Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

Good morning. Bit nippy out there this morning. We'll bring you a full weather update shortly.

Our main news story this morning - extradition proceedings are under way to bring a former Essex teacher - accused of a number of child sex offences - back to the UK.

We're always interested in what's happening in your part of Essex, so if there's anything you wish to share, contact us on email, Facebook, external or Twitter, external. 

A teacher accused of sex offences is held by police in Spain, after failing to appear at a court in Essex.

Regular updates for Essex have now come to an end for Monday - but check back throughout the evening for any breaking news.

To recap, here are the top stories we've covered today: 

• Southend Hospital has declared an "internal critical incident" as it is struggles to cope with high demand
• There are plans for a giant record-breaking pumpkin that was grown in Essex to be turned into a temporary boat

• The number of black bin bag collections is to be cut in Chelsmford, the city's council has announced today

We'll be back tomorrow from 08:00 with another look at the stories affecting the county.

Have a great evening.

Dan Holley
BBC Look East weather

Showers will gradually become confined mostly to coastal districts overnight, with many inland areas becoming dry with clear spells. Temperatures will fall to 2C (36F).

Mist patches will clear tomorrow morning to leave some sunny spells, especially at first, but cloud and occasional showers will tend to feed inland, most frequent near the coast. 

It will feel cool in the noticeable north-easterly breeze, with temperatures peaking at 16C (61F).

There are more details on the BBC Weather website.

Lines have re-opened after the earlier incident at Chadwell Heath - however there are still delays expected until 19:00 on services between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield ... and knock-on effects for the rest of the line to Norwich.

For the latest follow Abellio Greater Anglia, external.

A 21-year-old man has admitted attempting to murder a Colchester pensioner last year.

John Sales, 70, was left with life-changing injuries when he was stabbed at his home in Hythe Hill in November.

Ryan Hynes of Long Road, Lawford, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and also to conspiracy to murder at Chelmsford Crown Court. 

The trial of two other men and a 16-year-old girl, who are also charged with conspiracy to murder, is due to begin tomorrow.

Police have released CCTV of four men they want to speak to over an attack on two Polish nationals in Harlow last month. 

Image source, Essex Police

It happened outside the William Aylmer pub on 4 September - eight days after Polish man, Arek Jozwik, was fatally attacked in the town.

Anybody who recognises the men is asked to call 101. 

It's likely patients attending A&E in Southend with non-urgent conditions will not be seen in the department. 

Image source, Google

Medical director Neil Rothnie said those patients would be advised to visit their own GP or seek advice from a pharmacist.  

However, those with choking, chest pain, blacking out, blood loss and fractures should not hesitate to visit their local A&E department.

We've got a bit more clarification about what an "internal critical incident" means after Southend Hospital declared one earlier today. 

Image source, Google

Medical director at the hospital, Neil Rothnie, said: "It's one of the highest levels of escalations we have.

"It's got to the stage where we no longer have any space in the hospital, and we have to open other beds that usually aren't an option by cancelling some elective operations."

Neil added that so far today only three operations had been cancelled.

A 14-year-old girl has been sexually assaulted while walking in Basildon, police say.

Image source, Google

The victim was approached by a man in St Martins Square just before 15:30 on Thursday. A man made lewd comments about her before touching the teenager inappropriately. 

The suspect is described as black, in his mid-to-late teens, of medium build, around 5ft 1in (1.54m), with a black afro haircut, shaved at the sides.

BBC Weather Watchers

Some great photos from around Essex have been uploaded to our Weather Watchers page today.

Here are just a few of our favourites:

Greater Anglia is warning of delays to services between London, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk into this evening's rush hour.

BBC Suffolk's Steve Martin has been caught up in the problems at Liverpool Street and he sent us this photo...

The owner of a missing £8.1m winning Lotto ticket that was bought in Colchester has until Friday to claim their prize. 

The winning combination was drawn on 14 September, and with the 30-day claim period looming, Camelot has announced it'll be searching for the owner in the town tomorrow.

Police are called to dozens of incidents in which pranksters dress as "creepy clowns" to deliberately scare people.

All rail lines are currently blocked between Stratford and Romford while emergency services deal with an incident. 

It's affecting trains to and from Essex and disruption is likely until about 16:00.

The chief operating officer at Southend Hospital says September was the "most challenging month" the trust has experienced, and pressure is not easing. 

Image source, Southend Hospital

Jon Finlay added: "Our staff are working extremely hard to cope with the current pressures while maintaining high standards of care.

"We are currently assessing our capacity to carry out elective operations and may cancel further operations to ensure we are concentrating all our efforts on reviewing inpatients, safely discharging patients who are medically fit and freeing up more beds."

Southend Hospital says it is cancelling some elective operations today as it struggles to keep up with demand of patients attending the hospital.  

Image source, Google

A critical incident means the facility is have to call on support from other agencies in order to restore normal operating functions. 

The trust says it has declared an internal critical incident and measures to safely manage the issues and make beds available to admit very unwell patients from the emergency department. 

Southend Hospital has just declared an "internal critical incident" as it is struggles to cope with high demand. 

More details on this shortly. 

The number of children arrested in Essex has fallen by almost 70% in the last five years, new figures show. 

Image source, Thinkstock

Figures from the Howard League for Penal Reform and confirmed by Essex Police show the force arrested 2,542 children aged 17 and under in 2015, compared to 7,739 in 2010.

The charity believes it's down to a concerted effort by police and its own campaign.

The number of black bin bag collections is to be cut in Chelsmford, the city's council has announced today. 

Officials are looking to reduce its collections in a bid to encourage more recycling of food wastes. 

The local authority says it's aiming to collect black bins on a fortnightly basis from January 2017, as opposed to the current weekly routine.