Varun Chopra joins Essex from Warwickshire earlier than expected, to feature in their final two games of the season.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

One cat has died, and another has been rescued by Essex firefighters, from a house fire in Saffron Walden.

Image source, Essex Fire and Rescue Service

The blaze happened in Whiteshot Way last night. Essex firefighters believe it was started by a candle left unattended. The property was badly damaged. 

Station officer Paul Curtis said: "When we arrived at the house, the ground floor living room was well alight, and the whole property was completely filled with smoke. The damaged to the property is extensive and has made it uninhabitable.

"There was no working smoke alarm in this property. We want to urge everyone to make sure they have a working smoke alarm on every level of their home."

Nic Rigby
BBC News

A goose has been shot in Essex with a crossbow bolt which missed its heart by millimetres. The bird was rescued from a lake in Bradley Way, Rochford, by the RSPCA.

Image source, RSPCA

The bird was taken to the South Essex Wildlife Hospital where X-rays (below) revealed that the bolt was millimetres away from his spine, which if hit, could have left him paralysed.

Insp Marie Hammerton said: “The poor goose had been shot in the back with a crossbow bolt. It must have been incredibly painful.

Image source, RSPCA

“From the position and angle of the bolt, it looks likely it was done deliberately by someone standing almost directly above him.

“It’s sickening to think that someone would deliberately shoot a defenceless animal in this way and I would urge anyone with information to contact me."

The bird had surgery to remove the bolt and has been treated with antibiotics and painkillers. It is not yet known whether the goose will survive.

BBC Travel

Three train services between Norwich and London have been cancelled this afternoon. 

The 12:00 service from Norwich, due in to London at 13:55, has been cancelled because of an earlier train fault while the 12:30 service will not run because of a shortage of crew. 

This has also caused the 15:00 service from London to Norwich to be cancelled. 

More details from Abellio Greater Anglia, external.

Jodie Smith
BBC News

Quinlan Pringle, the teenager who drowned off the coast of northern France while on a day trip, was about to head home to Essex when he and two of his brothers got into difficulty in the sea.

Image source, Family photo

His mother went to fetch Quinlan and his siblings from the water's edge when she saw they were having trouble.

Two brothers made it back to the shore, but there was no sign of Quinlan. His body was found almost a week later by local fishermen.

An inquest in Chelmsford today found he died as the result of accidental drowning.

A boy who drowned in the sea off northern France was on a day trip with his parents and four siblings when he died, an inquest hears.

A cyclist remains in hospital this morning after a road crash in Hockley.

Image source, Google

The 58-year-old man, from Rochford, suffered a serious head injury and a fractured hip in the accident.

It happened near to Hockley railway station last Friday afternoon. Essex Police believe a group of youths may have witnessed, or been involved, in the incident. 

Kate Williams
BBC Local Live

A former magistrate from Essex who admitted three counts of making indecent images of a child has been given a three-year community order. 

Image source, Google

Vincent Copeland, 61, of Leigh Road, Leigh-on-Sea, who was also a former teacher, school governor and choirmaster, had posed online as a child and had "fantasy chats" with children, Ipswich Crown Court heard. 

Copeland was caught after officials in the United States contacted the authorities in the UK about his online activity, and police went to his house.

Judge David Goodin also sentenced Copeland to a 30-day rehabilitation programme and he must undergo a internet sex offender treatment programme.

He must also pay £425 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

An accidental death verdict has been recorded at the inquest into a Colchester boy who drowned in the sea in northern France while on a day trip with his family.

Quinlan Pringle, 13, got into difficulties in the sea off Boulogne-sur-Mer on 15 August.

Two of his four siblings had gone into the water with him but managed to get to shore.

Quinlan's body was found by fishermen on 21 August, and has since been brought back to Essex.

Senior Essex Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded a verdict of accidental death, and passed her sympathies to Quinlan's family.

Quilan was described as "a quiet, sensitive and considerate boy" by The Philip Morant School in Colchester.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

The coroner presiding over the inquest into the death of Colchester boy Quinlan Pringle, 13, who drowned in the sea in northern France while on a day trip with his family, has recorded a verdict of an accidental death.

Senior Essex Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray passed her sympathies to Quinlan's family.  

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

The Conservative MP for Colchester Will Quince believes his first Britain's Got Talent audition went "pretty well".

He revealed his operatic talents on BBC Essex earlier this year - which you can relive in the video below - and agreed to audition for the ITV show if £1,000 was raised for charity.

Mr Quince said he sang for the show's scouts who held open auditions in Colchester and he's now waiting to hear if he's got through to the next stage where he will appear before the celebrity judges.

"They asked me to sing a second song so I assume it went all right," he said. 

Nick Alliker
BBC Essex

An inquest into the death of a Colchester teenager in France last month is due to open in Chelmsford today. 

Quinlan Pringle, 13, got into difficulties while in the sea in Boulogne on 21 August. His body was found on the coast after several days of searching. The French authorities have said an autopsy confirmed that the youngster "accidentally drowned".

The teenager went to the Philip Morant School in Colchester, where he was described as an "aspirational and hard-working young man with a cheeky endearing side which everyone loved".

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

The former Labour home secretary Lord David Blunkett has told BBC Essex he's concerned by the continuing friction between communities in Harlow. 

Several Polish nationals have been assaulted in the town over recent days and one such attack resulted in the death of Arek Joswik.

Lord Blunkett said: "It is extremely worrying that those frictions on the back of the Brexit vote still exist and I think it will be down to really good work on community relations to put it right, not just from the indigenous long-standing community but from the incoming community as well. It's a two-way street."

Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Look East weather

Today will be mostly bright with some sunny spells, however the cloud is likely to thicken around lunchtime and this could give the odd spot of light rain for some

Top temperature: 25C (77F).

Any cloud will melt away this evening, but return overnight, although most places should stay dry. Lows of 14C (77).

Get the full forecast where you live from BBC Weather.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Good morning and welcome back to regular live updates of the latest news, sport, weather and travel for Essex.

This morning we'll be keeping across the situation in Harlow where there is continuing friction following the fatal attack of a Polish national. Elsewhere, an inquest  into the death of a Colchester teenager in France last month is due to open in Chelmsford today.

But first we'll have a full weather forecast for the county.

Follow live text and radio commentary as Essex face Glamorgan in the County Championship.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

That's it from the team. We will be back from 08:00 tomorrow, but any breaking stories overnight will appear here.

We'll leave you with a quick summary of our main news stories so far: 

• A Polish police officer is to accompany Essex officers in Harlow after a Polish man was killed in the town
• A councillor criticises an academy after it put his daughter into isolation for turning up at school with plum-coloured hair
• Crowds gather along Essex coastline to watch power station chimney be demolished 

Have a good evening. 

Chris Bell
BBC Look East weather

Cloud will continue to clear away to the northwest overnight leaving a dry night with lengthy clear spells, but some shallow mist patches are possible later.

Tomorrow will be asunny start to the day across most of the region and staying dry, but variable amounts of cloud spreading in from the west as the day progresses. 

A little breezy with moderate westerly winds and highs 23-26C (mid 70F) in the east of the region, but feeling fresher further west.  

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

A Southend councillor has described as "totally over-the-top" discipline measures against his daughter after she arrived at school with plum-coloured hair. 

Image source, Google

The 15-year-old student, who attends Belfairs Academy, external in Leigh-on-Sea, is now being taught in "isolation".

Labour councillor, Julian Ware-Lane says the school used a "sledgehammer to crack a peanut". 

He believes his daughter should have been given until the weekend to make an appointment to change the colour of her hair.

"This was a 15-year-old, sensitive, young lady who's being treated like she's thrown chairs round the classroom or told the teachers where to go," he said. 

Beverley Williams, executive principal of Belfairs Academy, said rules on pupils' appearance had not changed in the last four years, adding: "Children have to have natural-coloured hair. Mr Ware-Lane's daughter has purple hair. It's all about maintaining standards." 

BBC Essex

There have been calls for a tougher stance against animal cruelty after a man was filmed punching, kicking and throwing his dog in Chelmsford. 

Image source, Facebook

The video, which contains very upsetting images, has been posted on the BBC Essex Facebook, external page. 

Darren Yerby was banned by a court from keeping dogs for two years, and his Staffordshire bull terrier Buzz was taken away from him. 

More than 150 comments on the station's Facebook page are critical of the punishment given out.