CRICKET: Essex wicket-keeper batsman Ben Foakes made 20 as England Lions slumped to yet another defeat on their tour of Australia.

The young England side – captained by Test batsman James Taylor – are still winless on their tour Down Under and fell to a fourth one-day defeat to their Australian counterparts on Monday.

Foakes, who is one of only four English batsmen to pass 50 in the series so far, put on 47 for the fourth wicket with Gary Ballance, but England were beaten by 45 runs in Sydney.

The final game of the series is a day-night clash at the same venue on Friday.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports have announced 60 televised matches for the 2013 domestic season – and the Eagles feature seven times.

Their opening two fixtures in the newly-rebranded Yorkshire Bank 40 competition – at home to Hampshire on May 3 and away to Durham two days later – will both be shown.

The cameras will return to Chelmsford on June 3 for Surrey's day-night YB40 visit, and the LV> Challenge match against England from June 30 to July 3 will also be televised.

The day after that game concludes, the Eagles will be shown away to Middlesex in their second T20 game of the season, and two more T20 clashes are also scheduled to be shown.

The first of those is the clash with Kent at Chelmsford on July 8, while the trip to the Oval to face Surrey a week later will also be shown.

THE karting season is now in full swing for Brentwood-based racer Alexander Burford-Fuller.

He had high hopes for a successful Red Lodge campaign, but the second round was disappointing. Achieving the fastest lap in practice on a drying track, he followed this with a second and fourth in the first two qualifying races.

With a pole in the final qualifier, Burford-Fuller was on track to be near the front for the final, but a reckless manoeuvre by another driver caused him to crash on the penultimate lap, resulting in only a sixth-place finish.

Worse was to follow in the final when a number of karts got tangled up on the first bend, which left Burford-Fuller battling from the back, ultimately finishing eighth.

The next day was the opening round of the Rye House season. Burford-Fuller had posted a number of very quick laps in testing on a wet track. This time he posted solid mid-pack finishes in all three qualifying heats, despite starting on the back of the grid because of his novice status.

He was also reducing his fastest lap times in every heat.

Another mid-pack finish in eighth place was a satisfactory way to complete his first meeting at Rye House. Even more impressive was that he was only one second behind the fourth-placed driver in the final, and had the fifth fastest lap time.

BRENTWOOD'S play-off hopes suffered a blow as they slumped to a third successive defeat at the hands of Wroxham.

The Blues are still handily placed in mid-table with up to eight games in hand on the teams above them, but three defeats in a week have left manager Steve Witherspoon demanding that his side begin to take advantage of the matches at their disposal. The third of those defeats came in Norfolk when they were undone by goals at the end of each half.

It was a tough defeat for the visitors to take as they dominated long spells of the second half, but they were unable to find a way past the home defence. Andy Eastaugh put the home side in front in the third minute of first half stoppage time, the centre-back forcing the ball home from close range following a corner.

And the points were sealed by the home side in the final minute when Ben Thompson got clear of the Blues defence and fired a shot across Richard Wray and in off the far post.

It ended a dismal week for the Blues, who had also slumped to midweek defeats against Cheshunt and leaders Maldon & Tiptree.

At Cheshunt, a game of very few chances was settled by Corey Whitely's 79th-minute strike.

The home side had gone close through David Greene in the first half, while the visitors could have taken the lead through Alex Read and Darren Blewitt, but neither were able to convert, leaving Whitely to seal the points when he scored off the inside of the post.

Two nights later Witherspoon's men were at the mercy of league leaders Maldon & Tiptree, who ran out comfortable 5-1 winners.

Wray had already made a catalogue of saves before Chris Bryan's seventh-minute opener.

Lee Boylan made it two after 13 minutes, and Joe Gardner rounded off a quick breakaway move to make it 3-0 six minutes before the interval. Boylan added a penalty early in the second half, and although Ross Wall pulled one back, Jamie Guy completed the rout a minute from time.

CYCLISTS' pedal power was put to the test when an annual 75-mile race attracted 60 competitors despite the freezing weather.

On Sunday morning, cyclists set off on the South East Members' Group's race, starting and finishing in Wickford and passing through Ingatestone.

There were three race categories depending on riders' predicted speeds. It took between four and seven hours for the competitors to finish.

The event featured 60 riders competing in wintry conditions and the fastest cyclist finished in four hours and 12 minutes.

The race had been postponed due to poor weather conditions and finally took place two weeks later than expected.

The competition started and finished at the Market Cafe, in Woodlands Road, Wickford, with five checkpoints along the way.

The event was organised and run under the rules of the Cyclists' Touring Club, the UK's national cyclists' organisation.

Race organiser Stefan Eichenseher, from Southend, said: "I expected a few more riders but it was very cold so that might have put them off.

"Only 47 completed the route – it was very windy on the way out and many people cycle to the start so do not feel they have to finish.

"The race is a popular warm up for the racing season which starts in April and good practice for those who want to try a fast race for the first time."

For more information on future events by the Cyclists' Touring Club, call 0844 736 8451 or visit www.ctc.org.uk

YOUNGSTERS in Billericay have helped to mark the 120th birthday of an organisation that, through Christian teaching, has had a "lasting impact" on the lives of young women.

Although arguably less well known than the Girl Guides, the Girls' Brigade has in fact been in existence for longer.

Earlier this month, festivities took place all over the country to mark the organisation's 120th anniversary.

As part of this, around 100 girls from the 1st Southeast Essex District of the Girls' Brigade gathered at Hannakins Community Centre in Billericay on February 11 to release dozens of balloons.

The release was part of a national balloon race organised by the Girls' Brigade and was attended by companies from Billericay, Hullbridge, Rayleigh and South Woodham Ferrers.

Liz Bulkeley, 2nd Billericay Girls' Brigade Captain, said: "The balloons represent the seeds of God planted in people's lives through the faithfulness of the Girls' Brigade leaders over the past 120 years.

"The girls were very excited and loved releasing the balloons.

"It's fantastic to be part of an organisation that has had lasting impact on girls' lives for 120 years.

"It's a privilege to support and encourage the girls we have in our company."

The 2nd Billericay Girls' Brigade is 45 years old and has more than 60 members from the town and the surrounding area.

Mrs Bulkeley added: "1893 is a year we weren't personally part of, but it is a year that has left a legacy and impacted on each of us.

"The Girls' Brigade is a place to make new friends, play games and experience camping.

"Badgework encourages the girls to develop a wide range of skills and interests from within four areas, spiritual, physical, educational and service."

The Girls' Brigade was founded in Dublin and in 1965 it merged with The Girls' Guildry, founded in Scotland in 1900. Two years later it merged with its English counterpart, also named The Girls' Brigade.

The three groups formed The Girls' Brigade, which set out to offer significant opportunities for girls and young women as well as giving them Christian teaching.

Lis Moody, a teacher from Hillhouse Close, volunteers at the 2nd Billericay Girls' Brigade and remembers her time as a child with the company.

In 1968, Mrs Moody joined the Girls' Brigade aged four and was a member until she was 18.

She explained some of the differences she has seen over the years.

"There was a strict uniform when I was a member," she said.

"The younger girls wore a beret and the older girls wore blazers and gloves.

"There were regulations for the length of the skirt and the condition of our shoes when we had drill.

"Today the girls aren't so smart and just wear sweatshirts.

"But we didn't mind having to dress so smartly and we had great fun.

"I wouldn't have stayed on for so long if I hadn't enjoyed it."

She added: "We played lots of games as well as learning and in those days we were quite happy occupying ourselves with skipping.

"Today the girls need something more exciting to keep them focused – they need more razzmatazz."

Mrs Moody said the Girls' Brigade has had to change with society to keep the girls of today occupied, adding: "The fact it's still so big is a real compliment.

"I had such a great time with my friends in the Girls' Brigade, particularly on camp, and made some great friends who I am still in touch with.

"It's a shame there's no longer a Girls' Brigade band in Billericay but the religious side remains.

"The Christian part of the organisation is still very important and brings out the best in the girls and they learn things that might not be taught in school.

"My daughter was also a member and stayed on until she went to university, helping out with the younger girls as she got older.

"There is currently a waiting list to join the 2nd Billericay Girls' Brigade, testimony to just how popular it still is."

A 20 FOOT tall scarecrow on a massive wooden cross, which some Christians accused of "mocking Jesus", has been destroyed in a suspected arson attack.

The giant figure, which was erected in Barleylands Road in the first week of Lent, was burnt to the ground after being torched twice overnight on Thursday.

The charred remains of the scarecrow were discovered by workers at Barleylands Farm Park on Friday morning.

A smaller scarecrow next to its larger counterpart was left untouched.

"Incredibly distasteful", "making fun of Jesus" and "it freaks me out" were among the negative comments residents made about the scarecrow in last week's Gazette.

Others described it as being "fabulous" and "a bit of fun".

Firefighters attended the blaze at 11.23pm on Thursday and extinguished the flames within 17 minutes.

Then at 12.10am on Friday, the fire service was called out again, and the flames put out once more. It is believed that both fires were started deliberately.

David Finkle, general manager at Barleylands Farm Park and Craft Village, helped to make the scarecrows to promote the farm's half-term activities for children.

The structure took a team of four people two days to make.

Mr Finkle said: "There's nothing left of the scarecrow but there's an element of me which isn't surprised.

"We rolled in on Friday morning to see the scorched, blackened remains and our hearts sank.

"The fact they returned to set the scarecrow alight for a second time must have meant they had their minds set on destroying it.

"Essex Police said it must have taken a serious effort for the scarecrow to be reignited."

Staff have since removed the smaller scarecrow and the cross.

Police are investigating and anyone with information should contact them on 101.

Your Views page 20

FOUR ponies initially left in glamour model Jodie Marsh's driveway will not be put to sleep, despite notices in the field they are currently in saying that slaughter is an option.

It is unclear how the ponies that mysteriously appeared outside Miss Marsh's house in South Weald in January have found themselves on the two-hectare field known as the Roughs in Weald Country Park – about a mile away from her house.

However, the four animals, one of which is heavily pregnant, will not be put down, Essex County Council has promised, despite a legal notice that declares euthanasia is one option.

An abandonment notice stapled to fence posts on February 12 said the horses could be kept in the field until February 26 before they were allowed to be "rehomed, sold or humanely destroyed".

Hopefield Animal Sanctuary has been inundated with queries from residents about the animals – one black colt, one skewbald filly, one chestnut mare and one piebald mare.

Staff at the animal sanctuary, in Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood, have reassured animal lovers that the ponies are being cared for.

A statement on the sanctuary's Facebook page said: "There are no intentions of shooting them or putting them to sleep and we are working with Weald to get the best outcome for the ponies.

"The people looking after them at Weald have done a very good job, they have been checked by a vet, wormed and fed."

Lianne Angliss, sanctuary deputy manager, told the Gazette: "They are not going to be shot. The notice is something that has to be put up.

"They do nip, but that is just what young horses do. They are very scared and bewildered."

The horses have been living in the field since at least February 4, when 34-year-old bodybuilder Miss Marsh tweeted: "Remember the ponies that got dumped on my drive? I went to visit them today. They are very happy living in Brentwood."

They first appeared on her driveway on January 7.

Miss Marsh told the Gazette this week: "The removal of the horses was dealt with by the police, and I have been assured new homes are being sought for them and they are in no danger.

"Because I'm an animal lover, I have also offered, if need be, to find them a home myself should nobody come forward but I have been told that there is no need to worry and new homes will be found."

An Essex County Council spokesman said the authority placed the notices as a matter of course to provide information to residents and owners.

He added: "We are looking into a number of options. There are no plans to destroy these animals."

THE pet cat of the late George Adey – Pilgrims Hatch radio presenter, musician and war hero – is in desperate need of a new home.

As reported in the Gazette on February 13, Mr Adey died on February 6 at the age of 94.

Having taken care of his cat Sam since his death, neighbours Amanda Rounce and Simon Abery are now appealing for a Good Samaritan to come forward and give the animal a permanent home.

Miss Rounce, who has been going to the late Mr Adey's house in Hatch Road twice a day to feed Sam, said: "I've lived next door to George for about two years and my partner Simon has for five years.

"Sam is a quiet cat of about 20 years of age so she is very old.

"She lives a simple life sleeping on George's old bed.

"I think she misses him, because when we first went to see her she seemed to be looking for him.

"We would have loved to have kept Sam but we have two cats and our male cat would not accept her.

"We don't want to give her away to the authorities in case they put her down and although she's old, she's still quite lively."

The 31-year-old recruitment manager added: "She loved to sit by the fire with George – she's a sweet cat.

"He had her since she was a kitten and got her when his wife was still alive – when she died Sam was his company.

"It's hard leaving Sam by herself and she won't be able to stay where she is as the house will get sold.

"She likes company and would probably be happiest living in a peaceful household with an elderly person or couple."

Miss Rounce's partner, Simon Abery, a 31-year-old police officer, added: "Sam is a very chilled out cat who's not going to be running around the place like a mad thing."

Sam is a small short-haired black cat and is litter trained and happy living indoors.

If you could offer Sam a safe, secure home, call Miss Rounce on 07771 958813.

Your Views – see page 18

A DEDICATED Brentwood Town Football Club fan who "rarely missed a game" has died, aged 82.

Les Harris was a familiar face to the hundreds of home and away fans who arrived for fixtures at the club's ground at the Brentwood Centre, where it has been based since 1993.

Les had been a follower of the club since the early days in the mid-1950s, when it was located at Larkin's Playing Field, off Ongar Road, Brentwood. For much of that time he served as a committee member.

The grandfather of one was remembered by friends and family at his funeral at Bentley Crematorium at 2pm yesterday (Tuesday). His death followed three weeks in care at Queen's Hospital, Romford.

His wife, Rose Harris, 82, told the Gazette: "His life revolved around Brentwood Football Club. He loved the club and very rarely missed a game in all the time he was there. He was involved with it since 1955.

"He used to manage the bar at one time, but he did lots for it, and helped out whenever he could.

"Les had a quadruple heart bypass 14 years ago. It really was a matter of his heart being too weak in the end."

The couple met aged 25 and would have been together for 58 years in July. They lived in Bishops Hall Road, Pilgrims Hatch, for 47 years, where dozens of cards arrived following his death on February 22.

Mrs Harris said: "He really was a wonderful man, the perfect husband. We met at a dance in Doddinghurst many years ago.

"It was actually a sort of blind date. I had a friend who had a fiancé, and he had a friend, and that was Les.

"We had a wonderful, happy life together. I have lots and lots of lovely memories. He was the life and soul of the party and will be missed by many people."

Born and raised in Harwich, Essex, Les left school at the age of 14 and worked for British Rail as a driver's mate aboard the trains before joining the Royal Navy.

After leaving on compassionate grounds due to the death of his step-father, Les returned to the rails in Harwich as a train driver before moving to Brentwood in his early 20s and working as an engineer for Falcon Engineering.

He ran his own top soil delivery business for a time before returning to the Hutton-based engineering and architectural surveying firm until his retirement at 65.

Brentwood Town FC manager Steve Witherspoon told the Gazette: "Les was a real stalwart of the club. He used to watch me play in the Sunday League when I was coming through at 15. He was a real football man.

"He's been around forever. He was always the first one there when we came off the pitch with his opinion, so he's a very big loss."

He added: "But it was always a pleasure to see the smile on Les's face after we had won a game. It made all the effort worthwhile."

He is survived by his wife Rose Harris, daughter Lorraine Nurse, 51, and his grandson Elliott, 20.

A HIGHLY-RESPECTED member of Brentwood's Roman Catholic community has died after 53 years of dedication to the faith.

Jerry Mahon, 83, who has been described by his family as a "very friendly", "extremely kind" and a "staunchly Catholic" Irishman, was a sidesman at Holy Cross and All Saints Church in Warley Hill for 40 years.

But despite his passion for the religion, he was never overt with his beliefs.

His involvement with the Catholic community in Brentwood goes back to 1960, when he first moved to his Avenue Road home, 12 years after moving to the UK from County Kerry.

Mr Mahon, a father of six, was also a great family man with a strong sense of Irish tradition.

His only son, Sean, explained how patriotism and faith were at the centre of his father's being.

"My father was a very devout Roman Catholic and when he came here because of work in 1948, he joined the Legion of Mary in London whose purpose was to visit people in hospital and give them religious support.

"One of the other things they did was take a statue of Our Lady to dance halls around London and that was where he met my mother, Noreen, who was working in London as a nurse."

It transpired that his future wife was also from Kerry and they married in 1953.

Noreen died last year at the age of 84.

Father Martin Boland, the parish priest of Holy Cross and All Saints, paid tribute to Mr Mahon for his years of devotion.

He said: "He was one of those faithful members of the community at Holy Cross.

"He was very involved in the community here and a much-liked man.

"It's so very sad to hear of his death and we shall be celebrating his funeral mass and I am sure there will be many, many people there to thank God for his life and for all he did for the community at Holy Cross."

Mr Mahon, who was born on February 14, 1929, could decipher Morse code and worked as a telex operator, latterly for ITT World Communications Inc, until his retirement in 1994.

Sean said his dad was an "integral" part of Brentwood's Irish and Catholic scene who knew everyone.

He said: ""He supported me in every way.

"I'm now 53 and in all the time I've known him he has never told a lie or done anything wrong – he was almost saintly in that respect.

"We would be hard pressed to find anyone in Brentwood who would have a bad word to say about him."

He added: "He was very friendly, anyone would tell you that he was extremely kind and he had a fantastic sense of humour to the point where after going through his things we found little notes, poems and jokes he left to us about being dead.

"His sense of humour was a huge part of who he was.

"I think he's a great loss to his grandchildren and was kind of the go-to guy in the family.

"He was a great centre for all of us."

Mr Mahon, who had been living in Warley Mount since 2003, died at Chelmsford Nursing Home on February 8 from a neuroendocrine tumour.

He leaves behind his children Teresa, 59, Anne, 55, Mary, 55, Sean, 53, Bernadette, 51, Helen, 46, and 12 grandchildren.

The funeral mass will take place at Holy Cross and All Saints Church, Warley, today (February 27) at 11am followed by burial in Woodman Road cemetery, Brentwood.

Flowers or donations, if preferred, to Cancer Research UK may be sent c/o Bennetts Funeral Directors, 120 High Street, Brentwood, CM14 4AS.

FOUR directors of a waste disposal company, who sparked a diplomatic row by illegally shipping 15,000 tons of household waste to South America, are facing jail.

Father and son Julio and Juliano Da Costa, Simon Edwards, 46, and Romford resident Jonathan Coombe, 42, mixed ordinary waste with legitimate recycling being sent to Brazil for processing.

The quartet dispatched 89 shipping containers of rubbish collected from London and Lincolnshire, breaching strict export rules for waste disposal.

When the scam was unearthed, the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva complained to the British Government about the shipments.

Julio Da Costa, 52, and his son Juliano, 28, the company secretary, admitted breaching waste shipment regulations. Edwards and Coombe, along with the two companies Worldwide Biorecyclables Ltd and UK Multipas Ltd which operated the scam, had already entered guilty pleas.

All four men will now be sentenced next month, and could face up to two years in prison.

"He (Juliano Da Costa) played a number of roles, including interpreting and writing emails for his father," said prosecutor Sailesh Mehta at the Old Bailey.

"His was a role in the business, although as a son, as a secretary in one company until December and as a director of the new company that arose from the old one from about March."

The shipping containers were dispatched between September 9, 2008, and July 22, 2009, originally through Worldwide Biorecyclables Ltd and after that company was disbanded through the new firm UK Multipas Ltd.

All four men have been bailed on condition they reside at their home addresses ahead of a sentencing hearing on March 7.

Coombe, of North Hill Drive, Juliano Da Costa, of Morley Street, Swindon, Julian Da Costa, of Bridge Street, Swindon, and Edwards, of Debden Road, Loughton, all admitted breaches of the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007.

The two companies have pleaded guilty to the same charge.

A CLEAN-UP operation at Dale Farm has begun to clear asbestos from the former traveller site.

The work, which started on Monday and will last a week, will clear debris from a small part of the six acre Green Belt site in Crays Hill.

This follows a fire last year which destroyed an old industrial unit and damaged roofing sheets made of asbestos.

The clean-up follows the 2011 eviction of 80 traveller families who had been living on the site without planning permission.

A cesspool overflow will also be prevented from polluting a nearby ditch.

A contractor working on behalf of the council is carrying out the work at the site.

Representatives of the traveller community have been informed about these works, which are necessary to minimise risks to public health.

Council leader Tony Ball, said: "The council issued formal notices and reminders last year, however these have been ignored.

"The council now have no choice but to act and do this work now to address the health issues and then seek to recover the costs from the landowners concerned."

A BREAKAWAY group of Tories have been branded hypocrites after calling for the return of the original parking charges in William Hunter Way – because they agreed with the proposals when they were first raised in the summer.

Council leader Louise McKinlay this week slammed Brentwood First councillors Russell Quirk, William Lloyd, Phil Baker and Nigel Clarke for criticising the authority's decision to abolish the one-hour 60p minimum parking rate in William Hunter Way.

This is despite the £1.30 two-hour rate costing people 40p less than the previous charge for two hours.

Cllr McKinlay said: "They are being total hypocrites. They have supported these changes from the beginning and agreed these changes when they were made.

"Russell Quirk has been supportive of it since the beginning, which is interesting if you compare it to the comments he's made in the last few days."

She said Mr Lloyd and Mr Baker were on the Parking and Policy panels that later ratified the changes.

The members of Brentwood First hand delivered a letter to Brentwood mayor Ann Coe on Monday in which they called for an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss the parking charges.

The letter read: "The Conservative administration have recently seen fit to increase the minimum car parking charge within our town centre car parks (excepting Chatham Way only) from 60 pence to £1.30, an increase of 117 per cent.

"Brentwood's residents and traders are justifiably up in arms over this decision as it is to the detriment of both."

A POTHOLE dubbed "the devil's crater" has left Ongar motorists thousands of pounds out of pocket after claiming no less than 12 victims in just one day.

Safety wheels, spanners, nuts and hub caps were strewn across the layby on the A113 London/Romford Road, near Stanford Rivers as motorists frantically worked to get their cars back on the road.

Fingers are now being pointed at Essex County Council as to why the hazard was left unrepaired for so long.

Father-of-two Melvin Laws was fuming after picking up a puncture and battering his nearside wheel when his six-month-old Ford Mondeo clobbered the concrete chasm.

He is expecting a bill for £350.

"If you get along that road you will see the top layer of the tarmac is completely off, he said.

"It's a hot spot anyway for collisions and accidents and I'm sure that it's because people are swerving the potholes.

"But I hit this one and then went forward another few yards to a parking area, where there were another six cars all changing their wheels.

"One guy came straight up to me and said 'not you as well?'"

The pothole, which is now understood to have been filled in, was around the size of a piece of A4 paper and four inches deep.

Mr Laws, 40, from Marden Ash, added: "I think that must have caught out at least 100 vehicles, if not more.

"That road has been like it for a long time, and for the last couple of years it's been deteriorating and they have occasionally patched it up, but they just do the minimum they need to do.

"They have left the potholes for so long, they have done nothing and this was the only outcome."

Jeff Lovell, 57, was also in the lay-by as the catastrophic events of February 11 unfolded.

The Ongar resident said he saw around 12 vehicles pulled over that evening.

He said: "I don't know what I pay my council tax for – I don't want to sound like a moaner but this was very dangerous and I just want to know how long this has taken to fill in?

"I have got such a big car that maybe I got away with it, but other cars going down there, it was just pop, pop, pop.

"Driving along that stretch of road, unless you saw it, most cars are going to hit it and when I did it was such as shudder that I thought it must have done some damage."

His Ford Cougar jeep thudded into the road crack, and although his tyre did not burst, he suspects a wheel may have sustained damage.

It is anticipated that at least a dozen motorists will be making claims to Essex County Council for damages, which could cost the tax payer more than £4,000.

A council spokesman said: "The maintenance of the county's road network continues to be one of Essex County Council's top priorities.

"An inspector visited this site on Monday to assess the status of the pothole, which had already been brought to ECC's attention and scheduled for repair at a later date.

"As it was seen to have deteriorated, an immediate temporary repair was scheduled for the same afternoon.

"In order to ensure safety and minimise disruption to the road network, the County Council has to prioritise work on road defects that present the most immediate safety risk.

"Please be assured that all claims received by Essex County Council are investigated fully."

I AM writing in relation to Greater Anglia recently coming second from bottom in the country in a recent customer satisfaction survey. I have to say this is a big surprise to me.

It is a surprise it was not voted the worst provider and I feel terribly sorry for those who travel on First Capital Connect, which was voted the worst.

Greater Anglia is trying its best to inform us of all the good it has done, but it still fails in one fundamental area every time: Listening to your customers and investing our money (its profits) in the right areas. If it put as much effort into running a decent service as it puts into PR we would have a world-class service.

Greater Anglia claims that it has improved punctuality of our trains, yet I have found this to be false information.

I have discovered from questioning Ruud Haket, the chief executive of Abellio, the Dutch firm that runs Greater Anglia, over the punctuality claim and he has admitted that peak-time trains – the ones we and UK businesses rely on – do not arrive within their advertised claimed average of 92 per cent. This 92 per cent is overall performance.

Peak-time trains, the most expensive services, are only on time 84.3 per cent of the time, so nearly two in every ten trains will be at least five minutes late.

In January I was stuck at Shenfield for an hour and watched two trains bound for Ipswich and Norwich go through and not stop at our station.

I asked one of the staff why this was and the answer (and this is honestly not a joke) was that they can't stop these trains because it will delay them.

Bear in mind I had been there at this point for 40 minutes and there was 20 minutes between the two trains that went through and nothing else went past.

How could making an additional stop have added to the delays?

Once again the Greater Anglia staff were able to pass around a message of 'we don't know what's going to stop next' and 'control won't let it stop here as it will cause delays'.

Meanwhile, the whole time I continue to be delayed and it seems the £1,600-a-year I pay to get to work in Brentwood means I am not entitled to a proper explanation.

One of the main points I remember Greater Anglia saying when they took this franchise over was that they would refurbish trains, but not buy new ones.

Again, I must highlight that a tacky looking vinyl sticker in the toilet does count as refurbishment.

The locks are still broken, toilet roll paper is often the wrong size for the dispenser and the other day one had a broken seat.

What have Greater Anglia done for me since it took over the franchise from National Express East Anglia?

It has – along with Network Rail which maintains the tracks – made me late more often for work and caused me to be the most delayed I have ever been at a station.

I now have less room on platforms as they are taken up with these new empty information booths, which are meant to be staffed. I pay more for this service than last year and the firm will put it up again next year.

My message to Greater Anglia is a simple one: "listen to your customers".

My message to the Government: force every line to have two operators to introduce competition – it won't make the infrastructure better but they would have to compete on price and or service so we would see improvements at customer level.

As a final thought, does anyone else think it is strange why the company that came top of the survey, Virgin, was nearly forced out by the Government?

Personally, I would like Virgin to come and operate our line. I've used them a couple of times and their trains are fantastic. They have more room, are of better quality, are quieter and faster.

For now I've decided to start driving to work at the end of the month because I am so fed up with the service.

The train companies pay to win a franchise, but if they fail it is subsidised by the taxpayer so they can never lose.

Year on year they earn huge profits and no money is invested back into the rail network.

I cannot see anything changing for at least the next five years and by then they will just be playing catch up anyway.

Good luck to everyone who has to continue on the trains and to those who work in London and have no choice but to use the train service as no competition or alternative exists.

As I work in Brentwood I have decided the cost of a car against a bus and train journey is now a cheaper option, as well as being more convenient and less stressful.

Yes I will face the occasional traffic jam and yes like everyone I'll moan about it, but while I sit there in a heated car I'll be thinking of all the poor lost souls stranded across the county's train stations in the cold and rain.

Something needs to change in Essex and personally I think it needs to be Greater Anglia.

Your views pages 16-17

THOUSANDS of real ale fans flocked to the four-day Chelmsford Winter Beer and Cider Festival.

More than 200 ales, 50 ciders and perries and dozens of Belgian beers were on offer at the event, which was held at King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford for the first time in its 14-year history.

"It was a big success moving to KEGS," said Brian Grimshaw, one of the organisers of the event, which is run by the Chelmsford and Mid-Essex branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

For the past 13 years the festival was held at Essex County Council's Triangle Club in Duke Street, but the extra space at KEGS meant more space for visitors and brewers.

"We hope to be there again next year. Everything went smoothly and as well as we could have hoped. The school staff were very helpful," Brian added.

"I would say there was up to double the amount of people as last year and the venue was much more light and comfortable."

There was great news for Chelmsford's new brewery Round Tower, which launched its range of ales at the festival and ended up winning beer of the festival for its Rectory Stout, a rich, dark brew crafted from seven different malts.

Festival goers voted for the beer so winning the award was a real endorsement of how good it was – as was the speed with which it was drunk.

The first cask of stout had been drunk dry by 8pm on the first day of the festival, last Wednesday, while the second cask was downed by 2pm the next day.

Simon Tippler of Round Tower said he couldn't have been happier at how well his three beers, Rectory Stout, Tippler's Gold and Solo Galaxy, went down.

"We are really pleased at how well our beer was received by everyone and wining beer of the festival is an amazing start for us," said Simon, who brews his beers from an industrial unit off Navigation Road.

"After months of planning and hard work it was great to see everyone enjoying our beers," he added.

The festival was launched by beer writer and blogger Pete Brown whose latest book, Shakespeare's Local, has been getting rave reviews.

Chelmsford and Mid-Essex CAMRA chairman Chris Pollard added: "I'd like to thank the people of Chelmsford and the volunteers who run the festival for making this a huge success.

"Planning has already started for the beer festival in July."

I AM IN despair as I have tried so many things over such a long time to get Chelmsford City Council and Essex County Council to take the litter issue in and around Chelmsford and where I live and generally on the A12, a little more seriously.

I always get a reply but it usually refers me to another department or another person and I have to start writing all over again with another letter. AAAARRGHHH!

Sorry about this expression but when you have been doing this for the last ten plus years you have not got any hair left to pull out and you start doing that in your letters.

I remember that four or five years ago, or even longer, the Essex Chronicle had a headline article about the state of our lovely surroundings being affected by litter; I was thrilled to see someone else cared and wanted to highlight it.

The time has come for another front-page article with photographs of the state of our verges. We are a city now and some people are proud of that and the tourist board is actively trying to attract people to Chelmsford or Essex generally.

But how can we be proud when our environment looks like a third-world country? I have been to some that look better than ours.

When I have been in touch with Chelmsford Borough Council, as it was then, I was told the verges get cleaned once in the spring and once in the autumn.

Money is scarce. Wow, when you have hundreds of thousands of people travelling around on the A130, A414 and around Chelmsford and on the A12 you understand why it is in such a state.

There never is any money for litter and I get told when I advise the council of overflowing bins in the city centre "people should take their rubbish home". I have never seen a campaign asking people to "take rubbish home".

I am a regular litter-picker in my area and take part once a year on the official litter-pick day in Danbury, but it is so disheartening when you feel you are fighting a battle on your own and that the council is not interested in giving litter more priority.

No I don't suffer from OCD, but I do like my environment to be tidy.

But thanks to more and more house-building around Chelmsford and Danbury (all traffic from Maldon and South Woodham Ferrers comes through Danbury) litter has increased enormously, but has the clearing of the verges increased? No.

In all the 40-plus years that I have lived in our road I have only ever seen a road sweeper twice.

I nearly fell of my perch the second time, because it was a novelty and hilarious at the same time as there was a gale blowing – obviously a good day for sweeping the roads.

Yes we do get the lorries going along the edge of the curb to clean those couple of times a year, but that is not litter-picking or sweeping pavements.

I have been given an award for litter-picking by Chelmsford City Council.

It was fun and nice to get the recognition, but now I think why not use the money spent on events like that to clear the litter in the verges, instead of encouraging volunteers to do it.

I would feel more appreciated if Chelmsford City Council or Essex County Council (not always sure whose responsibility it is as I get sent from pillar to post as it's never anyone's responsibility) sent regular teams out to clear litter to support the volunteers.

That would give it more of a team feeling and joint responsibility which leaves a better taste in my mouth than the tea and cakes.

Last but not least, every now and then I see in your court listings about the paltry fines handed to people for dropping cigarette ends.

But what happens to all the others who drop litter?

If I were to park my car near Staples where there is a McDonald's in Victoria Road, Chelmsford, I could fine scores of people as they throw their rubbish out of the car and drive off. What happens to those? Could we not have more active people bearing down on those?

The culprits, instead of being asked to pay a fine, could do a day's work of clearing verges; perhaps they will stop and think next time.

What do the police do when they see litter being dropped?

Well, I will stop now. Forgive me for this unconventional letter, but I am so tired of writing letters to get anything done about litter.

Elly Bunn

Danbury

T his is a parable. I give it to you in all humility. I've just moved. Well, not exactly; I moved in November but I was only in my new flat for a couple of weeks before work took me away for the whole of December. Then I spent Christmas and Hogmanay in Scotland with friends.

So I didn't get to start organising myself and a thousand cardboard boxes until halfway through January. It took me the best part of three weeks for the inside of the flat not to look like a garage lock-up.

I went through every box to see what I could chuck, realised there was nothing that wasn't important, and then squeezed all the boxes into the two storage cupboards I have and in the loft (after I'd screwed down the flooring). Then I took them all out, organised them in a more rational manner and put them back. You know the story; we've all done this before.

And you'll probably recognise this as well. There was one vital piece of equipment that I need all the time and I couldn't find it. In my case it was the microphone I use for recording Essex hip hop.

It's the only one I've got and it's a good one. It wasn't in the box with the mixer even though all the other cables were there.

I checked I hadn't put it in one of the desk drawers to no avail and then began to think back.

I thought hard to when the boxes were still stacked in the living room. I tried to remember which one it might have been in but my mind was so cluttered with memories of a thousand boxes I couldn't think at all.

Desperately (I've got work to do with it), I spent last week taking every box out of the storage cupboards, checking them, to no avail, and putting them back again. I returned to the loft. The microphone wasn't there.

Then, all of a sudden, something flashed through my head; I might have put it safe in a kitchen drawer so I wouldn't lose it. After weeks of fretting I opened the drawer. It wasn't there. I still don't know where it is.

Sometimes you just have to wait.

I HAVE read your article in the latest issue of the Chronicle and would like to make the following comments on the criticism of Greater Anglia and, indeed, the other railway companies.

Firstly, it seems that many of the present complainants never had the 'pleasure' of commuting with British Rail.

If they had, they might have realised that the current services are not quite as bad as they seem. I also notice the remark made on your front page by one critic that there has been no weekend service for six months, something which I have experienced in my attempts to reach London on a Saturday.

However, my point is that this cessation of service is surely not the responsibility of Greater Anglia but of Network Rail, which maintains the tracks and the stations. It is pertinent to note that Network Rail is a nationalised company and, if my informants are correct, is staffed very largely by ex-BR staff.

A friend of mine has had the misfortune to deal with Network Rail on a commercial basis and it seems clear that very little has improved in that organisation since it was transformed from BR. Therefore, to be fair, I think the critics of Greater Anglia should be a little more balanced in apportioning blame which, it seems to me, should fall at the very least on Network Rail by 50 per cent or more.

Incidentally, the railways both before and during BR's tenure very rarely suspended services at any time for maintenance but managed to carry out the work while the trains were still running.

The only other point I should make is that one of the reasons that the C2C service is said to be much better is because there are very few junctions on the line between the Essex coast and London, unlike the route from Norwich to Liverpool Street, and it is therefore a less complicated service to run.

Colin Peerless

By e-mail

YOUR reports of the dissatisfaction expressed by users of our bus and train services reminded me of the article by Simon Burns written when his party were in opposition.

He complained then that rail fares and overcrowding were increasing. They still are. What has he done to deal with these problems? Nothing; only made promises of "jam tomorrow".

He also said that where problems arose a Tory government would "bang heads together to ensure that performance is improved". From the complaints you have published it is clear First Bus Company heads (and some at the county council) need to be banged together. Has Mr Burns done this and, if not, why not?

The privatisation of train and bus services was supposed to provide better, cheaper services. So far as rail is concerned, experts say that the government now spends more "in real terms" than in British Rail days. Why?

Peter Egan

Little Nell

Chelmsford

SHOPPERS in Witham are furious that plans for a large-scale supermarket expansion have been scuppered by the council.

Morrisons in Braintree Road, Witham, is currently struggling to cope with the growing number of customers visiting the store.

In November 2012 the supermarket resubmitted a planning application to expand the store from 4,341 square metres to 6,110.

But last Tuesday, as more than 40 members of the public attended the meeting at the council chambers in Braintree, the plans were rejected.

Geoffrey Cohen, of Powers Hall End, was one of the 150 outspoken supporters of the expansion. " It was a matter of doing something for Witham and for the economy," he said. "It needs a boost and has done for a long time."

On the council's recommendation, seven councillors to three, with two abstentions, rejected the planning permission on the grounds of policy.

They were told by planning officer James Salmon that the expansion would take trade away from shops in the town centre by patrons of Witham's "anchor" store, Tesco.

Witham town mayor, Michael Lager, said that he was "appalled" at the members of the planning committee who rejected the plans.

"They wrongly believed they were saving Witham's town centre from collapse, but instead have condemned residents in the "deprived" northern half of the town to second-class shopping in a second-class store," he said.

"They wrongly believed that if more food retailing provision is needed – and it is – it should be on the Newlands Shopping Centre site, in spite of the fact that the owners are spending £1m repairing the roofs, and have no plans for a food store but prefer something like Wilkinsons.

"These councillors failed to listen. With its left hand the Council is trying to promote the local economy and regenerate the town centres, with the other it does its best to stop it.

"The result is that future investors will look elsewhere now that Braintree officials have said that they are not wanted here."

Also outraged at the decision was the chairman of the Town Strategy group and town councillor, Paul Ryland, who believes that the decision is likely to be reversed on appeal at yet more cost to the council.

"It's the biggest cock-up the council has made in years," he said. "I just for the life of me can't see the point of rejecting the plans. I think the council's argument is extremely weak and that Morrisons will probably win on appeal.

"The people that work for Morrisons have to earn a living – they have got to win"

The store had plans to create a further 50 jobs in the town, as well as to expand the cafe and make aisles wider to accommodate wheelchairs and pushchairs more easily.

During a public consultation last October, 97 per cent of residents supported the proposals and the plans received more than 150 letters of support, with just two objections, one of which was from Tesco.

Property asset manager for Morrisons, John Robson, said: "We are bitterly disappointed with Braintree District Council's recommendation to refuse the proposed extension to our Witham store.

"The store is very popular and very busy and crying out for more space so that we can provide our customers with the shopping environment they deserve. The extension will allow our store to breathe and enable us to bring our latest store concept to Witham.

"Witham Town Council also supports the proposals and so it is clear that Witham has spoken with one voice. It is only the officers at Braintree District Council who disagree.

"It's now up to the elected members of the planning committee to recognise the overwhelming sentiment of residents and overturn the officers' recommendation, and granting permission."