A MOTORCYCLIST has died after his bike collided with a van last night.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, was declared dead at the scene after his blue Yamaha collided with a black Renault Traffic van in Buckhurst Hill at around 9.50pm.

The van driver, aged 33 and from Romford, was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving at the scene of the crash outside the Hungry Horse pub in Buckhurst Way.

He is currently in police custody.

The road was closed until 4am while officers investigated the scene.

Any witnesses are asked to contact the serious collision investigation unit on 101 or email collisionappeal@essex.pnn.police.uk

The tragedy was the second fatal accident in Essex last night as a man in Writtle, near Chelmsford, also died when a sliver Citroen Xsara and a silver Volkswagen Caddy collided on the A414.

TWO Essex men have been charged with conspiracy to defraud the central bank following a number of thefts of mail in Surrey.
Victor Odesola, 37, and Olukayode Akinleye, 34, both of Bradbourne Road, Grays, Essex, are due to appear at South East Surrey Magistrates Court, Reigate, today (Saturday, 2 February) after thefts in the Woking, Weybridge and East Surrey areas.
They were charged yesterday (Friday, 1 February) with conspiracy to defraud the central bank.
A member of the public reported seeing mail being stolen in the Weybridge area on Thursday (31 January). 
Recently stolen mail was found in the car and the two men were arrested.

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FIVE motorists were rescued by firefighters after their three vehicles became stuck in flood water in Hullbridge.

Three fire engines were used to rescue the group - which became stranded in the aptly-named Watery Lane after ignoring road warning signs and the flood water itself

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service' (ECFRS) water rescue team attended the scene at 6.18pm yesterday (February 2) and helped the motorists get safely back onto dry land.
The crew left the scene about an hour later.

An ECFRS spokesman said: "Crews continue to stress the dangers of driving into flood water but these, and warning signs at the scene, continued to be ignored at this notorious flood blackspot."

A TEENAGER is fighting for her life after she collided with a cyclist whilst on foot in the shared space area of Southend.

The girl, a 16-year-old from Benfleet, is suffering with a serious head injury after the accident - which saw her collide with the cyclist just after 9.45pm on Friday (February 1) in Marine Parade.

She was taken by ambulance to Southend General Hospital and later moved to Queens Hospital in Romford in what police have described as a life-threatening condition.

The cyclist, a man in his twenties from Leigh, was uninjured. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Paul Calpin at Laindon road policing unit on 101.

POLICE are appealing for the public's help in naming a man wanted in connection with the theft of fuel from a petrol station in Sible Hedingham, Braintree.

He filled his light-coloured BMW with fuel at 4pm on January 27 at the Swan Street Shell garage before leaving the forecourt without paying.

Anyone with information who can identify the man shown in the CCTV images is asked to contact Pc Max Ansell at Braintree police station on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.`

A WOMAN has been attacked by a boxer dog whilst taking her own dog for a walk.

The woman, in her 40s, was bruised and suffered a cut to her right shin in the attack - which happened on a recreation ground near Abbots Road, Colchester, at about 1.50pm on Wednesday (January 30).

The tan-coloured boxer dog that went for her was not on a lead.

Police are appealing for information on the incident.

A representative for Essex police said: "The boxer is believed to have been with a woman at the time who is described as having olive skin, of skinny build, with long dark hair with bit of red in it, wearing a black jacket." 

"She was also in the company of another woman who was walking two westie type dogs."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Pc Ben Towers at Colchester police station on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

POLICE are appealing for witnesses to the racially-aggravated assault of an Asian woman in Colchester.

The woman, 30, from Colchester, was struck to the back of the head while in Military Road at around 4pm on January 28. 

She fell to the floor and was shouted at.

The suspect is described as white, around 25-years-old and wore a woolly hat, brown jacket and beige trousers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Karen Mortimer at Colchester police station on 101.

A MAN has been found guilty of duping his dying neighbour out of £45,000.

Carlos Machado, 55, of Hatfield Road, Witham, was found guilty of one offence of fraud by abusing his position as a carer at Chelmsford Crown Court last Thursday. He was accused of stealing £45,000 from his late neighbour, Brian Farlow, who suffered from lung and bone cancer.

But Machado, originally from Portugal, is adamant that the pair were working on a rocket science project for which he says Mr Farlow loaned him £15,000 research funds. During the trial Machado accepted he had spent £15,000 of Mr Farlow's money but denied theft or fraud had been involved.

Mr Farlow, who died in November 2011, told police he never gave permission for his neighbour to take the thousands of pounds.

"In the UK, to take care of a friend, it can be dangerous. This is the reality," said Machado after the court case.

"Brian and I were working on a science project together and I can tell you he himself came up with the idea.

"I asked him if he could lend me money for the research and he helped me overall with £15,000 – and that's why I say you should never put friendship with money."

Machado, who moved to the UK in March 2003, said that it was Lloyds Bank that reported him to the police.

"After all this I might be thinking of putting them through the courts," he said. "I have never been to a court of law in my life. I never talked to Brian about my research but he knew what it was for. I was considered dishonest for not telling him."

Mr Machado also claims that Mr Farlow offered him money in his will, but he declined. "That gentleman died alone and with no friends and no family," he added.

"Before dying, Brian made a will and he asked me if I wanted any money. I said no, I don't want a penny from you."

The jury failed to reach a verdict on one charge of theft and they cleared him of another fraud offence.

Judge Gratwicke directed not guilty verdicts in two other fraud allegations.

Mr Machado will be sentenced at the end of the month.

A PROLIFIC criminal from Romford has been jailed for more than five years after he admitted carrying out more than 200 burglaries.

Joseph Lewis, 22, of Lower Bedfords Road, was sentenced to five years and four months at Southend Crown Court on January 24 after he was convicted of three burglaries and the theft of a motor vehicle.

At the hearing he admitted to carrying out a further 217 burglary offences across north-east London and west Essex since 2005; offences which were taken into consideration during his sentencing.

Police officers arrested Lewis on April 13, 2012 at Hogbar Farm Caravan Park, in Lower Bedfords Road, Harold Hill.

He was arrested in an intelligence-led operation involving officers from the North East Detections Team (NEDT) in Havering and the Territorial Support Group.

The NEDT is a special unit comprising officers from the Met's five north-east boroughs plus Essex Police. Detective Sergeant Brett Hagen said: "Lewis is a prolific cross-border and cross-constabulary burglar.

"The unique nature of the North East Detections Team has allowed us to maximise our detections and adopt a corporate approach to dealing with this priority crime offender.

"I would like to praise PC Alex McGarrigle and Det Con Fin Foley who have completed over 20 Home Office Production Orders with Lewis to facilitate the taken-into-consideration (TIC) process.

"His sentence reflects the gravity and scale of his offending and over 200 victims now have closure on their burglary crimes."

Detective Inspector Lee Barnard said: "Since its creation in May 2012, the NEDT has achieved nearly 900 priority crime detections by way of TIC.

"They have achieved detections for 17 Met boroughs and three county forces.

"This is due to the hard work, dedication and professionalism of the entire team."

TORRENTIAL rain has driven vegetable growers away from Ongar's allotments, leaving the town council searching to fill plots.

The shortage at the town's allotments comes despite national figures showing that, on average, waiting lists are running into years.

Until Christmas, staff at Ongar Town Council, which operates allotments in Castle Street and Moreton Road, had waiting lists on both sites.

But now decision makers at Bansons Way have been forced to split plots in half in a bid to attract new people who may feel that a whole patch is beyond them.

Allotments in Moreton Road are 125sq m, while the land sections in Castle Street are double that size.

There are two half plots available on each site.

Eileen Gough, who manages letting of the allotments on both sites, hopes that dividing them up will make a difference.

She said: "I think that with the horrible English weather last year, unfortunately some people have given up hope – it's just put them off.

"But also maybe they are finding that with work commitments they are struggling to manage a whole plot, so we decided to divide them into half plots and advertise.

"We are just hoping we are lucky with the weather this year and really encourage people to take these on."

Mrs Gough explained how growing your own on an allotment is not only an unorthodox fitness regime, but it is also a good way to save money.

In total, there are 39 mixed-size plots on Castle Street and 13 full-size plots on Moreton Road.

A simple vegetable plan at either site can include potatoes, peas, brassicas and onions.

Mrs Gough added: "Being an allotment owner can be really fulfilling because it is very rewarding to eat what you produce yourself, but there is also a great social life to be had down there.

"It's particularly nice for people on their own."

High Ongar resident Gordon Arthur, the secretary of the Ongar Allotments and Gardening Society, echoed Mrs Gough's views but also said it would help the environment.

"Increasingly people are worried about their food, what is in their food and how far it has travelled," he said.

"Any given week you can walk into a supermarket and buy an asparagus that has been imported from as far away as Peru, but you can also grow your own asparagus here in Ongar."

The half plots available cost £15 per year at Castle Street and £10 at Moreton Road.

For more information, call 01277 365348.

THE Sugar Hut has launched a restaurant and cafe next door to the club.

The Sugar Hut Cafe will sell light lunches and simple dishes such as steak and chips from the site formerly occupied by steak house Masons.

Micky Norcross, the club's owner, said: "We've got to tailor the business to suit customer needs and we have done that. This is a way for us to fill a niche."

The front half of the premises will be a cafe area, selling light bites, sandwiches and paninis.

The rear and garden area will be a restaurant.

The business is keen to cash on the increasing number of visitors from across the country who have seen the club on ITV2's hit reality show The Only Way Is Essex.

In 2011 there were 116,000 guests. That increased to 151,000 in 2012. Mr Norcross is expecting to welcome 200,000 customers by the end of this year.

A HANDFUL of caring villagers have taken a homeless man to their heart after he left the city to kick his drink and drug addiction.

Some residents in Roxwell are plying 29-year-old Bobby Andrews with lunchboxes of chilli and Thermos flasks of steaming hot tea, after he escaped Chelmsford to beat "the nasty people".

But the presence of the recovering addict, who is sleeping rough in a bus stop, has angered other villagers, who claim he needs a "tough love" approach to beat drugs.

"We're trying to do both but it's Bobby who has a choice," said the vicar, the Rev Karen Best, who had let him sleep in the village church.

Bobby, who has been treated by paramedics twice in the past few weeks, arrived in Roxwell last February when a Christian couple took him into their home.

But father-of-three Steve Hanson was forced to tell him to leave when he brought drugs into the home he shares with his wife, Debbie, and three young daughters.

"If people continue to help him by giving him food he will just sit there and happily take it," he said.

"But if the village wants him out then the only way to help him is tough love so that he is forced to go back to social services and accept their support."

Mr Hanson, a mime artist who tours the country with his "mime ministry", took Bobby into his home after he visited their church, Life Church off Moulsham Street in Chelmsford city centre, during last winter's heavy snowfall.

"We thought 'how can we walk out of church knowing this guy has got nothing to do but go out in the snow and cold?'," said Steve. "So we invited him home for Sunday roast but then we thought 'can we just put him back out on the streets?'

"We did but we felt awful about it so we actually went out looking for him but couldn't find him.

"Later we heard he'd collapsed in the snow and was taken to hospital.

"We eventually found him at Nicole's café, which helps the homeless, and invited him to come and stay on the rules we set, which was that he didn't bring drink or drugs into our home.

"We could tell that Bobby was very gentle and harmless, so we thought we'd keep a close eye on him and see how he does."

Steve claims Bobby soon broke their golden rule and brought drugs into the house, something wife Debbie verified with Essex drugs charity Open Road.

But they gave him another chance and even took him on holiday to Elim Bible Week in Telford.

"I was away but my wife took him to stay with them and my mother-in-law in the Lake District but he went out and got blind drunk and really abusive, so Debbie had no choice but to put him on a bus back," said Steve, who also took Bobby in on Christmas Day.

"Bobby picked Roxwell to stay away from the 'nasty people' because he was getting picked on and bullied in Chelmsford.

"But we've had to put our foot down which is really hard and we've told the police to tell him to stay away.

"My wife Debbie has put in so many hours into trying to help Bobby turn his life around whilst trying to hold down her full-time job and care for a family.

"Many people in the village are against us now because they blame us for bringing him here, but if they continue to help him the problem will not go away."

Steve says his wife even helped Bobby save £1,000 from his benefits to put towards three months' rent to help him get on his feet, but no landlord would take him because he did not have a regular income.

"People on benefits are going to find it harder and harder to get homes so this homeless problem is just going to spiral out of control," said Steve.

After being told to leave, Bobby slept in the village church, St Michael & All Angels, but the church council took the decision to lock its doors and take him to a night shelter. However, he soon made his way back to the village and the Rev Best said it was a dilemma over whether they should continue to help Bobby or give him the "tough love" that others say he needs.

"We have offered a Christian, compassionate and loving response to Bobby as a homeless person, but we could only ever offer him a partial solution to his difficulties", she said.

"We have tried to manage the balance between helping and assisting him and encouraging him to look at a more permanent housing arrangement.

"Bobby has chosen to remain in the bus shelter and not to return to the night shelter in Chelmsford, where he would find food, shelter and somewhere dry and warm to sleep.

"He tells us that he prefers the quietness of the village.

"Currently, the church is locked. This was a decision taken by the PCC, in order to encourage Bobby to work towards a permanent resolution to his homelessness, and because the church building is not set up to support one person for night shelter. The needs of the whole parish were considered in reaching this decision.

"I want to encourage Bobby to find his independence and to enjoy living in his own home, and so we continue to offer him the help that we can, with the resources and skills that we have and at the same time encourage him to work with the professional homelessness agencies.

"We hope that our collaboration with support workers and others will bring a positive solution for Bobby. "

Bobby, who admits to battling drink and addiction to heroin and cannabis, is originally from Cambridge. He said he moved to Chelmsford to go to rehab, although he admitted "that didn't work".

But he says he has chosen Roxwell because it is "nice and peaceful", claiming he wanted to stay away from the Chess homeless shelter in the city centre.

"I'm trying to stay away from the drink and drugs and the nasty people," he said.

A MOTHER-OF-TWO says she was left fearing for her children's lives when an ice hockey match ended in a mass brawl which spilled into the spectator area.

Nikki Parker, 34, her husband James and their two sons attended the much-anticipated game between Essex rivals the Chelmsford Chieftains and the Romford Raiders on Sunday.

But the couple, who went to a game for the first time at Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre, were left panicked when a scrap on the ice turned into what they describe as being like a "stampede of wildebeest".

"There were lots of little scraps on the ice and lots of banter between players. Some of the fans were also quite verbal, but I expected it to be like that," said Nikki, a recruitment consultant from Wickford.

But one minute before the end of the game, while the couple's three-year-old son Josh was watching other children playing football nearby, the atmosphere completely changed.

"All of a sudden I could hear screaming and all these people were running and I couldn't see Josh," said Nikki. "All I could see was my husband running into this crowd of people to find him. As you can imagine I was just panicked. It felt like an eternity before he found him."

Nikki believes that somebody then opened the emergency doors and some of the trouble-makers were thrown out, as she picked Josh up.

"While the doors were open I just grabbed my youngest son and ran," she said. "All I kept thinking was we are going to get crushed."

But the drama didn't end there because Nikki's 15-year-old son Jordon was still inside the building.

She added: "James had to go back in because we couldn't find Jordon. I know he is 15, but they are your babies. You just don't expect it.

"Josh was absolutely hysterical in the car on the way home. He said, 'Mummy, I don't want to ever go back there again.' I was in tears all night thinking about what could have happened."

Nikki and her family joined her close friend – an avid Romford Raiders fan – at the match. "She was mortified," said Nikki. "She said I have never seen anything like it. Something seriously bad could have happened."

It is believed the brawl started after a Chelmsford fan threw a drink over a Romford Raider and from there, the players left their boxes and the fight spilled into the public area.

Gary Clarke , head coach of the Chelmsford Chieftains, said: "I can't say I saw the incident, but I can't say it didn't happen. There's a big rivalry between the two teams and, on occasion, this spilled into the fans' area.

"What we need to remember is that it's a family sport. We don't want to condone actions like that and our management team have responded very quickly in making sure those involved in the fracas are banned for life. As to what caused it, I'm afraid I couldn't say."

It was later revealed that some home fans had tried to get on to the Romford bench and beer had been thrown into the bench from behind.

The Chelmsford management team issued the following statement after the game: "Tonight was a good win marred by the actions of a few of our own supporters. Aggressive behaviour towards the away bench will not be tolerated and these fans are now banned indefinitely."

Pete Lewis, media liaison officer for the Chelmsford Chieftains, said: "We apologise that things got out of hand like that but we want to make it clear that it was two or three guys out of 1,000 fans. Security were there and they put a stop to it very quickly."

Brawl may see Chieftains docked points page 60

A REAL-LIFE Lassie rescued an 85-year-old woman who spent a whole night trapped in a ditch.

The pensioner had gone for an evening stroll on Wednesday but toppled head first into a drainage channel hidden by thick brambles.

She was only discovered by 10-year-old mongrel Rosie and her owner Jackie Short at 7am the next day – after spending 12 hours lying in the ditch.

"Rosie was interested in the ditch, but I pulled her away," said Ms Short, a 70-year-old retired teacher.

"She whimpered, pulled back and insisted I take a look.

"I couldn't see anything so I kept walking away but she began to howl and I went back.

"It was still dark and I could see nothing, but I had a torch.

"As I shone it in the ditch I heard a very faint voice saying 'Help me, please'."

To Ms Short's shock she then saw two boots poking out of the briar-filled trench.

"I couldn't believe this little old lady had spent all night in a ditch. It was totally surreal," said Ms Short, who had been walking Rosie and her 10-year-old spaniel cross Jennie near her home on School Lane, Broomfield.

Ms Short then tried to drag the pensioner from the ditch, which separates an alley off Goulton Road and a farmer's field, but it was too steep.

She tied up Rosie and Jennie, both rescue dogs from animal charity Desperate Greekies, and ran to get help.

"I could not get her out – it was too deep, so I left the dogs to guard her while I ran to the nearest road where a dust cart was approaching," said Ms Short.

A Chelmsford City Council bin man then tried to free the pensioner, who the Chronicle have chosen not to name at the request of her son, but he also struggled, so he called his colleagues.

The group of three men then managed to free the woman from the labyrinth of twisted brambles and pull her out of the ditch.

Mrs Short added: "She was in a collapsed state and, had she been there much longer, the outcome might have been tragic."

The woman refused an ambulance and was instead taken to her home by the workers.

Amazingly, she escaped her ordeal with just a few scratches and a bruised shoulder.

On Friday, the lady told the Chronicle that she had only left her home on the Wednesday evening for a quick walk.

"There's not much happening in the village and I was looking for a bit of life," she said.

"I must have fallen. It was a terrible job to get out."

Ms Short added: "I'm really proud of Rosie. The other dog didn't take a blind bit of notice but Rosie really made a racket.

"If I didn't have Rosie I would have just walked past."

A BUS boss faced two hours of heavy criticism from unhappy residents.

Giles Fearnley, managing director at First UK bus, travelled to Burnham Town Council offices to face interrogation from a packed hall of angry bus users on Friday.

Organised by the Dengie Hundred Bus Users' Group, the meeting followed concerns about the performance of the 31x which was scaled back in 2010 leaving many regular users isolated, and gave people a chance to voice their concerns.

Alex Jennings, 81, who relies heavily on the service, said: "There have been times when there's no heating on the bus in minus temperatures, and my wife was injured when a driver pulled away too quicky.

"The 31x is often either late or doesn't show up at all. I've been asking for years for a digital system to be introduced so I came along to the meeting to hear what they had to say."

Mr Jennings was not alone with his concerns and the managing director faced some gruelling questioning.

Speaking after the event, Mr Fearnley said: "It was far from pleasant to hear two hours of criticism, mostly at the door of First, but it was hugely useful and I look forward to a return visit when we will be able to fill the time with positive feedback."

Mr Fearnley assured residents that training and preventative maintenance have been introduced to improve reliability, while new hybrid buses are to be introduced in Chelmsford, freeing up newer vehicles for the 31x route.

A fare revision from this month will also lead to a £1 reduction for a return from Burnham to Chelmsford.

Ursula Benjafield, vice-chairman of the DHBUG, said: "We feel that First are sincere in their wish to improve the punctuality and reliability of the 31x and the skills and attitude of all their drivers.

"It became clear at the meeting that some drivers are very good. Burnham is not on the way to anywhere and First did not need to make the effort to come if they did not wish to make improvements."

I DO hope we've seen the last of the snow for this winter. Why? Well, among other things all the salt and grit is used up from the roadside grit bins, and they won't be refilled until November. Essex County Council only fills them once a year.

A lot of our roads are now in a terrible state, and we will be watching closely for the county council to repair them, but, hats off – the whole length of the High Street has been resurfaced this week, which was well overdue.

Welcome, Domino's. Do we need another pizza place? Only time will tell. I'm pleased that Basildon Council decided Domino's could stay open until 2am seven days a week, not 5am as it requested. The town council sent Cllr Davie, chairman of planning, to make the point to the licensing committee that we thought such hours could lead to disturbance. Apparently 70 per cent of all Domino's pizzas are ordered for delivery, and 30 per cent for collection.

Billericay really has a great range of eateries.

In fact Billericay is one of the better performing high streets across the country at the moment. Whereas a lot of towns have a large percentage of empty shops, Billericay has very few. Yellow Jersey Cycles has moved in, and The Gift Shop has moved into larger premises, to the former Pamela shop. Last year, when the office supplies shop closed, Billericay Homecare expanded to increase its range. Did you know you can buy haberdashery there? Whatever you think of Poundland, I would rather have the shop open for business than standing empty.

When Village Bar and Grill closed, we didn't have to wait long for Chimi Changa.

Some of you mourn the loss of the Storyteller bookshop, but when big music shops like HMV are going out of business, our own Slipped Discs moved up and joined with Brown Sugar to provide a great combination. This gave Masons the Butcher a chance to open up. Did you know that shop was once the butchery department of the Co-op? When the Emporium moved to be closer to the Cookshop, we got a tapas bar.

If you can, do your shopping in Billericay. When you want to eat out, choose a town restaurant. Although we have fewer pubs now than when we were full of coaching inns, I'm sure you can find one to suit your taste.

The town council along with Basildon Council and ECC will do their best to keep the place looking nice.

If there is anything you can think of that would help make Billericay a better place, call the town clerk on 01277 625732 or e-mail townclerk@billericaytowncouncil.gov.uk

The new Kumon Colchester North Study Centre held an open day on Saturday 2 February at their new venue on Highwood's Square in Colchester, to provide local families with a chance to learn more about Kumon's individualised maths and English programmes and how they could benefit their children.

The new high street venue provides a permanent, spacious and motivational learning environment for even more students in the area.

Visitors to the open day had the opportunity to take part in a series of activities including face painting, a bouncy castle and an Usborne book stand, with the local Oak Tree Café providing refreshments. Parents were also given a tour of the new study centre premises and there was also a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The General Manager of Kumon Educational UK and Ireland, David Cowan, and Chris Kiernan, Lead Strategic Commissioner, Standards and Excellence in Education at Essex County Council, both attended the open day and gave speeches.

Chris said: "'Attainment of Essex pupils aggregates as ranking 76th out of 152 local authorities in where they are at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 maths, i.e. the average for the country. Our view, certainly in Essex, is that we want to work with parents and all who complement children's learning in schools. When it comes down to Kumon or other organisations, the council wants to help promote every opportunity to learn.

"We welcome this opening in Colchester and hope there will be expansion, especially for children in these core areas in the future and I wish you all the success in the world; it looks marvellous. In terms of GCSEs, the measure used to be 'did you get five GCSEs.' For the last seven or eight years, the measure is five GCSEs with English and maths. If you're not achieving with English and maths, you are not part of the key measure because the government recognise that it's not sufficient to go out there into the working world."

Kumon is the UK's largest supplementary education provider, offering maths and English programmes to children of all ages and abilities. The Kumon study programmes are unique and are tailored to the needs of each individual child. Through daily practice students build their confidence, improve their concentration and gain effective study skills that will enhance their ability to self-learn.

The Colchester North Study Centre is run by Elaine Plumb, who has been a Kumon Instructor for 11 years.

If you were unable to attend the Open Day and would like to book a Free Assessment for your child, or you would like to find out more information, contact Elaine on01206 615458 or email colchesternorth@kumoncentre.co.uk

THIS pothole – almost the depth of a McDonald's drink cup – wrecked a student's car tyre, but she was refused compensation because Essex County Council deemed the road fit for purpose.

Emily Wakeling was driving down Lodge Road on her way to Writtle College when her brand new Ford Fiesta got stuck in the 15 centimetre deep hole which shredded her tyre and pulled the tracking out of line.

As she began taking photos of the damage, she says she then witnessed another driver who fell foul of the giant pothole.

But after a three-month investigation, the county council, responsible for highways, refused to pay the £120 it cost Emily to have her car fixed.

The 20-year-old from South Woodham Ferrers, who studies equine breeding and stud management, said: "I am a student, I work part-time at a stables, I pay all my own fees and it did put me in financial trouble as money was tight. The council was adamant that it won't give me my money back because it thinks the road isn't dangerous and well-maintained.

"I don't know if they have seen the road, there are cracks in the pavements and patches all over the road.

"I was doing the speed limit and the hole still ripped my tyre off.

"It is just frustrating that the only option they gave me was to take it to court, but I couldn't afford that."

According to council records sent to Emily, there were another 19 people who complained about their cars being damaged by the same pothole before and after the date her claim was made, but the authority also says it fixed the pothole on the day she reported her accident.

But despite the complaints, the report stated that the last inspection was on August 22 ,2012 and "at the time no defect was considered to be dangerous was observed during the course of that inspection".

But with recent snowy weather, Emily says the pothole has opened up again. Her mum, Sue Webb, 51, said: "It just seems like the council has washed their hands of it, I was so angry.

"My daughter is a student and I do not believe that she should be paying that money for something which was not her fault.

"It makes me angry that some politicians get to swan around in chauffeur-driven cars but my daughter will not get any compensation."

County councillor James Abbott thinks the council should "come clean" about its policy with potholes.

Last summer Essex County Council announced its plan to plough an extra £11 million into its roads, and claimed 1,200 roads are to be fixed by May, including 482 roads in Chelmsford.

But Cllr Abbott wonders where this money has gone. He said: "It has not been made clear whether this is completely new additional money, and it is not clear if they have already spent it. But I think the bigger issue is the length of time it takes to respond to complaints.

"In this sense it is just incompetent and where people are at risk they are negligent. It is sad to have people getting injured or suffering damage to vehicles.

"If only the council could just tell the public the truth, that there has been a major reorganisation and a lot of people have lost their jobs, so there is a huge backlog of work.

"The system is not working and it needs to work out a much simpler way of doing things.

"I think if someone has had loss then they should claim, that's the sad thing about it. If the council had sorted the problem in the first place people would not be claiming."

WORK will begin on a major new sports park and library later this year, Havering Council has confirmed.

Both facilities will be created under the Harold Hill Ambitions programme, but according to the authority their benefits will be felt beyond the immediate community.

The council says the sports park in particular will be a "major boost" to sport in Havering and that it will complement the new leisure centre, pool and ice rink planned for Romford.

The sports park on the council-owned site at Broxhill was one of the key pledges in the Harold Hill Ambitions programme.

The park will offer a wide range of sports throughout the year, as well as community gardens and children's play activities.

A new state-of-the-art library will also start to take shape this year in the Hilldene shopping centre – a replacement for the existing facility on Hilldene Avenue.

The library will be situated in the eastern arcade, off Farnham Road, within the Hilldene shopping centre and will be significantly bigger than the existing 1950s building and offer much-improved facilities.

It is believed that the new location will help to increase the number of people visiting the shopping centre and encourage local business.

It is one of the improvements to be funded from the sale of land at Gooshays, subject to planning procedures.

Councillor Steven Kelly, lead member for Harold Hill Ambitions, said: "I am delighted to announce that work will begin on two great new facilities in Harold Hill this year.

"We're putting a fantastic new library right at the heart of the community, which will draw more people to the area, keep it vibrant and build on the great success of Harold Hill Ambitions so far.

"The new sports park will be very special indeed.

"It's something really different for the borough and will bring people together to enjoy sport and have fun in a beautiful setting.

"We're looking forward to launching our detailed plans in the near future and seeing what local people think."