Listen to live BBC local radio commentary from Saturday's action in the National League and National League North.

Meet the mums who decided not just to watch their daughters at football training but get involved on their own....

There's not long left to sign up for the FA People's Cup - the deadline is Sunday, 19 February - and you can find out how to here.

Police have confirmed that two people have been arrested after being discovered in the back of a lorry carrying Ferraris.

An officer tweeted about the discovery of the suspected ilegal immigrants after being called to junction 29 of the M25 at around 12:55.

The men have been taken to a London police station to be questioned.

"Tide and time wait for no archaeologist and nowhere is that more true than on Mersea Island," says Colin Hutchinson of CITiZAN (Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network). 

Last month prehistoric timbers were discovered below the tide line, evidence of what was once a settlement dating back to 350BC - possibly earlier. The discovery featured on Countryfile Winter Diaries this morning.

Presenter Jules Hudson joined the team and described it as "rescue archaeology at its best".

Image source, CITiZEN

Image source, CITiZEN

These mud flats would once have been fertile marshland where people hunted or grazed livestock. The team are using the latest tech to recreate the finds virtually, creating 3D photogrammetry models, external of the site.

Image source, CITiZEN

A very long carpet being illegally transported is the last straw for a police officer.

Two apparent stowaways have been picked up by police in Essex...

Image source, Scott Barbour/Getty Images

The National Farmers' Union says the dramatic increase in hare coursing in the county is due to organised criminals and fuelled by online gambling.

Adam Stott, of the NFU, says the illegal blood sport is being filmed on social media and streamed to people who are betting on the outcome.

"It's no longer just about what's happening in the field," he said.

Mr Stott says that crackdowns in counties such as Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire have forced the gangs into Essex, and a regional-solution is needed to tackle the problem. 

Stuart Woodward
BBC Essex

Essex Police has tweeted this picture as a timely reminder of the hazards faced by motorcyclists.

A 16-year-old riding this bike was seriously injured on the A13 in Benfleet yesterday. It happened at about 16:40, and the road remained closed until around 19:30.

Police are appealing for information after a woman was hit by a car in Chelmsford, suffering life-threatening injuries.It happened at 19:00 yesterday in Roxwell Road, near the BP garage. She was hit by a red Citroen C2, which was heading into Chelmsford, as she crossed the road. No-one has been arrested and inquiries are ongoing.

The woman, who is in her thirties, was flown to hospital where she remains in a serious condition.

Image source, Google

Gurdip Johal was killed when his vehicle came off a bridge and crashed on to a dual carriageway.

The inquest into the death of Gurdip Singh Johal has opened at Chelmsford Coroner’s Court. The 30-year-old died when the lorry he was driving came off the Coleman’s Bridge near Witham and on to the A12 last week.

A provisional cause of death has been recorded as haemorrhage due to multiple injuries.

Mr Johal was negotiating a right hand bend when "due to reasons unknown at this stage" the lorry he was driving came off the bridge and on to the southbound A12 carriageway.

Image source, Family photo

Victoria Polley
BBC Essex

BBC Essex has learned there's been a surge in cases of hare coursing in the county.

Last year there were 266 cases of the crime in Essex, an 18% rise since 2015.

Most of them happened in rural areas like Uttlesford, where 81 incidents were recorded, a rise of 70%.

Image source, Getty Images

The parents of a Colchester soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan have criticised government plans to cut legal protection for British troops.

Cheryl Hall and Stephen Robertson set up the Invicta Foundation to help rehabilitate injured soldiers after their son, Sapper Ashley Hall, lost his legs in an improvised bomb attack in 2010.

New proposals would stop wounded soldiers, and military families, from suing the government for negligence. The Ministry of Defence says it would speed up compensation under a no-fault scheme. A consultation on the proposals, external closes next Thursday. 

Cheryl Hall fears the changes will let those responsible off the hook.

Image source, Invicta Foundation

She went on to question whether "faster settlement would necessarily mean the maximum benefit for servicemen and their families".

There was a rise in the number of hate crimes reported to Essex Police in the three months following the EU Referendum, according to a new analysis.

Officers were told about more than 370 incidents between July and September last year. That's 41% more than in the previous three months. It's the highest quarterly figure since records began nearly five years ago.

Arek Jozwik died in one of two attacks on Polish men in Harlow.

In England and Wales, more than 14,000 hate crimes were recorded between July and the end of September - and 10 forces saw increases of more than 50%.

BBC Weather

A murky morning, with extensive mist and low cloud only very gradually lifting, and light patchy rain. 

Longer spells of rain will spread from the west during the afternoon, perhaps heavy at times. Winds will be light throughout the day, and it'll feel mild.  

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

We are back here at base camp ready to scale the news heights. I hope you are ready for the expedition.

We'll keep an eye on the roads: the A12 is partially closed again after another crash involving a lorry. The inquest opens later today into the death of the lorry driver who went over the bridge on to the A12 last week.

If you want to tell us anything then please get in touch - click the button at the top of your screen.

And a weather watcher picture with a difference for you today courtesy of my colleague Rob Jelly at BBC Essex.

Image source, Rob Jelly

Michael Cheek scores twice as Braintree boost their National League survival hopes with victory over struggling Eastleigh.

Jimmy Smith scores a hat-trick to help Crawley Town secure victory at Colchester United in League Two.

Second-half headers from Marc-Antoine Fortune and Theo Robinson give Southend United victory at Oxford.

That's it from the Essex Live team today so goodbye and have a good evening.

Here are some of the stories we've covered

• Council agrees to increase tax by 3% costing average households £35 per year
• Family waits for meeting with justice secretary over son's prison death
• Jury told of cash transactions on alleged murder victim's bank card

We'll be back from 08:00 on tomorrow, bringing you the news, sport, travel and weather updates as they happen. 

If there's anything happening that you'd like us to know about, you can contact us via email, Facebook, external or Twitter, external.