Southend's frustrating record against Swindon continues - with a draw meaning they have not beaten the Robins in nine attempts.

Colchester end their long winless run with an impressive performance at 10-man Cheltenham.

A man killed his wife and then took their dog out for a walk, a court hears.

Jack Warren
BBC Local Live

Regular updates for Essex have now finished - here are the top stories we've covered today: 

• A gardener has set sail inside a record-breaking giant pumpkin
• A man accused of murdering his wife tried to make the killing look like a cooking accident, a court has heard
• A cat is receiving treatment for a suspected broken pelvis after reportedly being thrown from the window of a top-floor flat in Clacton

The team returns at 08:00 tomorrow, but any breaking news stories will appear here throughout the evening. 

Good night.

Alex Dolan
BBC Look East weather

Any showers fading this evening and becoming dry overnight with the risk of mist and fog patches later.

Lows of 4C (39F) across the region.

Wednesday will be mainly dry and rather cloudy, although there'll be some bright or sunny spells too. 

Thicker cloud could bring some damp conditions later.

Top temperature: 9C (48F).

An 18 carat gold ring made for the most senior British officer killed in the Battle of Waterloo has sold for £1,600 at auction in Essex today. 

Image source, Reeman Dansie

The memorial piece was cast after General Sir Thomas Picton died during a bayonet charge in the famous 1815 battle between the British and French in Belgium.

He was described by the Duke of Wellington as "a rough foul-mouthed devil, but very capable".

Listed as "rare and historically important" the ring went under the hammer at Reeman Danise auction house in Colchester this afternoon with a guide price of £1,000-£2,000.

BBC Weather Watchers

Essex was treated to a nice spectrum of colours earlier - thanks to everybody who shared them with us.

Why does the autumn weather affect our rail services ? Greater Anglia has the answer, external.

• Wet weather and leaf mulch that sticks to rail tracks gets compressed and hardened by the train wheels, creating a slippery layer similar to black ice
• Wheels lose grip and can be damaged, and the mulch can also cause electrical faults
• Six specialist trains to clean tracks and remove vegetation have been brought in by Network Rail - and a specially adapted Land Rover, known as a Sand Rover, will clean the track between Marks Tey and Sudbury
• A mobile wheel lathe at the Norwich depot will fix train wheels damaged by slippery rails, to bring them back into service

The East of England Ambulance Service, external (EEAS) is urging road users to take extra care to avoid winter collisions.

Last winter, their control rooms handled nearly 8,000 calls about road traffic collisions between November 2015 and February 2016. This is a county breakdown of the number attended: 

• Essex - 1,579
• Hertfordshire - 996
• Norfolk - 922
• Cambridgeshire - 846
• Suffolk - 657
• Bedfordshire - 654

In a push to reduce the number of incidents this year, EEAS is promoting Brake's Road Safety Week, external, which has this advice for drivers:

• Wear hi-vis clothing and use lights in walking or cycling in the dark
• Keep to speed limits and drive to road conditions
• Leave an appropriate distance between your vehicle and the one ahead
• Allow extra time to get to your destination, particularly in icy condtions
• Don't drink and drive

A gardener has set sail inside a record-breaking pumpkin to celebrate the giant gourd being crowned the heaviest to be grown outside in the UK.

Essex Police have released an e-fit of a man after reports that a gang broke into a house and punched and man and woman in their 70s in their faces.

Image source, Essex Police

The four men are also believed to have forced two children from their beds during the raid in Rambler Close, Stanway on the evening of 3 November.   

Ring Colchester CID on 101.

A man accused of murdering his wife tried to make the killing look like a cooking accident, a court has heard. 

Prosecutors claim Darren Byrne struck Maria Byrne on the head at their home in Morgan Crescent, Theydon Bois, in February after she found out about an affair. 

Jurors at Chelmsford Crown Court were then told the 39-year-old continued to douse his wife's body in white spirit before setting fire to her. 

It's alleged the Mr Byrne then left a frying pan and packet of bacon next to Mrs Bryne's body, turned on the gas hob and took the dog for a walk. 

Darren Byrne denies murder and arson. The trial continues.

Southend United have the chance to move into the League One play-off places tonight.

Image source, Getty Images

A win at home to Swindon could move them into the top six for the first time this season. 

Blues boss Phil Brown says having his key players available is reaping its rewards.

"I harp on about it, but it's so important that you get a pre-season under your belt," he said.

"There were so many of them, but now that they're getting games and game time more importantly.

"This was going to be a big test to get the bigger players out there for three games."

Colchester United, who haven't won in League Two for ten games, are hoping to end that run as they head to Cheltenham tonight.

Image source, Getty Images

The U's are second from bottom of the football league.

Forward Kurtis Guthrie said: "We've got another chance to go and put it away and we need to go and win, it's as simple as that. 

"We're not going there looking for a draw. We're going there to get three points."

BBC Weather

It will be cloudy, but dry this afternoon with a few bright spells likely later on. 

Winds will be strong, especially along the coast.

Maximum temperature: 11C (52F).

Get your local forecast from BBC Weather. 

Services between Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford and the capital should be back to normal:

Stuart Woodward
BBC Essex

Not only does a 95 stone (600kg) pumpkin float, it's pretty nippy in the water too. 

It's pictured closest as it takes part in the "world's first pumpkin boat race" at Hyde Hall near Chelmsford.

Stuart Woodward
BBC Essex

Remember the UK's heaviest outdoor pumpkin that was grown in RHS Hyde Hall a few months ago?

The seed for it was bought at auction for £1,250 by Ipswich-based merchants Thompson & Morgan.

Well, I've returned to the gardens today as the record-breaking gourd is about to be turned into a boat in celebration of its success.

At the moment we're just waiting for the pumpkin to be scooped out before setting sail.

Updates to follow....

Network Rail engineers who were called to a points failure north of Manningtree station in Essex have repaired some damaged cable, and Greater Anglia say rail services to London are now returning to normal.

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

Donald Trump's tweet, external that Nigel Farage would do a great job as UK Ambassador to America would leave the interim UKIP leader tickled pink, according to one Essex County Councillor. 

Jamie Huntman, who was UKIP's regional organiser until the summer, told me he believed it was a "wonderful idea" as the two men talk a common language.

Mr Huntman added that allowing Mr Farage and the president-elect to work together would enable the countries to have a "proper special relationship".