Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Good morning and welcome back to the live page for Essex where we'll bring you all the news, sport, weather and travel as they happen until 18:00.

Today, we'll be looking at a confidential report, exclusively obtained by BBC Essex, which shows that no evidence of misconduct has been found against a chief fire officer suspended on full pay for nearly two years.

But first, there'll be a full regional weather forecast from Kate Kinsella.

Exeter City boost their play-off hopes with a victory over fellow League Two play-off hopefuls Colchester United.

National League title-chasers Forest Green lose further ground on leaders Lincoln City after a 1-1 draw at home to Braintree.

Southend United's game against Bolton Wanderers in League One is called off because of a frozen pitch.

A decades-old Morris dancing group says it desperately needs "fit, mildly eccentric men" to join in order to keep going.

Mental health services and the prison system "let down" an inmate who electrocuted himself, a jury finds.

Julie Reinger
BBC Look East weather

It’ll be a dry night across the BBC East region with mainly clear skies, a widespread frost and some patchy mist and freezing fog.  

There’ll be light winds and temperatures in some spots could fall as low as -5C (23F).

Some mist and fog may be slow to clear Saturday morning. 

Overall it’ll be a dry day, but thicker cloud is likely to feed in from the North Sea, perhaps producing some patchy rain in north Norfolk. 

The best of any sunshine and brightness will be in the south of the region with highs around 6C (43F).

Get a full forecast where you live from BBC Weather.

Kate Williams
BBC Local Live

It's that time of the week when we sign off, thank you for your company, and remind you that we'll be here again from 08:00 on Monday.

Before we go, here's a quick look at some of the stories we've brought you:

• The jury at an inquest into the death of Dean Saunders at Chelmsford Prison found that he killed himself "while the balance of his mind was disturbed, contributed to by neglect"
• A lorry fire on the M25 caused problems for motorists during the morning rush-hour
• An American ex-pat in Essex filmed himself tearing up his US passport in a protest ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration

Have a good weekend.

A business case for a new 900-pupil secondary school in Colchester has been approved by Essex County Council, external.

It would be built on the former Alderman Blaxill School site in Paxman Avenue.

Image source, Google

If planning permission and associated infrastructure gets approval, the local authority hopes the existing school buildings could be demolished in September, with the new school ready for the start of the school year in 2019.

A rival bid to create a free school on the site has also been made to the Department for Education, but the council said it was pressing ahead with its own planning process because the government was unlikely to make a decision on the alternative proposal until spring.

As Prince William announces he's to step down as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglian Ambulance Service, one school with have fond memories.

HRH touched down at on the playing field at John Henry Newman School in Stevenage earlier this year and joined children for lunch.

Four golden retriever puppies have been stolen and found dumped over a garden fence in in Benfleet. 

Nicknamed Sinatra, Elvis, Jimmy Dean and Marilyn, the four were found by a householder on Templewood Road yesterday morning who reported the incident to the RSPCA.

Image source, RSPCA

At first it was thought the four had just been dumped over the fence, but later investigations discovered they were stolen. 

They've now been reunited with their owner.

Chris Flynn
BBC Essex

An inmate found electrocuted in his cell and his family were "let down by a number of failings" by the mental health services and prison system, an inquest has concluded.

As we've been reporting, the jury at the inquest in to the death of Dean Saunders has returned with its conclusions.

It said there were a number of serious failings at HMP Chelmsford:

• Financial considerations were taken into account while he was being assessed
• Failure to record phone numbers
• Multiple failures in recording and passing on information
• Complacent approach to Mr Saunders' state of mind
• Administration of assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT), external reviews was wholly inconsistent
• Failure to transfer Mr Saunders to a mental health hospital

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

Recently, there had been a number of reports that the Duke of Cambridge was to leave his role with the charity and spend more time with his family in London, away from their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate.

It's now been confirmed the Duke of Cambridge will leave the charity in summer, and spend more time in the capital where his children will attend school.

Image source, PA

In a statement released on his behalf by Kensington Palace, Prince William speaks of his time with the flying medical service:  

"It has been a huge privilege to fly with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Following on from my time in the military, I have had experiences in this job I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and that will add a valuable perspective to my royal work for decades to come.

"I would like to thank the people of East Anglia for being so supportive of my role and for letting me get on with the job when they have seen me in the community or at our region's hospitals. 

"I would especially like to thank all of my colleagues at EAAA, Babcock [helicopter support company] and Cambridge Airport for their friendship and support. 

"I have loved being part of a team of professional, talented people that save lives every day. 

"My admiration for our country's medical and emergency services community could not be any stronger."    

The Duke of Cambridge began his job with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) on 13 July 2015.

It was an early start for the former RAF helicopter pilot - his first shift at Cambridge Airport began at 07:00. Like all of us starting a new job, Prince William admitted to feeling nervous.

When his role with the charity was announced, Patrick Peal, chief executive of the EAAA, said it would help boost their profile and they would benefit from William's skills as a pilot.

Image source, PA

Last July, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the charity's new base at the Egerton-Smith Centre at Cambridge Airport. 

The royal couple were given a tour by the Duke of Cambridge, and met some of the charity's medics, support staff and pilots.

Image source, PA

In September, the Duke of Cambridge spoke about his work with the flying medical service, saying that when he put his air ambulance hat on he's "one of the team".

"At the end of the day I feel like I've made a difference and a contribution to whatever it is I've done that day.  

"There are some very sad, dark moments. We talk about it a lot and that's the best way of dealing with some of these situations.

"It's hard... it can be quite difficult."

Chris Flynn
BBC Essex

An inquest jury has found an inmate killed himself "while the balance of his mind was disturbed, contributed to by neglect".

Image source, Family photo

Dean Saunders, 25, from Basildon, died at HMP Chelmsford in January 2016.

He had been arrested in December 2015 after his father was stabbed during a paranoid episode.

An inquest jury has found there were "a number of serious failings" in the way his case at the prison was handled.

BBC Travel

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

The Duke of Cambridge is to leave his job as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance, external (EAAA) in the summer and spend more time in London.

A statement has been issued by Kensington Palace, in which William says it was a "privilege" to fly with the organisation.

Image source, PA

The statement added that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge want to increase their official duties on behalf of the Queen and their charity work.

In September, three-year-old Prince George will begin school in London. His sister, Princess Charlotte, who'll be two in May, will start at nursery in the capital. 

The EAAA flies two helicopters out of Cambridge and Norwich, and flies missions all over East Anglia - as this incident map shows:

Image source, EAAA

It has declined to issue a statement about Prince William's decision to leave.

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

New figures show that two Essex hospitals were at full capacity and struggling to cope last week. 

The NHS statistics, which look at how hospitals are dealing with demand, revealed Broomfield in Chelmsford and Princess Alexandra in Harlow spent last week "under operational pressure".

Image source, Thinkstock

For two days the two hospitals were on OPEL 4, which stands for Operational Pressures Escalation Levels. 

Level Four, which is the new black alert, is where the two hospitals were, in effect, full and without any spare beds. 

For the rest of last week they were at the second highest alert meaning the hospitals were close to full capacity and working to return to normal operations. 

Despite Basildon hospital receiving the most patients last week, with over 300 arriving everyday at A&E, they'e not on any alert, and nor is Southend Hospital.

Ronnie O'Sullivan says he's not playing well enough to retain his Masters Snooker title.

The Chigwell-based defending champion will meet Marco Fu in the semi-finals tomorrow.

"I can feel and sense that I am missing too many easy balls now. I need to cut them out," said Sullivan.

Fire investigators believe the rays of the sun caused a house fire in Chelmsford which made an elderly couple homeless. 

The sunlight was reflected by a bedroom mirror in the front of a house in Fifth Avenue, causing an intense beam of heat which set alight curtains, before spreading to a wardrobe. 

The upstairs of the house was damaged by fire and smoke.