Boy dies after being bitten by a dog in Halstead
It happened at Parker Way yesterday evening
A 29-year-old woman has been arrested following the death
MP James Cleverly calls it "an absolute body blow to everybody in the town"
Updates on Friday, 19 August 2016
A towering wedding cake meant on this day in 1973 bride Kathy Aylwin needed a stepladder to reach the top of its 27 tiers.
The 10ft high creation was made by Bartons of Basildon... we're just wondering how it tasted?
Image source, Getty ImagesWhile we're on the topic of cake... don't forget the Great British Bake Off returns next Wednesday to BBC One.
The daughter of a Shoebury biker who suffered serious leg injuries in a horror crash has praised his fellow riders, external for saving his life.
Nic Rigby
BBC News
A fire at a recycling centre in Burt Mills, Basildon, which six fire crews took 12 hours to put out, has been recorded as accidental by the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.
The fire started in a pile of rubbish measuring 30m x 20m.
Image source, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Image source, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
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Southend United manager Phil Brown says he is considering a move to sign Peterborough midfielder Jack Payne.
Read MoreEssex Fire and Rescue Service has put up a video of last night's blaze at a recycling centre in Burt Mills, Basildon, which six fire crews were called to deal with last night.
The fire, which started in a pile of rubbish measuring 30m x 20m, took almost 12 hours to put out.
People who live nearby were advised to close their windows and doors as the fire produced a lot of smoke, crews said.
Things aren't as bad as they could be for striker Nile Ranger who was taken off with an ankle injury in Tuesday's three-nil win over Sheffield United, Southend United manager Phil Brown says.
The striker's set to have further scans on his ankle injury, which Brown says could take 4-6 weeks to heal.
"The massive positive is that there's no break," Brown told BBC Essex's Ben Fryer (who makes an appearance in his video).
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In the final programme in a series of inspirational walks, Clare Balding is joined by the former poet laureate, Sir Andrew Motion, to walk around the village of Stisted in Essex. As they walk around the village, Sir Andrew tells Clare about his memories of growing up in the village where he was first inspired to write poetry.
Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.
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A bit of positive job news for the county this lunchtime as Amazon announces more than 1,500 positions will be on offer at a new "fulfilment centre" in Tilbury. Here's an idea of what will be on offer job-wise:
More than 1,500 new jobs are coming to Essex as Amazon announces it's opening a new packing warehouse in Tilbury.
The site will open in spring next year and will be equipped with Amazon Robotics technology, which sees robots sliding under towers of product shelves, lifting them and moving them through the centre.
Image source, Reuters"We are excited to announce that we will be opening our 13th fulfilment centre in the UK in Tilbury in spring 2017 to enable us to continue to expand our product selection, support more third party sellers including small businesses with our fulfilment expertise and meet growing customer demand in the UK," Vice President of UK Operations John Tagawa said.
Internet giant Amazon is to open a new "fulfilment centre" in Tilbury, creating 1,500 new jobs next year.
The company says it's expanding to meet customer demand.
More to follow...
Ben Fryer
BBC Essex sport
West Mersea sailor Saskia Clark is still waiting for her gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The gold medal race in the 470 sailing was postponed because of light winds and is set to take place later today.
Clark and partner Hannah Mills (pictured left) hold an unassailable lead.
"We have had a marathon week," the Essex sailor said. "Conditions have been wacky, up and down, and to have no wind is tough."
Image source, ReutersRemember earlier when we said "make the most of any sunshine today as the weather's set to turn"?
Well, the forecast has claimed its first casualty...
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We know, lots of you are very excited having secured the grades you were hoping for... but if you didn't get the A-level results you wanted, you might be thinking of retaking a year.
It probably sounds like the worst thing in the world right now, but it doesn't have to be.
Image source, ThinkstockThe Newsbeat team have been speaking to Finn. He got "terrible" grades (U,U,D,E) so stayed back a year to try to get what he needed.
Take a look at his guide in full for how to cope, but he says the main things are:
Richard Smith
BBC Essex
Getting your A-Level results can be terrifying at the best of times - but this morning, Katie Nicholls took things to a new level of stress by allowing me into her kitchen for the moment she opened her results.
Fortunately, things worked out rather well for her - she got an A in history, an A* in sociology and an A in English literature, meaning she's off to Exeter University.
Her mum Becky said she's worked hard for it: "I used to test her with flash cards in the evening - we all got through it together. Obviously Katie did all the hard work, but I was there for support!"
Dozens of firefighters have been tackling a blaze at a recycling plant in Basildon overnight.
Image source, Essex Fire and Rescue ServicePeople living near the site on Cranes Farm Road had to close their windows and doors because of all the smoke.
The fire service say a large amount of waste caught light - it's now out, but officers are going to revisit the scene later to make safety checks.
Highways England has confirmed people stuck on the M25 yesterday will have to pay the Dartford Crossing charge.
Many drivers were caught up in traffic for hours, with some stuck on nearby roads for much of the day. Some people missed their flights as a result of the hold ups.
Figures from the Department for Transport show there have been 108 part or full closures of the bridge or tunnel in the past twelve months.
Image source, Highways England
Image source, Twitter/@GregHallsworthIt took a lot of time and effort to clear the roads around Thurrock and elsewhere in south Essex yesterday, after huge queues built up when the QE2 bridge was closed.
Roads Policing Officer Colin Shead tweeted this appeal to drivers on the A13 and M25.
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An Essex MP says it's "becoming increasingly absurd" that drivers caught up in hours of delays after a crash on the Dartford bridge will still have to pay the crossing charge.
Thousands of motorists were affected by the queues yesterday - some were stuck on nearby roads in the area for more than 10 hours.
Conservative MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, Stephen Metcalfe, says it's time to make changes to the system:
Image source, Conservative PartyQuote MessageWe've got an established principle that with rail and flights, if there are significant delays you don't pay for your fare, or you get a refund, and I think we now need to apply the same principle to the Dartford crossing."