"WHAT a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong was a fitting send-off for Ron Moody, a Brentwood man who simply loved life.

Yes, Louis Armstrong was one of his heroes and jazz was a real passion, but moreover it summed up the former sailor's outlook.

Ron died on March 5, after 80 action-packed years. The grandfather of eleven, who married twice, was born in the East End of London, under the Bow Bells.

By the time he was nine years old, the Luftwaffe were bombing the capital and Ron and his sisters were evacuated to Devon.

He was one of the lucky ones – his custodians were great people living in a beautiful corner of the country.

After leaving school, Ron joined the Royal Navy as an electrical officer, sailed all over the Earth, and later trained as an electrical engineer and plumber.

Over a career spanning half a century, Ron – who moved to Billericay in the 1950s and then Brentwood in the swinging Sixties where he met his widow Marilyn, 65 – would perhaps recount his greatest triumph as installing the first ever computerised electrical system into the offices at R Whites in Beckton, East London.

Away from work, the father of five was a true family man who became a well-known face around Brentwood.

He was also a West Ham United fanatic and loved a flutter on the gee gees.

For six years Ron, who lived in The Drive, Warley, coached Warley All Stars youth football team when his son James was playing.

The 38-year-old said: "He was very, very family orientated with very traditional family values.

"Particularly with regards to women, he was very gentlemanly.

"My mum used to get up very early in the morning, but Dad would make sure he got up before her and went to warm the car up before she got into it.

"On the winter mornings he would wait for her at the bottom of the garden with a torch to make sure she could see where she was going."

He added: "He had quite a naughty, cheeky sense of humour – very cheeky indeed – and he appealed to all generations.

"He loved life and even if he was unhappy, you would never know it, he always had a very positive outlook on life."

Ron was suffering from emphysema and four days before he died he met got to meet Ethan, the last of his 11 grandchildren.

James said: "He will be sorely missed but by the same token we realise that he had 80 fun-packed years and a lot of people have said that they would buy his life if they could.

"He meant a great deal to many people."

Ron passed away in Basildon Hospital and leaves behind his wife Marilyn, sister Elsie, sons KevinBarry and James, daughters Sally and Philippa, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

SURPRISE springtime snow led to mixed feelings at the weekend.

As cars struggled through the wintry weather, others enjoyed the cold snap and braved the sub-zero temperatures to have a great day out.

Many events, such as the Brentwood Half Marathon on Sunday, went ahead as planned, although the Royal British Legion Youth Band was forced to call off its appearance due to the sub-zero temperatures.

Band director John Wyndham said: "We have a duty of care to the young people in the band and it would have been dangerous to have let them play in the freezing weather.

"You can't have ten-year-olds standing around in the cold conditions.

"We didn't want to call it off but it would have been unsafe.

"The band was definitely relieved that they weren't going out, it certainly wouldn't have been any fun."

Dog walker Kyle Linzell took to Weald Country Park with his canine companion Cooper on Saturday.

He said: "The freak weather was a slight hindrance as my football got cancelled.

"However, it was nice to get out in the snow and enjoy a walk with my girlfriend and her sister's dog at our local park.

"Cooper is a massive fan of the snow as well."

Shoppers were captured by our photographer battling blizzard conditions along Ingatestone High Street on Saturday.

Brentwood High Street was turned a brilliant white too, with traders reporting steady but unimpressive sales.

Helen Blower, 67, who suffers from osteoporosis, hates snow and ice as a fall could cause her serious harm.

She said: "I haven't been out at all. I took a look outside and it looked treacherous," she said.

"For people like me, the cold and snowy weather can keep us trapped in our homes, unable to go out. Not enough is done by the council to keep the paths safe."

PATIENTS at Basildon Hospital were taken on a journey back in time by a radio broadcast from Billericay.

An outside transmission by Basildon Hospital Radio, BHR1287, was made at the Cater Museum on Thursday.

The show explored the rich history displayed within the walls of the museum in the High Street.

Curator Christine Brewster led DJ Frank Toohey around the five rooms describing the fascinating artefacts each with a unique story of their own.

Treasurer of Basildon Hospital Radio Christine Lee explained: "The radio station has been running for 39 years.

"This is the first outside broadcast which we've ran at the museum but we do regularly transmit from locations outside the hospital.

"We recently did a broadcast from the Chequers pub at a charity event with singer Keith Ball."

The station runs 24 hours a day and is kept in operation entirely by volunteers. The service is available to all patients and can also be streamed online.

The history of hospital radio goes back to 1921 when experiments were conducted at the York County Hospital with a transmitter and a receiver in the wards. But it was not until the arrival of the National Health Service in 1948 that headphones and the means to broadcast at hospitals became available.

Today there are just over 400 hospital radio stations in the UK with 12,000 unpaid staff.

Presenter Jacqui James said: "Basildon Hospital Radio is a registered charity and we take our role very seriously.

"We are there for the benefit of the patients and staff and to make the patients' stay in the hospital a more pleasant experience. I have been a part of this terrific team since 2009 and have enjoyed every minute.

"There is usually a lively presenter on air entertaining the patients. When we are not there we have what we call our 24/7 computer in place that continually plays a selection of music for the patients who cannot sleep. We also have the news every hour from the IRN newsdesk."

There is a variety of programmes scheduled at the station from Sixties tunes and jazz to country and western. They broadcast live every evening from 7 until 10pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am until 8pm.

Mrs James added: "Music is very good therapy.

"We try to supply the patient with diverse programmes and are always on the lookout for interesting places and people we can bring to the patient's bedside.

"The broadcast at the Cater Museum in Billericay is a fantastic example of such a programme. We spoke at length with curator Christine Brewster, who explained various facts and figures with regards how the museum came to be set up, and the story behind why certain things were there.

"Each month the museum highlights a certain area, this month being very old books, one of which had a really delightful poem by John Lea that I could not resist reading aloud. At the end of the visit Christine had baked a 17th-century pie for the team to munch on with our coffee."

THE body of a man who died after being crushed to death in a cement mixture was exhumed as police seek further answers as to what happened more than a decade ago.

The body of Lee Balkwell from Hornchurch was taken to a hospital for a new postmortem to be carried out to check if he died in suspicious circumstances. He was reinterred at 7am yesterday (Tuesday).

The exhumation at Upminster Cemetery forms part of the ongoing investigation into the death by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

Mr Balkwell died when he apparently became trapped between the drum and chassis while cleaning a cement lorry mixer in the early hours of July 18, 2002, at Baldwin's Farm in Upminster.

His father Les said: "It's been more than ten years since Lee was buried so I'm not sure how much will be left to examine, but we are prepared to go to every length to get justice for Lee."

The decision to exhume Lee comes after five people were arrested in connection with the death.

In November officers arrested a 43-year-old man from Upminster on suspicion of gross negligence, manslaughter and perverting the course of justice and perjury.

A 66-year-old man, a 63-year-old woman and another woman, aged 49 from Upminster, were also arrested for perverting the course of justice and perjury, as was another man aged 38 from Southend.

All five have been released on bail until April.

Detective Inspector Janine Farrell said: "We will now await the full postmortem report and will then be assessing the results to see how they can help inform the next steps in our investigation.

"This investigation is committed to searching for the truth about what happened to Lee Balkwell in July 2002 and we have not made the decision to conduct this exhumation lightly."

A DECISION to sell one of the borough's best known assets has infuriated councillors after it was made behind closed doors.

The future of Old House, one of the one of the borough's most recognised buildings, had already been decided, even before last Wednesday's meeting when councillors formally voted for it.

But the fact the details were discussed in private has angered many councillors who still believe the listed building should be kept in council hands.

They believe money acquired from the sale of other council assets could be invested to transform the dilapidated building in Shenfield Road into seven flats that could be rented out.

The group, including Liberal Democrat, Labour and Brentwood First members, dismiss the ruling Tory group's belief that the Grade II listed property could only be split into three flats.

The administration rejected a feasibility report produced by the former Asset Panel chairman Russell Quirk last summer.

Councillors read in a secret document, produced by architectural firm Purcell, that the rent collected would amount to £64,200 a year for three flats.

The document, seen by the Gazette, said that a seven-apartment proposal would be unlikely to get listed building consent but could see the council collect up to £90,000 a year.

Mr Quirk said: "I believe the report has been contrived to make the project look unviable particularly by hanging the whole decision on the supposition without any testing of the claim that 'listed building consent would be unlikely for seven flats'.

"Bear in mind that many local listed buildings have been converted in order to preserve them for future use."

Mr Quirk, ward member for Hutton North, added: "The only thing stopping this deal going ahead is the supposition from Purcell's that listed building consent is not likely. Why not test that and apply for it? If we get it then the deal is back on."

Labour group leader Mike Le-Surf also disagreed with the decision.

"It's just short-sighted economics. The building has not been used for the benefit of residents, it's been used to make a fast buck."

Council leader Louise McKinlay said the report was confidential, on pink paper, as it contained "commercially sensitive figures."

She said: "It is a public property but that doesn't mean it should be in the public domain. The figures to keep it in the hands of the council don't stack up."

A NEW chairman is needed to run Wickford Carnival following the death of its organiser.

Barry Langmead had chaired the Carnival and Town Show Committee since 2011 alongside his wife Sharon, 44, and daughter Molly, 14. He died suddenly from a heart attack in January aged just 60.

Since the death of her husband, Mrs Langmead has decided to step down from the role.

Last year's carnival was a big success and Mr Langmead raised a great deal of money for charity as well as boosting community spirit in the area.

Wickford Carnival publicist Andrea Ince said: "Tragically, Barry was cruelly and very suddenly taken from us at the end of January, which was a complete shock to not only his family but all that had worked with him.

"As you can imagine it has been a very difficult time for Barry's family and they have decided that they need to pass the main responsibility of the carnival and town show to someone else as it would just be too much to do on their own.

"Sharon and Molly would still like to be involved with the carnival but are looking for someone to take on the legacy that Barry resurrected.

"They are very big shoes to fill but there must be someone out there who would like to take on this challenge and ensure that the community of Wickford has a carnival and town show that they can continue to be proud of."

This year's carnival is set to take place on September 21.

If anyone is interested in taking on the role of chairman or would like to find out about what is involved, contact Sharon Langmead on 07557 887627 or e-mail wickfordcarnival@btinternet.com

A RUNNER risks missing his next three races after being hit by a car at the Brentwood Half Marathon.

Ben Nichols was not seriously injured but suffered bruising to his hip and ankle.

Mr Nichols, 38, of Brentwood, said: "To say I'm unhappy is an understatement. I was lucky to have been very aware as it could have been much worse."

The car knocked him over at the junction between Hatch Road, Ongar Road and Sandpit Lane.

"The lack of respect for the runners by the drivers was disgusting," Mr Nichols added. "The route needs planning to avoid traffic or it should be stopped completely when runners are on the roads."

If his injury withstands a few test runs, Ben will be competing in the Paris Marathon in two weeks and the London and Edinburgh Marathons after that.

He has run several races before and completed the London Marathon in 2010, raising £5,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

This year he is running for Children with Cancer and you can support his cause at www.virginmoneygiving.com/Benjoruns

For full marathon coverage turn to pages 28-31

BILLERICAY U10s enjoyed a successful first trip to the Essex B Festival by walking away with the plate trophy at the event in Southend.

The Bees opened up with a tough clash against the hosts, and it was a game in which both teams showed great skills.

Southend took the lead after capitalising on a mistake, but Max Forster scored a try to ensure a 1-1 draw.

Sevenoaks were the next opponents for Billericay, and after a sloppy start, they eventually won the game thanks to Tom Hollaman's try after a drive up the field by the forwards.

Next up was a clash with Brentwood, and after an inspirational team talk, the youngsters put their opponents to the sword with a dominant performance, running in three unanswered tries.

Zach Canno-Lopez scored two, including a classic pick and drive which any senior prop would be proud of, and George Durham added the third.

The Bees then took on another unbeaten side in Upminster in what was a must-win clash. Again they impressed and won 3-1, Joseph Snoxhall, Tom Vasey and Durham the scorers.

They arguably saved their best for the final group game, putting in a great showing to beat Bishop's Stortford 7-0, thanks to tries from Forster (2), Luke Mason, Adam Wares, Canno-Lopez, Durham and Snoxhall.

Billericay were joint top of the group, but Southend progressed to the cup final on number of tries scored, but the Bees were determined to go home with a trophy as they lined up against Westcliff for the plate final.

Vasey put the Bees ahead, but the try was cancelled out before half-time – and Billericay would have been behind soon in the second were it not for a great tackle by Joe Hudson.

As time ran out, it was with the last play of the match that the Bees claimed the win when Louis Travers-Cook powered over.

Billericay: Adam Wares, Isabel Beadle, Max Forster, Max Morris, Tom Vasey, Louis Travers-Cook, Joseph Snoxall, Tom Hollaman, Oscar Harmer, Liam Peryer, Joe Hudson, George Durham, Zach Canno-Lopez, Luke Mason.

A WI group is giving abused women a boost by donating 90 Easter eggs to a women's refuge.

The Brentwood Belles, the most recently formed Women's Institute in Brentwood, made up of 115 women aged 25-75 from the local community, all pitched in to help Basildon Women's Aid, a charity that provides a safe haven for women and their children who have been victims of physical, mental or sexual violence.

Jane Miles, 38, lives in Doddinghurst and has been president of the Belles since they started 18 months ago.

"This is a cause that is close to many of the ladies' hearts," she said.

"Many of the women who turn up at the refuge come with children and only have what they're standing in, so we want to make the occasion special for them and give their Easter a little bit of normality."

The chocolate eggs were donated at the February and March monthly meetings.

Speaking of the group's achievement, Mrs Miles said: "I'm really proud of them, it's an amazing achievement – being part of the Women's Institute is about helping and supporting the local community and this is one of the ways that we do it.

Elaine Arnold, services manager at Basildon Women's Aid said: "It is welcomed by the staff as it means that we can help the women and children here to celebrate Easter.

"The Brentwood Belles in the community may never meet the women and children here, but it means so much to the residents that they care.

"It's fantastic that we have enough eggs to give out to all the children. All round it's just a fantastic donation – we're very pleased they've done that for us."

The Women's Aid, which currently has 28 families and a total of 61 people, provides a living space for families with a communal kitchen, garden and play area for the children.

It provides a self-esteem club to allow families to settle in, along with a pre-and-after school club and support for women who do not feel able to leave home through centres in Brentwood, Castle Point and Rochford.

MORE than 150 children from eight local primary schools braved chilly conditions to take part in the Ongar Schools Tag Rugby competition last week.

The festival was organised and hosted by Ongar Rugby Club with support from the RFU, Saracens and local businesses as part of its school and community support programme.

Three different competitions were played for by 27 teams from Moreton, Chipping Ongar, Rodings, High Ongar, Bentley, Shelley, Blackmore and Doddinghurst Infants.

The boys' Year 2 trophy was won by Chipping Ongar and the boys' Year 3 trophy by Bentley.

For most coaches, supporters and parents the most exciting competition was the girls' Year 2/3 trophy. More than 50 girls aged six and seven years old played as skilfully and competitively as their male classmates, and in a nail-biting final High Ongar triumphed over Rodings 4-3.

Ongar coach Pat Carter said: "The girls responded so well to the coaching and put it into practice immediately which meant they got better and better over the afternoon."

Every player was awarded an Ongar medal and there were special Saracens prizes for winners and runners-up.

Rodings were the winners of the participation prize of a RFU Yazoo Tag Bag for bringing the most players to the festival.

The deputy head of Doddingurst Infants School, Vanessa Audas said: "It was brilliantly organised and very enjoyable. The enthusiasm of the players and coaches was fantastic.

"We will be playing more tag rugby at school now."

The positive feedback from players, parents and schools means that Ongar Rugby Club will be running an open training session for Year 2 and 3 players on Sunday, April 14 from 10am.

Any new players aged five to 12 years old are always welcome at the club. For more details contact Philip Cranwell on 07976 547493.

TEMPERS flared as hundreds of TOWIE fans queued for six hours in freezing conditions to visit the latest in a growing line of celebrity-owned shops in Brentwood.

Arctic winds and snow did not deter the droves hoping to meet Joey Essex and browse the wares inside his new clothes shop.

Hundreds packed the narrow Crown Street on Saturday, the queue spilling into the High Street. Some fans were even seen wrapped in sleeping bags.

But the wait was too long for some visitors who harangued security guards at the door of Fusey for not speeding up browsing times.

The 22-year-old's management company Neon estimated that more than 2,000 people had come to visit the shop on its first day of trading.

But for many other retailers, what should have been their busiest day of the week was a complete washout.

Rubbish was left strewn along Crown Street, leaving shop keepers questioning whether the country's addiction to Towie is actually doing them more harm than good.

Neon, which went to significant lengths to promote the shop, also drew scorn for failing to organise proper road closures.

Essex Police was forced to send officers to close the road for much of the day.

The management company has this week described the launch as a "resounding success".

Nigel Clarke, owner of the Hair Company, said: "It was badly organised and the amount of rubbish that was left in the street was appalling. They simply did not care about us.

"They showed no consideration. Joey Essex has taken a shop down here and you would have thought he wanted to be part of the community but he has had no consideration whatsoever for the rest of us.

"They could have properly organised a road closure, but for whatever reason, they didn't want to pay the money and instead the police were forced to close it.

"They always seem to get away with it. I've never thought TOWIE was good for Brentwood. It probably does bring in some trade, but at what cost? I'm just sick of it."

During the opening, Joey Essex tweeted: "Wow!!! This is crazy! Thank you for all your support. The que (sic) is still huge. I love you all.

In another tweet he wrote: "I appreciate all you dedicated fans sticking it out in the snow!!! That's what I call true fans. I love all of you."

The chaotic scenes did not go down well with most of the long-term traders.

"No comment," said Ian Page, owner of Crown Street Café, when asked what he thought.

The area has been a favoured spot for the cast of Towie to set up their businesses. Joey Essex's girlfriend Sam Faiers helps run her mother's shop in Ropers Yard, close to where Georgio Georgiades has a shop selling body building supplements.

The father of Lucy Mecklenburgh, Paul, has also recently been given permission to develop the building at the corner of Hart Street and Crown Street.

A spokesman for Joey Essex said the decision was made to go ahead without road closures following advice from the local authority.

He said: "It was a resounding success, especially when you consider the weather. It shows what a great following he has.

"It's a shame that as a local paper you have chosen to go with such as negative slant.

"We took advice from the local authority about road closures. We were told we had to apply six weeks ahead. The police did a fantastic job. We don't have a Mystic Meg and if you have one there we would love to hear from her."

A police spokesman said: "This was not pre-planned but there were no additional costs incurred."

ALEXANDER Burford-Fuller has secured his first win of the season after another successful weekend of karting.

The 13-year-old from Hutton had made a steady start to the campaign but moved up several gears in his latest outings.

First of all came the March round of the Club 2000 Championship, at Red Lodge in Suffolk.

He took a pole to flag win in the first qualifying heat, before a third and fifth in the other two qualifiers made sure he started the final in third place.

Burford-Fuller did not get off to a great start but was able to take advantage of a tangle between the front two on the second bend to nip through into the lead – a lead he would not relinquish with an excellent display of defensive driving.

He cut loose towards the end of the race and took the chequered flag by 2.5 seconds – and missed out on the track record for his class by just one tenth of a second.

The following day it was destination Hertfordshire as he took part in the second round of the Junior Rotax Championship at Rye House.

Despite facing a higher standard of driver than the previous day, he acquitted himself well and ended up with the top novice trophy – although he was left to wonder what might have been.

In the first qualifier he was involved in three separate incidents – each time being the innocent victim – and finished 11th, but he was sixth and fourth in the other two qualifiers to start seventh on the grid in the main race.

He made a great start and climbed to third, a position he held for five laps until a dive up the inside by another driver into hairpin one resulted in a spin for Burford-Fuller.

He did manage to rejoin the race in seventh, a position he held until the chequered flag to claim the top novice trophy, but there was disappointment he could not hold onto a higher position.

TWO men have each been jailed for seven years after a shooting in a quiet residential street in Billericay.

Patrick Flanigan, a driver from Oak Road South in Benfleet, and John Turner, a maintenance worker of no fixed address, were convicted of being in possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence on March 17.

Patrick Flanigan was further convicted of being in possession of a tear gas spray.

At 7pm on May 17 last year, police were contacted after reports of shots being fired from a vehicle along Mill Road.

Five bullets were blasted from a car into a BMW parked outside a house, but no one was injured.

A few days later, Flanigan and Turner, both 27, were arrested.

The owner of the BMW, Stephen Fay, who was in the front room of his house at the time of the shooting, spoke to the Gazette shortly after the incident last year. He said: "It was lucky no one was killed."

This week, Mr Fay added: "I am aware that the two men have been jailed for seven years and it is all out of our hands now."

Neighbours recalled their concern when the peace of their usually quiet neighbourhood was shattered.

Philippa Brown, of Mill Road, said: "My son heard the gun shots and I came back home a bit later, it was actually my birthday that day, and the whole road was closed off.

"It was really shocking and so lucky that no one got hurt. My neighbours were very close to getting in the middle of it – they had just gone out but realised they had forgotten something so left the kids in the car while they went back into the house.

"They drove off just minutes before the shooting happened."

Another neighbour living on Mill Road, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "It was a huge surprise and not something you would expect in this area.

"We heard the shots and knew the family living in the house that was targeted – it was very shocking."

Investigating officer DI Stephen Jennings said: "This was a serious incident which triggered a major police investigation.

"Shootings are extremely rare in Essex which is why, when they do happen, we become even more determined than ever to identify the culprits.

"These convictions and sentences mean that two potentially dangerous men will be off the county's streets for many years."

STRICKEN Billericay Town midfielder Craig Edwards is grateful for how the club has rallied around him after his career-ending injury.

Edwards, 30, was forced to call time on his time as a footballer last month after dislocating his knee and rupturing his patella tendon in the 6-1 defeat to Dorchester last month.

And the self-employed plumber is also facing at least six months of being unable to work as the injury affects his personal life.

With that in mind, the club – who are managed by Edwards' father, also called Craig – are holding a benefit night for the former Southend United and Chelmsford City player this weekend.

The event takes place in the clubhouse at New Lodge after Saturday's home game against Hayes & Yeading and will feature a disco, karaoke, buffet and a raffle.

Edwards jnr said: "It is touching.

"On a personal level, I find it a bit embarrassing to be honest.

"Without being rude, I'm not like that, I'd rather keep myself to myself.

"That's not to say that I don't appreciate it because it really means a lot.

"It has had an effect on my life. The obvious thing is work.

"I'm a self-employed plumbing and heating engineer, which is probably the worst job you can have with an injury like this because you're on your knees a lot of the time.

"I don't want to make a sob story of it, but we've just had a little baby and my wife's on maternity leave so it wasn't the best time to do it."

Edwards suffered the injury after an aerial challenge in the clash at the Avenue Stadium, and he admitted he knew straight away it was a serious injury – but he is making good progress in his recovery.

"It's still a bit sore," he said. "It's improving, but it's frustrating. I can't do much, I can't work.

"I have had a few injuries in my past but I've normally tried to get straight up and at least walk off the pitch – if I can carry on I will.

"As soon as it happened though, I heard a snap, and when I looked down and saw my kneecap was halfway up my leg, I thought there was no point in trying to walk.

"I had surgery a couple of weeks ago. Fingers crossed it's gone well.

"I went back to see the surgeon and he's fairly happy. He's told me to be patient with it, that it's not going to happen overnight.

"He said if I can get a 90 degree bend in six months he'll be over the moon, and I hope it can be better than that, because if you haven't got a 90 degree bend you can't drive. It's not just about work, it's about being able to get around."

Edwards seems in good spirits after his devastating injury, and although he admits it is tough at times, he is trying to remain positive.

"You get the days where it is a bit depressing," he said. "Especially on a Saturday where I'm used to going to a game and being active, and I'm stuck indoors.

"Getting home was a big thing and what the consultant has said was a boost."

On the pitch, Edwards' dad is trying to mastermind an escape from relegation – and the now former player believes the Blues will stay up.

"I'm more than confident we're going to do it," he said. "I've been in this position before, when it gets to this stage it doesn't matter how you win, you've just got to win.

"We have under-performed this year but it's been a frustrating season, very stop-start. We've had a lot of games called off and it's been whenever we've had a bit of consistency we've had a couple of weeks off.

"It is hard, it was always going to be, we've come up last season and if you stay up you've had a good season.

"I think we can do it, a couple of good wins and we'll be out of it and push on next season."

ESSEX is on course for its coldest March in more than 50 years with hopes of a bright and warm bank holiday weekend fading fast.

With daffodils lying limp under the leftover snow from the weekend's blizzard-like conditions, spring is still clinging onto winter's chill with the county on track to endure its coldest March since 1962.

Police were called to 12 car accidents in the space of just ten hours on Saturday as the snow caused chaos on the roads, after solid snow throughout Friday night.

On Sunday morning a car careered off the road and down a steep bank in Danbury, while the fire service was called when a taxi skidded on black ice in Saffron Walden, flipping the car on its side.

Essex Weather Centre expert Tom Defty believes Easter temperatures are unlikely to pick up.

"There's no end in sight. Something like this gets locked in and stays for weeks, if not months," he told the Chronicle, explaining that eastern winds are coming from an exceptionally cold North Sea. "One of the bizarre things about this winter is that sea ice is at record levels. The North Sea is ten degrees cooler than it should be."

He continued: "Because we have got stubborn cloud cover nothing is moving anywhere. It's only melting on the roads and pavements because they do generate some heat during the day."

On Sunday, Essex saw a so-called Ice Day because the mercury did not climb above the 0C between 7am and 7pm.

"It is usually a one-in-ten year event but some parts of Essex have already seen it between eight and ten times this year," said Tom.

He added that Shoeburyness experienced temperatures of -2 degrees at noon on Sunday, described by Tom as "temperatures you are hard-pushed to get in the darkest days of December."

And as a result of the whiteout, many weekend events suffered too. Jackie Lane is a Neighbourhood Environmental Action Team officer at Chelmsford City Council.

She organised a litter-pick along the River Chelmer on Saturday, which had to be cancelled due to the weather.

"Really it wasn't safe to do – it was very slippery by the river and you can't really pick litter in the snow because you can't see it. It just wasn't worth it," she said.

Jackie and her colleagues are used to seeing around 100 people turn up to their popular litter-picks, but despite contacting as many people as possible, they did not manage to pre-warn everyone.

"Two Scout groups turned up, as did a gentleman with his two young children and a couple of others but I had to turn them away," said Jackie.

"We are really grateful to them – people are so supportive."

Meanwhile, the Essex Country and Game Fair held at Cressing Temple Barns was popular with dogs walkers, but saw few others brave the weather to attend.

RHS Hyde Hall's Grow Your Own weekend in Rettendon suffered too.

With this March expected to be the coldest in 50 years and with the North Sea ten degrees cooler than average, the people of Essex are being warned to keep their coats, gloves and hats close by.

"This year we might not see a spring whatsoever," said Tom. "But the positives of a cold March are that it comes out a very hot, dry summer." He added: "This time last year it was 21 degrees."

ELDERLY residents fighting to keep their care home open have conceded defeat after the "linchpin" in their team suddenly died.

George Roll, 90, had led the fight to keep Middleton Manor in Maldon open after it was declared no longer commercially viable by owners Larchwood Care in February.

But after Mr Roll, whose widow Margo is a resident, was found dead in his home on March 15, residents said they feel there is nothing more they can do.

Michael McArdell, 83, who moved into the Wantz Road care home in August, said: "He was kind and compassionate to everybody and such a key person in organising the campaign against closure.

"I can't say for sure to what extent the stress of that contributed to his death but I do think it could have played a part."

Mr Roll had worked tirelessly against the planned closure, collating statistics to back his argument and writing to public officials to gain their support.

"George knew it was likely to be a fight we couldn't win but he kept trying to the last and the work he carried out was simply amazing," added Margaret Still, who is a regular visitor to the home.

Mr Roll's shock death follows news that three residents have been hospitalised following their transfer to replacement care homes. One elderly lady had several stitches after falling from her bed, while another in his eighties has died, the campaigners say.

"It is utterly devastating to someone with dementia to be moved like this," said Mr McArdell, who with other residents, received a letter of notice two weeks ago, on March 11.

"There is such a close relationship between a resident and carer that to uproot these people will have consequences we don't yet know – it is a shattering blow.

"The owners have known about the closure for several months, they could at least have given us more time."

The Grade II listed Georgian terraces are now advertised as a "former care home" available as a development opportunity on estate agent Knight Frank's website.

"It's just terrible, but I know we've done all we could," added Mrs Still, who lives in Wantz Road.

"I've recommended many people to go into the home as the girls look after them all so well. It doesn't matter if you're in a posh home if you don't have the staff looking after everybody like they do at Middleton – and where will the girls go?"

The remaining residents and 40 staff have until April 5 to vacate the home, which has been used as a care facility for more than 50 years.

"I just hope that one lesson might be learnt from all this, that caring for elderly people and big business don't mix," said Mr McArdell, who was expected to move to a facility in Bocking, near Braintree, this week.

"I call on the Government to alter the process for giving out these licences so hopefully the same thing doesn't have to happen again."

WITH all the wintery weather recently, the signs of spring have been hard to spot this Easter but a farm in Billericay is vibrant with new life.

Barleylands Farm Park, Barleylands Road, will celebrating the Easter holidays with lots of activities and plenty of baby animals to meet. There are lambs, calves and piglets which children will be able to watch bottle-feed as well as chicks which can be seen at all stages of incubation.

From Friday, March 29 to Friday, April 12 visitors to the farm can enjoy cookery sessions to make Easter treats, Easter craft making and an Eater egg trail.

David Finkle, manager of Barleylands, said: "On Easter Sunday and Monday there will be two heavy horses on the farm and we will be getting one of our steam engines fired up.

"The other activities will be running all week and will be a good chance for children to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. We will also have our very own Lambing Live so visitors may be able to see lambs being born if they are lucky."

The Farm Park is open from 10am every day and costs £9 for children, £10 for adults and children under two years of age are free. Cookery sessions need to be booked online at www.barleylands.co.uk.

ONE of Romford's newest arrivals – the last to be born on the King George Hospital labour ward – is the son of a porter who works at the hospital.

Donatas Daunys and Ieva Zemaityte from Romford gave birth to their first baby, Dovydas, on Monday, March 18 at 2.19am. Baby Dovydas weighed 8lb 2oz.

Their son is not only special to their parents but to the team of midwives who today say goodbye to the labour ward at the unit in Goodmayes.

Amy Lester, a midwife with 34 years and two months experience, retired last week after working at King George throughout its 20 years of operation, seeing both the first babies born (a set of triplets) as well as the last.

Amy said: "There have been lots of laughs and tears over the years; it has felt like a big family. I've loved coming to work every day and have been so proud to serve the local women and their babies."

From 9am on Tuesday, March 19, babies were born at Queen's Hospital or other local hospitals instead, as part of a wide ranging plan to improve maternity services across north east London.

There will be no redundancies in these plans, which will strengthen staffing at Queen's and the work in the community.

The new Queen's Birth Centre which opened in January, has already seen 100 new arrivals

The unit is equipped with large birthing pools for pain relief and is designed to promote natural birth.

While births will no longer take place at King George Hospital, women will continue to have access to a full range of antenatal care and maternity scans at the hospital.

One midwife said: "I can't wait to help women give birth in such beautiful surroundings. They have candles, music and birthing pools."

While the closure marks a change in maternity services at King George, there are no current changes to other services, such as A&E.

A NIGERIAN fraudster who managed to sneak back into the UK twice after being deported for his previous crimes has been jailed.

Johnson Tetede, 32, was kicked out of the UK in 2009 for trying to obtain a false passport and again last April after trying to use a passport to take money from a bank.

But the conman, who lived in St Edward's Way, Romford, was back in the country within months and was arrested with a bag of stolen documents.

Tetede had been photographed trying to steal from communal mailboxes in a block of flats.

He was jailed at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday after admitting burglary and handling stolen goods.

Tetede, who was arrested on August 23, had earlier that day been seen by Daniel Rawlings acting suspiciously outside his address, a block of flats in Kingsley Mews, Wapping.

Prosecutor Helen Owen said: "At approximately 11am Mr Rawlings saw Tetede poke his head around the door to look at the mailboxes. He later followed him and was able to take several photos of him, while the defendant was protesting that he had not taken any mail."

Tetede was arrested on the bus soon afterwards, carrying a bag containing HMRC cheques, bank cards and digital numbers relating to bank balances.

One of the cards was a credit card that had gone missing in the post a fortnight earlier.

Tetede now faces deportation to Nigeria once again.

Jailing him for nine months for burglary and three months for handling stolen goods, the judge, Ms Recorder Caroline Goodwin said: "These offences are aggravated by the fact that you were in the country with no status when you committed them."