survive and have plenty to be optimistic about.

Ms Race added: "It's a very odd condition, I still wanted to go to work, it's like having a chronic disease, but now it's treatable and more people are surviving it.

"The doctors and nurses are brilliant – they're so committed to making you feel better about yourself. And the surgery where I work has been great too.

"A lot of the women I see come with the feeling they are not going to live, and you have to get your head around it somehow and work out how you're going to go ahead and live and manage each day.

"I'm a totally different person now, I don't worry about the little things any more – like the A12.

"I'm more direct. I try and get my life right in most ways because life's too short, so make the most of things."

Meetings of Ms Race's support group are held at the Well Coffee Shop, Guithavon Street in Witham, which is run by the Bethel Fellowship.

The group is held on the first Monday of the month, or a Tuesday if it falls on a bank holiday, from 2.30 to 4pm.

Anyone interested in joining the group can contact Jenny on 01376 512827.

A NEW make-up salon promising to keep Brentwood in tip-top condition is here.

The Make-Up Lounge opened on July 20 with celebrity guests, including Towie star Lucy Mecklenburgh, visiting to check out what was on offer.

The brain-child of owner Kayleigh Whiting, the make-up area is situated within Mars and Venus Hairdressing on Ongar Road.

It will be open every day from 9am until 6pm except on Thursdays when it is open from 9am until 8pm and Sundays, when it is closed.

Miss Whiting, 23, from Kelvedon Hatch, said: "The opening event went really well and lots of people came down.

"The great thing about being located within Mars and Venus is that it means people can get their make-up done at the same time as having a haircut."

Miss Whiting said clients can buy products and receive treatments like fake eyelashes, eyebrow shaping and tinting.

To make a reservation, e-mail make-uplounge@hotmail.co.uk or call 01277 203730 or 07779644835

A BITTER ex-husband who arrived at divorce proceedings with a six-inch kitchen knife and a home-made gun has been found dead in his prison cell.

Patrick McCarthy, 63, of Anchor Lane, Abbess Roding, was on remand facing a charge of attempting to murder his ex-wife after turning up to Chelmsford County Court with nine shotgun cartridges on July 2

He was found unconscious in his cell at HMP Chelmsford at 7.50am on July 22.

Two days after his arrest, Chelmsford magistrates heard how, after separating from Mrs McCarthy in July 2012, his firearm licence was revoked for fear of his ex-wife's safety.

He was served a molestation order but sent her texts and e-mails and visited her mother.

He was arrested outside court on July 2 and charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing illegal ammunition and a knife in a public place.

Prosecutors were also asking for him to be charged with attempted murder.

The Independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is now investigating his death.

A prison spokesman said: "Patrick McCarthy was found unresponsive in his cell at 7.50am on July 22. He was pronounced dead at 8.15am."

His brother John said: "I haven't got one good word to say about him."

CRAIG EDWARDS has revealed he is still looking to add another striker to his Billericay Town squad before the Ryman League Premier Division season starts.

The Blues boss added former Bolton trainee Javlon Campbell to his party last week, and although he also has former Maldon & Tiptree hotshot James Robinson at his disposal, Edwards is looking for another frontman to complete the jigsaw.

The need for an extra striker was shown on Saturday when Campbell was at a wedding and Robinson missed out through injury as the Blues were beaten 4-0 at Conference South side Dover.

And Edwards said: "We're still looking for another forward so we were very light on the forward department.

"We had to go to Dover without any recognised striker at all, which would be hard against any team, let alone a team from a division above.

"Javlon has been excellent in the two games he's played

"His all-round game is very good, he's got good pace, he's intelligent and he looks like he's got a goal in him.

"Before he came we were a little one-dimensional in that we played a lot in front of their back four – we still looked a very good side but this gives us the option of playing down the sides a little and in behind the defence, which is obviously a big plus."

Goals from Richard Orlu, Moses Ademola, Tom Murphy and Dan Stubbs secured the Whites' 4-0 win on Saturday.

It followed an altogether more encouraging performance in the 1-0 defeat by Dagenham last week, but Edwards insisted the results make no difference to his preparations for the Ryman Premier opener against Harrow Borough a week on Saturday.

"I thought we were excellent against Dagenham," he added. "We were probably unfortunate to not get a result but that's not the important thing.

"Fitness levels were good, even on Saturday I thought our fitness levels were good when it was even harder – we were getting beaten 4-0 on a very, very hot day and I thought we finished the game very well."

The Blues finish their pre-season programme on Saturday when they travel to face another Conference South side in the shape of newly promoted Concord Rangers, having hosted Bishop's Stortford lastnight.

TRADITIONAL Cockney speakers have been exiled to parts of south Essex – including Brentwood – with people in the east end of London speaking a whole new dialect, according to a study.

The phenomenon detailed in the research from a London university certainly rings true for Grace Hayden who, for the past 30 years, has lived on Brentwood's East Ham estate, the development built by Newham Council to house people from east London after the Second World War.

Work on the estate started in about 1950, and she subsequently moved there from Canning Town 33 years ago.

Now 91, Mrs Hayden said she decided to move after traffic noise in the capital started to cause health problems for her late husband.

She is just one of the departed whose emigration from the Cockney heartland is leading to permanent changes to the traditional dialect which had its origins in the east end.

She said: "Many people started leaving initially because they were living in prefabs and they wanted somewhere better to live, but before that there were those who started losing their accents after they had been evacuated while they were living away in the country."

She added: "I think a lot of people started moving out when we got quite a few people coming in from other countries."

Pauline Attridge, 58, who lived in Forest Gate, Upton Park, Manor Park and Stratford before moving to Brentwood, said: "We had a real sense of community. All the neighbours know each other, but then everything started to fragment."

The study, compiled by experts at Queen Mary University, claims that the Cockney drift can be summed up by listening to the cast of The Only Way Is Essex (Towie).

The more traditional-sounding Cockney speakers have migrated to Essex, including X Factor finalist Stacey Solomon and those in Towie, according to the report's author Dr Sue Fox.

"In the last five decades Cockney has probably undergone more rapid change than at any time in its long history," she said.

She also put it down to the number of white working class families who moved into Essex from the 1950s onwards.

Dr Fox added: "It is probably more accurate to say that Cockney has now become more synonymous with white working class speakers from a much larger geographical region of south-east England and is not generally a term applied to speakers of minority ethnic backgrounds even if they have been born within the traditional Cockney area.

"The Bangladeshi community now makes up over a third of the population the borough of Tower Hamlets in the east end, and the vast majority of people in this area now speak what we have labelled as multicultural London English.

"They don't identify with being Cockney, and this new term is more reflective of the current population."

Dr Fox was speaking on the history of the language as part of the Cockney Heritage Festival last week.

What do you think? Is Brentwood the new home of the traditional Cockney? Write to us at the address on page two, e-mail editorial@gazettenews.co.uk or visit www.brentwood gazette.co.uk