SUPERMARKET bosses are blaming each other for abandoned trolleys in Brentwood town centre amid fears they could face heavy fines.

Brentwood Borough Council has told Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencer and Iceland that they need to do more to tackle the problem or face fines of up to £70 per trolley.

However, the deputy manager of Sainsbury's in William Hunter Way has hit back, blaming M&S for not taking enough care.

"At the moment it has no locks on its trolleys," said Tina Smith.

"A lot of people are parking up here, getting their shopping from M&S and coming back to spend £5 at our store to get their free parking – then they just leave the trolleys anywhere."

Mrs Smith estimates she sees around 12 M&S trolleys abandoned every day.

She acknowledges that the rival store does come and collect its trolleys but does feel that it could do more still.

"It needs a system in place," she said.

"Two years ago we installed an automatic system around the circumference of our car park which locks any trolley that crosses the boundary.

"We also have or own staff who ensure our trolleys are not ditched elsewhere."

A spokesman for M&S defended the store's record and said it was "open" to taking additional measures.

She added: "We are aware of an issue regarding the theft of trolleys from M&S and other retailers in the area and can confirm that we have a number of measures in place to prevent this, including trolley alarms and patrols by M&S employees."

Iceland, meanwhile, pointed out that it was keen to collect abandoned trolleys, due to the cost of around £80 a time to replace them.

Metal thieves have stolen the store's entire fleet of trolleys twice in the past year, at a considerable cost to the store.

Liberal Democrat borough councillor James Sapwell said the issue of abandoned trolleys was commonly raised by residents in his Brentwood North ward.

"The army of shopping trolleys that are left on any given Sunday night is shocking," he said.

"Some areas such as Mayfield Gardens and The Vale are worse than others.

"On Park Road I think some people like to climb into the trolleys and push them down the hill when returning home from a few drinks.

"I don't blame the stores, but something needs to be done to prevent the situation worsening."

Borough council communications manager Diane Reay said: "Our residents want a clean and tidy town centre. We hope retailers will respond to our letter by increasing their efforts to recover trolleys themselves – but if they don't, we will have no alternative but to take action ourselves."

RESIDENTS in one the wealthiest parts of Brentwood say a lack of investment in footpaths is putting schoolchildren's lives at risk.

Julia White, 47, from Hutton Mount, says the "ruined" pavement outside her Ridgeway home forces pupils from nearby St Martin's Secondary School to walk in the road and "dice with death" every morning.

The footpath is not currently protected by a kerb and as a result water has drained onto it and turned it into a puddle of mud.

Houses in Hutton Mount can fetch up to £2.5 million.

The estate is home to West Ham midfielder Mark Noble and Rainham Steel boss William Ives, worth an estimated £266 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2012.

Mrs White this week said she has been urging the Hutton Mount Association, which is responsible for the maintenance of the estate, to take action for the past seven years without success.

"I've probably contacted them around 50 or 60 times over the years," she said.

"I've sent them letters and even put up a sign asking people to complain but it was taken down.

"The kids walk out in the road – if they looked when they crossed it wouldn't be such a problem but they don't."

She added: "If they don't do something soon, someone's going to get killed."

The association has recently written to each home on the estate to request on average £1,000 for the next three years' maintenance.

Roy Mayo, 62, lives opposite Mrs White.

He said the association cleans out the ditch in front of his house once a year but believes it is time something more was done to improve drainage and protect the footpath.

"It's worrying with the kids and joggers having to walk and run in the road," he said.

"I think the association are duty bound to do what they get paid to do.

"You can't take the money and do nothing."

Ongar architect Martyn Pattie acts on behalf of the Hutton Mount Association.

He said: "Road repairs can be quite expensive.

"We spend probably close to £200,000 a year on road repairs.

"We've been short of funds recently and as soon as we get the funds in it should be done within the next few months.

"This is the first time in eight years we have requested funds from residents – we're doing everything we can but we have to be careful with how we spend money."

BRENTWOOD Town manager Steve Witherspoon hailed his "exhausted" side after they bounced back from three straight defeats with a 1-0 win over AFC Sudbury.

With just pride to play for, Witherspoon's men are facing a punishing schedule which sees them still have five games left to play at the time of going to press – with just 11 days remaining in the season.

They had been beaten 3-0 at relegation-threatened Redbridge 48 hours earlier, but Steve Butterworth's late strike – atoning for an earlier penalty miss – saw Sudbury beaten in what Witherspoon said was a "cracking game of football".

"It's a war of attrition," he said. "I've really only got 12 or 13 first-team players to play all these games, that's all, then we're dipping into the U18s.

"I've had the captain Doyley [Ryan Doyle] ring me up on Monday and say that he's absolutely exhausted so he won't be playing on Tuesday night.

"There were players out there on Saturday on their last legs. We'd lost three on the trot so I kept the same 11 on the pitch which I really shouldn't have done but we did well to get the 1-0 win.

"We wanted to win because to lose three on the trot is not nice.

"Sudbury are a good side, they've underachieved massively but if you let them play they are a very good side. They're one of the better sides in the league. We played really well.

If we'd played anything like that on Thursday night, we'd have won but it didn't happen. Thursday's an example, we had four boys in midfield all 18.

"It's hard, but you can't keep playing the same players every game. We've got six games left, it's ridiculous.

"Somewhere along the line we might get a tanking because we're not going to have the players there and the ones that are there are exhausted."

The last quarter of an hour had plenty of action as Sudbury were reduced to ten men before Butterworth saw his penalty saved, but Witherspoon was delighted with how his side kept going.

"We should have been three or four goals up before half-time," the manager added. "We made chances but we just haven't taken them, so I'm thinking it's going to be another one of those. We seem to find all sorts of ways not to score goals.

"Their goalkeeper has pulled off save after save. But it was a cracking game of football, it was a sticky top but there were no bad challenges, lots of good football from both sides and I thought we got what we deserved in the end.

"When they went down to ten men I thought we did really well there, because you can sometimes panic but we didn't, we got it down, passed around well, kept the ball on the floor, changed direction of the play and tried to get in behind them.

"I think Butterworth, after missing the penalty, really put a massive effort in to try to get the goal and he got it in the end.

"We pushed forward, we tried to get more people in the box. It was a fantastic save, and Butterworth just had to be there to tap it home, he got himself out of jail really."

Witherspoon saw his goalkeeper Richard Wray stretchered off against Aveley last Tuesday, and he is not expecting to be able to call upon his impressive number one again this term.

"He had a bad injury at Easter last year and it's the same knee," he added. "We don't think it's quite as bad but we're just waiting for the swelling to go down and then assess it.

"He'll tell us exactly where it's at but I don't think we'll have him for the rest of the season. He's a real loss. We've got a couple of keepers signed on anyway as cover. They're not Richard's standard but they're not bad at all."

The Blues were due to travel to Thamesmead last (Tuesday) night before trips to Waltham Abbey on Thursday, Ware on Saturday and Witham Town on Tuesday.

FORMER NFL star Cecil Martin gave Essex Spartans a pre-season boost when he went to visit the club.

Martin, who played full-back for Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his professional career, was at Hannakins Farm last week at the end of a tour of clubs around the UK.

The 37-year-old now works for Sky Sports, and Spartans quarterback – and club secretary – Steve Watson was thrilled to have him at the club.

He first held a training session for the youngsters at the club before hosting a question and answer session on an enjoyable night.

"It was really great for us," he said. "It took a lot of organising but it seems to have all paid off.

"We had about 30 children come down to try it out and I think there were 60 or 70 people there in the evening for the question and answer session, so it was really great.

"Everyone benefited from it and Cecil himself said to me that the last one of his tour had proved to be the best one. I was really pleased.

"To have someone there with Cecil's experience and such a household name because of all he does for Sky Sports, and to have someone there who's experienced playing at a professional level in the United States, we can't buy that sort of experience.

"For him to come down and share his experience and wealth of knowledge was absolutely fantastic."

The Spartans began their season with a 6-0 defeat to Bedfordshire Blue Raiders – see report on page 57 – but Watson believes the club will really benefit from Martin's visit to Essex.

"We saw an awful lot of people who didn't even know the Spartans existed before," he said.

"They came down to meet Cecil, and said they didn't realise there was a team in Billericay.

"It's raised the profile for us, we want people to be aware of the team and to be able to join in.

"The advantage we've got with American football is that literally anyone can come down and try it. Anyone that's sitting at home and thinking they can't do it, they can't play football or rugby, they don't think they're physically fit enough, with American football it doesn't matter what your fitness level is, there's always a position for you.

"We want to get that out there to the children, because our youth team is growing as well.

"Get yourself down here, there is always a spot for you."

For more information on the club, visit www.essexspartans.co.uk.

FIREMEN from Billericay and Wickford listened in awe as they heard the heroic story of a man who fought to contain the damage in the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Petr Makarenko, 53, met fellow firefighters at Billericay Fire Station in Laindon Road to recount his experiences.

Mr Makarenko, who lives in Minsk, Belarus, made a moving speech as he recalled the story of his life-changing time working to limit the destruction caused by the disaster in 1986.

He added how radiation still prevails in Belarus where people live in poverty and where their health is in constant danger.

Looking back to 1986, Mr Makarenko said: "I was 26 with a two-year-old son.

"I had been serving in the military navy and after this I returned to my native village, which is 50 km from Chernobyl.

"I had already decided I wanted to be a fireman and in 1981 I started working at Chernobyl nuclear station."

He continued: "On April 26, 1986 I started work at 7 o'clock and the explosion had taken place overnight.

"The fire was from 40 to 80 metres high.

"The reactor looked like a volcano – it was like the sunrise.

"At the beginning the firemen didn't realise that radiation had been released."

Firefighters worked in three shifts, each of which was 18 hours' long, and Mr Makarenko was in the second shift.

He recalled: "On my shift we knew a little more, so we were more protected.

"One firefighter decided to investigate and he went right up to the reactor to get a closer look.

"He died in 20 days – he was not burnt, it was the radiation.

"If someone new came in they would lose us time so the workers stayed at the station for much longer.

"We were on duty 24 hours a day as there were still three reactors left and we were worried that the fire would spread."

He continued: "We wouldn't panic and we kept our heads – we were doing the job we knew what to do.

"We were brought up like this and had to be responsible."

Mr Makarenko said he remembers wrapping his son Vitaly up and sending him and his wife Nina away to protect them from the radiation.

"We were told that under no circumstances the reactor would explode – we were not coached on how to deal with this, just normal fires," he said.

"The government knew what happened but didn't come up with a decision how to save people.

"Only when the radiation had reached Switzerland was it that they decided to inform the world at large what had happened.

"Some of the firemen received the highest dose of radiation that a man can have."

All the firefighters who were on Mr Makarenko's shift were sent to the hospital and were told they only had one month to live.

He said: "The picture was very frightening.

"Our colleagues were melting before our eyes – of the 30 people who first went out, only two survived.

"I now understand the value of life and understand how beautiful it is.

"God saved me."

After the explosion, Mr Makarenko was transferred to the Ukraine because of his health.

He suffers from psoriasis, diabetes, kidney problems, high blood pressure and he has trouble walking, but he is thankful to be alive.

Mr Makarenko was accompanied by translator Tania Vaskovskaia and Anthony Woodman, who is the chairman of the charity Chernobyl Children's Life Line.

Mr Woodman said: "We bring children to the UK every summer from Chernobyl to give them a break from radiation and to educate them.

"We hope to re-educate people with this trip with Mr Makarenko and remind them of the disaster so these children and their families can get help."

Mr Makarenko will be making a presentation tonight (Wednesday) at Emmanuel Church at 7.30pm.

Entry is free.

A "FORMIDABLE and committed" Tory who was a former leader of Basildon Council has died aged 72.

Tony Archer died on Saturday after a two-year battle with cancer, leaving behind his wife Sue, 66, five children and ten grandchildren.

Mr Archer represented the Billericay East ward and lived in Hollyford. He was first elected as a councillor 30 years ago.

His widow said: "When the grandchildren were little he was a grumpy granddad but he loved his grandchildren and his children."

She laughed: "I'm right down the list. His main love was cricket and he was a governor and chairman at Sunnymede School. He worked at Halifax bank as a manager and he did that all his life until he retired in 1993.

"He carried on working with the council, the school and the cricket club on Friday nights."

"It was an awful shock when he died and I'd nursed him at home, which was what he wanted."

Council leader Tony Ball paid tribute to his former colleague. "Tony had struggled for a couple of years but the cancer spread to other parts of his body and just before Christmas it was diagnosed that it was terminal.

"I have known him since he was first elected when my father was still a councillor. He was a man of strong views and was quite happy to share them.

"He had vast experience and was a loyal Conservative. He wanted to make a difference for the people of Billericay."

Deputy leader Phil Turner said: "My condolences go to his family. He was a massive entity for the council.

"He contributed to the way of life for the people of Billericay and we will miss him enormously.

"He made the improvements that some of us take for granted, like the High Street paving, and made sure that Billericay got its fair share of support. He was very much an integral part of the Conservative family."

Tony Hedley, Essex County Council member for Billericay and Burstead, said: "I've known him for the 40 years I've lived in the area.

"He will be missed. I saw him 24 hours before the end – it was very sad. The town has lost someone very community-minded.

"He could be controversial but he couldn't have been a more friendly member.

"When Sylvia Buckley passed away, he insisted on going to her funeral even though he was very ill – that was his last public appearance. He was very caring and will be greatly missed."

John Baron, MP for Basildon and Billericay, said: "Tony was a stalwart of Basildon Council and served the district with distinction for many years. He will be sadly missed. Our thoughts are with Sue and the family."

How will you remember Mr Archer? E-mail editorial@gazettenews.co.uk or write to the address, left

NEW Essex chief executive Derek Bowden is hoping to attract new supporters from across the county and beyond – and that could include playing Twenty20 games at the Olympic Stadium.

Bowden, who began his new role at the Essex County Ground at the start of this month, is "looking up and down the A12" as he bids to bring more supporters through the gates.

The former Ipswich Town chief executive spoke exclusively to the Chronicle on day three of last week's opening LV> Championship clash with Gloucestershire – a rain-affected day which attracted a small crowd to Chelmsford.

It comes in the wake of the club's financial figures which showed that some 79 per cent of its money from ticket sales came from T20 games, compared to just seven percent from the Championship.

The 6,500-capacity Essex County Ground is regularly filled for the club's T20 games, and Bowden believes playing a couple of games a season at the Olympic Stadium would boost the club's fanbase.

"It's very early days but we are looking at it," he said. "Not to relocate from Chelmsford to the Olympic Stadium as some people have thought, but for one or two games a year, maybe a T20 game – a league game as it were – and maybe a showcase game. It would be quite interesting to use the Olympic Stadium. It won't be easy to make it work because of the cost of dropping in a pitch and the cost of staging a game there will be high, but if we could get 30,000 people watching Twenty20 cricket there a couple of times a year that would be good for us, good for the legacy and good for that part of London as well.

"I think there's been some feasibility work done over the years but we'll look at it properly.

"We're in no hurry to do it, but the fact that the Mayor of London thinks it's a good idea and I don't think West Ham would oppose the idea is encouraging but we've got to make the maths work."

The area of Stratford – where the Olympic Stadium is – actually falls under the umbrella of the Essex Cricket Board, and Bowden is keen to widen the appeal of the county.

"The East London boroughs are a big opportunity both in terms of player development and audience development," he added.

"The county used to go on tour, but we do that less now. We play mainly at Chelmsford, but there's a massive potential audience and market in the east end of London and that part of Essex.

"And up the A12, up towards Ipswich, there's another big area. Suffolk and Norfolk don't have first-class teams and people there do want to watch cricket, and it's a relatively short journey.

"So part of my remit I think is to look up and down the A12 and down in the City of London, corporately as well as playing cricket in that part of the world, up to my old stomping crowd of Ipswich and beyond."

The game against Gloucestershire ended in a draw after rain and bad light affected three of the four days' play, and Bowden admitted he had hoped for brighter weather to start the campaign.

He added: "You can never tell with April.

"Last April apparently – I've forgotten now – was really warm and then it became very wet and we lost games through rainfall here.

"Whether it's best to get the rain out of the way early or not I don't know.

"It probably is. If this is the worst of the weather we're going to have in the spring then it'll be very good.

"If it was 15 or so degrees out there we'd have had more people through the door and we'd be looking at it differently."

Part two of our interview with Derek Bowden will be in next week's Chronicle.

BATSMAN Tom Westley admits he could not have wished for a better start to the 2013 season.

Westley's 163 in the drawn game with Gloucestershire last week was the highest score by any batsman in the opening round of LV> Championship fixtures.

And with another 58 and 133 in the University clash with Cambridge UCCE earlier this month, the 24-year-old is already past 350 first-class runs in 2013.

Westley's score helped Essex recover from 23-2 to finish the match on 353-6 and earn eight points from a rain-affected draw.

"It's gone fairly well so far," Westley said. "I couldn't have dreamt for a better start, but in the same breath I don't want to get carried away because things can change so quickly. Hopefully, I can continue it for a bit longer.

"We were in a tricky position, but on the flip side, they were in a similar position as well, if not worse, that's obviously testament to how well [Dan] Housego and [Hamish] Marshall played, but we saw that once you got in on that wicket you could build a big partnership.

"I don't think we panicked too much. Obviously, it's not ideal being two wickets down.

"But we knew that, similar to Gloucestershire, if we spent enough time in the middle, we would do well."

The opening batsman was also called into action with the ball against Gloucestershire.

The off-spinner sent down 13 overs as Essex opted for an all-seam attack at Chelmsford, and Westley is happy to play his part with the ball as well as the bat this term.

"It's nice to be given that responsibility of being the spinner in the side," he added.

"Obviously the conditions this time of year are very seam conducive but it does give Essex another option if they do want to play another seamer.

"I'm enjoying my role in the side at the moment so hopefully I can continue to improve my batting and my bowling."

Westley has passed 3,000 career runs this season, and is hoping to learn from the likes of Australian overseas star Rob Quiney as the campaign progresses.

And, having made such a bright start to the campaign with the bat, Westley is hoping to continue his rich vein of form

"There's a really good vibe around the changing room," he added.

"Bobby has added another dimension to the squad, everyone gets on well with him, he's a really good bloke to have around the changing room.

"There's good times here at the club at the moment.

"I'm not trying to get too far ahead of myself. I'm enjoying my batting and I want to score as many first-class hundreds as I can.

"Batting has been tough the last few years, so it's been brilliant to get off to such a good start."

Westley's knock against Gloucestershire came from 284 balls and included 23 fours, and he was involved in partnerships of 116 with Ravi Bopara, 95 with Mark Pettini and 63 with James Foster.

Romford were unlucky not to get all three points against Potters Bar as both teams battled for a top ten finish.

Romford dominated possession in the first half and nearly opened the scoring on five minutes.

However, against the run of play, Potters Bar took the lead when James Gershfield beat the offside trap and crossed for Gary Wharton to fire home.

Romford continued to push forward with Lewis Francis cutting in and shooting straight at Ed Thompson. But on 26 minutes, the Boro were level.

Lee Close had handled on the edge of the box and Francis stepped up and smashed the ball past Thompson into the top left hand corner. Just after the half hour, Abs Seymour burst through from midfield and pulled the ball back to Smith to let Michael Sammut run on to the ball, but his side-footed effort went just wide of the post.

Five minutes before half-time, Romford nearly got lucky when Chris Doyle's clearance hit James Ismail in the chest and bounced just past the upright.

The second half was barely underway when Smith was pulled back in the area by Fabian Simms.

The decision looked a bit harsh on the defender, but Romford blew the chance to take the lead when full-back Ottley blazed the penalty over the bar .

Romford pushed forward but were once again hit on the counter attack by Potters Bar.

Cole Penny broke down the left and his deep cross was half cleared before Gershfield pulled back and Josh Hutchinson smashed the ball home.

On 64 minutes, Penny was sent off for a second yellow after a rash late challenge on Seymour.

A minute later, Romford were level. Francis whipped in a free-kick and Ishmail got his head to the ball before the keeper.

Potters Bar looked more dangerous with ten men and continually troubled Romford on the counter attack.

Despite piling on lots of pressure, the Boro were unable to find the winning goal with Nick Reynolds flashing a shot across goal and also having a header cleared off the line.

In injury time Aaron Omand saved well from Potters Bar's Eddie Munnelly.

B ACK in the 18th century, there was something of a vogue for grafting what were then startlingly modern brick-built facades onto the front of much older timber-framed houses. The result: that harmonious blend of styles that is a defining feature of so many fine old houses.

The same tradition lives on in the efforts of present-day owners to extend and modernise older properties sensitively. A perfect example is Blakes, a lovely 17th- century farmhouse crowning a hill (the second highest point in Essex) on the outskirts of the village of Pleshey.

Of considerable historical significance – the original design having reputedly provided the template taken to America by the Pilgrim Fathers to be widely copied across New England – Blakes is today a simply stunning family home, with some 4,200 sq ft of living space, comprising five reception rooms, a cellar room, a superb fitted kitchen/breakfast room, and four double bedrooms, including a three-room master suite and one further en-suite – all set amid some five acres of peaceful and secluded formal gardens, paddocks and stabling, complete with swimming pool and tennis court.

However, it was a different story 33 years ago, when David and Janice Payne first saw the property. "The house was much smaller then – just the middle section as it stands today," Janice recalled. "It didn't even have mains water. Instead it was served by its own well, with an electric pump." Remedying that was one of the first projects they undertook once the house was theirs. "We had the mains brought up the lane and, when we decided to have an additional supply piped across it to the paddock, the specialist we employed to do the excavation work broke so many drill bits that he said the surface of the lane probably hadn't been disturbed for hundreds of years."

Since 1980, as well as raising a family in the house, David and Janice have undertaken a major programme of extension and modernisation. This was completed in two phases, always employing local craftsmen for the work, and wherever possible using reclaimed materials such as old wooden beams. The existing 17th-century house was extended at both ends, and a new rear wing was also added, together with additional single-story extensions, containing the cellar room and office, to link with the separate bake house. Janice believes that to be even older than the original part of the house, since it contains a particularly striking inglenook fireplace.

However, despite all the care and attention to detail that has been lavished on every aspect of this ambitious extension programme, the Paynes have made no great attempt to disguise the newer parts of the house – although, looking at the main front of it from the outside, you would be hard pushed to see the joins between old and new. The former bake house is typical, having been converted into a superb garden room, with glazed doors opening on to a decking area overlooking the pond and moat that partly surrounds the house.

Far from being a museum piece, the net result of this intelligently balanced approach is that Blakes today offers all the style and creature comforts that mark out the finest modern homes – but combined with what is almost an embarrassment of riches in terms of period charm and character.

The front door opens into an impressive entrance hall, with stone flooring, a very impressive exposed brick inglenook fireplace, and ceiling timbers. In contrast, the L-shaped living room exudes stylish modern comfort, with its halogen downlighters, its working stone-surround fireplace, and its views over the gardens to both front and rear. Leading off this room is the purpose-built home office with exposed timbers (both David and Janice work from home) and a family/cinema room.

On the other side of the entrance hall – and similarly comprising part of the original house – lies the dining room, which also features a working fireplace and exposed timbers. The part-vaulted kitchen/breakfast room likewise boasts a wealth of exposed beams, and leads to the newly fitted utility room, rear hallway and ground-floor cloakroom.

Meanwhile, upstairs are the four double bedrooms – all offering stunning views over the surrounding gardens, paddocks and open countryside beyond. The master suite comprises the bedroom itself – again, with exposed timbers and a vaulted ceiling – a separate dressing room and a bathroom incorporating a wet room. Bedroom two also has an en-suite shower room, while bedrooms three and four sharing the family bathroom.

Outside, the property – which is partly enclosed by a beautiful old wall of mellow red brick – is approached via a gravel driveway, leading up to a three- bay car port with single garage and further double garage. The well-established formal gardens, laid out by well-known landscape architect James Blake of Lavenham, open into extensive paddocks, affording beautiful views of surrounding countryside towards Danbury. In total, the grounds amount to approximately five acres.

Of course, beautiful though it is, Blakes will always be something of a work in progress, as each generation of owners seek to make their mark. Indeed, planning permission already exists for an additional rearward extension, opposite the existing wing, and providing a further 840 square feet of accommodation – as well as completing the classic U-shape of so many fine old houses and creating a sheltered rear courtyard.

But for David and Janice, their children having grown up and left home, it is time to move on. But they won't be moving far. "When we saw Blakes all those years ago, it wasn't just the house that we fell in love with, but the potential lifestyle that it promised," Janice explains. "It is wonderfully quiet and private here – perfect for entertaining and for long walks or rides in the surrounding countryside. But at the same time, it is far from isolated. Pleshey is a lovely, lively village with a great sense of community. And with all this, we are still just five minutes from the A120. Chelmsford is only 20-minutes' drive away, and we can reach Cambridge – which we visit quite regularly – in under an hour."

Will the Paynes choose another renovation project on a similar sort of scale as Blakes? Maybe not – but then again, Janice admits, both she and David relish the challenge…

Blakes is currently on the market through Beresfords, with a guide price of £1.6 million.

CHAS and DAVE are set to headline this summer's Brentwood Festival.

The event, which has been running for more than 20 years, has been held at the Brentwood Centre since 2011.

The outdoor event will be taking place across the weekend of July 5, 6 and 7 and will present an exciting musical line up, including Chelmsford's own Missing Andy.

The family friendly weekend also offers a fun fair and great food and drink, including ales from the Brentwood Brewing Company.

The event, formally known as the White Horse Festival, has been run by Jason Jopson, who has owned the pub on Coxtie Green Road, Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, since 2006.

Mr Jopson said: "We have a great line up this year with Chas and Dave on the Friday and a lot of local talent over the weekend.

"Bruce Foxton from The Jam will be performing on Saturday and the Loveable Rogues from Britain's Got Talent will also be taking to the stage. We had about 10,000 people last year and we hope to have over 15,000 this year – the capacity is 30,000."

He added: "As usual the festival will be raising money for Help for Heroes and we will be presenting them with a ten thousand pound cheque this year."

Tickets can be bought in advance for £10 for a day, or £30 for the whole weekend at www.brentwoodfestival.co.uk.

THE role that the Iron Lady played in stopping North Weald suffering from severe flooding is remembered well by one former villager.

On July 29, 1987, horrendous flooding followed 50mm of rain in under half an hour.

Robin Vaughan-Lyons, 49, lived on High Road with his parents at the time.

"It was a major flood and it was scary when it happened – we had been flooded two times before but this was far worse," said Mr Vaughan-Lyons, who now lives in Kent.

"I had my camera and managed to film cars floating past our house and down High Road, the water was unstoppable.

"I wrote to Margaret Thatcher complaining of the flood and our problem and asked for her help. I didn't expect to get a reply.

"Shortly after she wrote back, which was a real shock.

"She said she couldn't understand how nothing had been done and would direct £30 million for flood defences."

Mrs Thatcher was true to her word and the flood defences, which consisted of paddocks and relief areas, still protect North Weald to this day.

"I am forever thankful for what she did and the house, which we often return to, is still standing today," he said.

JEERING, booing anti-nuclear weapon and pro-Labour Party demonstrators faced off against a phalanx of reinvigorated Tory supporters when Margaret Thatcher visited Brentwood in 1981 – just two years after she became PM.

It was just after midday on January 23, 1981, that demonstrations roared into life as Mrs Thatcher's black Daimler, flanked by police motorcyclists, approached the now demolished Meads Ballroom, on Ongar Road, 15 minutes late after she had opened a home for disabled children in Chigwell.

More than 100 police were on the alert while an army of stern-faced security men clustered round the car as it pulled up outside the hall, which has now been replaced by a string of shops including Amy Childs Boutique.

Once inside, most of the 50 or so protestors, along with 200 supporters, drifted away, returning later to shout: "Tories, out, out, out."

Apart from their noisy reception the protestors were well behaved, with only the briefest of verbal slanging matches developing between Jimmy Johns, co-ordinator of the Chelmsford CND and an elderly lady from Chigwell who declared that she didn't care for people yelling slogans and that she had travelled to Brentwood to support a wonderful woman.

Mr Johns said later that "that wonderful woman is ruining my life". He added: "She has made this country a number one nuclear target."

Earlier Brentwood and Ongar MP Robert McCrindle and his wife Myra had arrived 40 minutes before Mrs Thatcher amid a crescendo of boos.

Because protestors had taken up most of the best viewing positions, Thatcher supporters had been unable to see the PM.

"If it had been the Queen arriving, said a Brentwood School pupil at the time, "Her supporters would have waited in vain.

"She would have gone on a walkabout.

"All we saw of Mrs Thatcher was nothing more than a blue streak."

TRADERS and shoppers in Ongar are angry at expensive and "restrictive" parking regulations which they claim are driving business away from the High Street.

Accusations that existing parking arrangements are damaging business in the current economic climate, coupled with the view that the situation is biased towards Sainsbury's, are prevalent in the town.

"I would do much more shopping in Ongar if I wasn't constantly clock watching and looking for the dreaded traffic warden," said resident Rebecca Allison.

"I got a parking ticket in Ongar when I was five minutes late."

She added: "Parking prices are too expensive."

Fay Hewett, 42, owner of Balloonatics in the High Street, said: "I have been here ten years and we have always had a problem with parking.

"It punishes loyal customers who want to use the High Street and discourages people from coming into the shops.

"Last week there were three traffic wardens all in Ongar High Street and I had an elderly customer get a ticket for being just one minute over.

"It is getting worse over the years – the High Street struggles to get the footfall and it's 100 per cent the parking restrictions' fault.

"People are just clock watching instead of enjoying shopping."

Mrs Hewett is calling for changes to parking charges, which she believes will help the High Street to prosper.

She said: "Parking should be free, or at least free for two hours.

"It would be a great help.

"It would be good even if it was just free after 3pm.

"Lakeside is free, Harlow is free – why would people come here, especially when the wardens are so strict?

"It's a hard time for shops as it is.

She added: "We are in a recession and less people are coming. Now is not the time to punish the shoppers."

Ongar town councillor Shelia Jackman MBE said: "People know the rules when it comes to parking.

"Parking attendants are strict everywhere.

"If people have a problem with the pricing then they should take it up with Epping Forest District Council."

Mrs Hewett believes that the parking situation is biased towards the supermarket giant Sainsbury's, which has a store off the High Street.

"Sainsbury's return your parking fee, everyone is encouraged to just go to Sainsbury's and there isn't enough time to visit the High Street," said Mrs Hewett.

"Customers can't fit in both their weekly shop at Sainsbury's and a visit to the High Street.

"The High Street shops offer a great customer service.

"We may be a town but we have the feel of a village.

"We want to chat with our customers but there isn't any time before the warden comes."

The variety of the shops in the High Street has been criticised, with many specialist stores, gift shops and small newsagents, but not enough food and clothes shops.

"If people want to go and buy tights, tops, jeans or shirts, they have go out of Ongar," said Cllr Jackman.

"There are plenty of shops but maybe too little variety."

Last year's reopening of the Epping Ongar Railway has dramatically boosted visitors to the town, yet Cllr Jackman added she was unsure if all the shops were benefiting.

A Sainsbury's spokesman said: "Ongar Town Council manages the car park at our Chipping Ongar store.

"This was a condition of our planning application and we make no profit whatsoever from this arrangement.

"We know that many customers use the car park to shop in the store as well as shop in the High Street.

"We work hard to make a positive difference in the communities we serve.

"Last year we donated £1,200 to the Chipping Ongar Primary School PTA, which is the local charity partner for the store."

A ROMFORD woman who struggled for years with her burgeoning waistline has found a new lease of life after losing seven stone.

Losing so much has enabled Diane Sampson to totally readdress her priorities in life.

The 35-year-old customer service manager dropped from a size 24 to a size 12 after struggling for years with her weight.

She said: "For as long as I remember I have always been overweight and quite aware of it.

"When I was 22, I was a bridesmaid for a friend and I lost six stone in a year, so I comfortably fitted into a size 10/12.

"Since then though the pounds have slowly crept back on.

"In May last year I hit a real low point, when I was due to have an operation on my shoulder.

"After psyching myself up for months, it was cancelled at the last minute due to an infection identified via blood tests.

"While my weight was never mentioned as a result of why the operation couldn't go ahead, the consultant did talk to me about the benefits of a healthy BMI.

"It also scared me a bit – there was something wrong with me and I didn't even notice.

"While I was exercising a lot, I don't think I quite realised how out of control my eating had become.

"Work was busy and stressful, so I was eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted without thinking about the long-term effects."

Ms Sampson turned to the LighterLife Weight Loss Management programme, attending counsellor Natalee Connally's classes in Loughton and, when she started in June 2012, she weighed 17st 4lbs.

Undertaking the Total programme, Ms Sampson replaced ordinary eating with four specially formulated food packs per day, alongside weekly counselling sessions to assess the psychological issues behind over-eating and ensure a permanent lifestyle change.

Currently completing the management phase of the programme, she is gradually reintroducing food in a controlled manner combined with the counselling.

In seven months Diane has achieved her original goal of being able to wear size 12 clothes and now weighs 10st 12lbs.

She added: "While I'd never say that the excess weight stopped me from doing anything per se – I still exercised a lot – I do think my mind set has changed thanks to LighterLife.

"I now understand my triggers for eating, such as comfort and boredom, plus via the counselling I have learnt a lot about me.

"For example my job is pretty full-on and can be quite stressful, but LighterLife has helped me to readdress my work-life balance and place value on some time just for me.

"Equally, my fashion sense has changed quite a bit – it is really liberating to be able to shop in any high street store.

"I've thrown out all my larger clothes as I've decided this is a positive change for the rest of my life and I have no intention of ever being able to fit in them again."

STAFF at Braintree McDonald's joined forces with the district council for a mass crackdown on litter in the town.

The crew of 21 collectors gathered 40 bags of rubbish on Friday around the restaurant at Galleys Corner, an area notorious for littering.

Franchise owner Cherry Lewis-Taylor said: "It was inspiring to see members of the community join forces to take action on litter that damages our environment.

"Unfortunately, there are still a significant proportion of people who think it's acceptable to drop litter – it's everyone's responsibility.

"We wanted to generate awareness and educate people on how to dispose of rubbish properly.

"I'd like to thank all the volunteers and Braintree District Council for their hard work and setting a good example of what can be achieved if people pull together.

"It's vital that we all do our bit – everyone from local businesses to residents should make a commitment to helping protect the environment."

Aside from this one-off event, staff at the Braintree fast food restaurant say they also patrol the streets at least three times a day to collect all litter that has been discarded.

Phil Barton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: "It's so important for local businesses and the community to work together to not only clear up unsightly litter in the area, but also to raise awareness and promote the anti-littering message.

"The events that McDonald's has been undertaking are a great example of what can be achieved when people work together to take pride in their local area."

THE legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games returned to Braintree BMX Club when they welcomed 2012 Australian BMX Team rider Lauren Reynolds to the track to work with the GO BMX Coaching clinic.

GO BMX is a girls only coaching school run by Lauren Smith and Ellie Dewdney from Derby BMX Club, who work with various groups around the country.

The 21-year-old Olympic semi-finalist has been on a European trip prior to the first round of the World Cup in Manchester.

When the Braintree club were approached to host the clinic, they were only too pleased to help out.

Thirteen girls from across the South, five from Braintree with ages ranging from six to 40, took part in the session, where they worked on various parts of the track and covered the important aspects of BMX racing.

The session commenced with a warm-up and then the riders worked on their starts, finding the correct body position on the bike to get maximum acceleration.

It was then onto cornering and the girls showed great commitment when railing the turns.

The girls hit the jumps for the final segment and all of the riders worked on their confidence to use their manual and jumping skills to clear the gaps efficiently.

Kelsey Dixon, 15, said; "It was great to ride with other girls and also be taught new stuff and be pushed to your limit by an Olympian. It was an awesome day and I really enjoyed it."

The session wrapped up with a prize giving for the most improved rider of the day and all of the girls had the opportunity to get autographs and photos with the BMX star.

Lana Redgewell, 17, said: "I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to be trained by an Olympic rider. Lauren's comments were very positive and inspiring; they had a big impact on the way I ride. It's brilliant that a rider of her standard takes time to go back to local clubs".

The Braintree BMX Club summer series commences on May 1. Registration closes at 6.30pm. For more info on the club, please visit www.braintreebmx.com