Cloud will increase this afternoon. Most places will stay dry in Essex, but there may be a spot of drizzle over the hills.

Brighter spells are possible in the west later, but it'll be cloudy in the east. Maximum temperature 11C (52F). For more precise details for where you are, go to BBC Weather . 

Many thanks to BBC Weather Watcher  North Essex Hammer for sending this photo of the sunrise over Colchester this morning. 

Waltham Abbey police station is to be put up for sale as Essex Police, external and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, external  cut costs.The front counter of the station on Sun Street was closed to the public in November 2011. The police station itself later closed in September 2016.It is one of several to be sold as the force's estate is reduced from 80 to 30 buildings.

The estate costs £10m a year in running costs, but the force said the buildings would require £30m of maintenance work to bring them up to standard. 

Acting Ch Insp Lewis Basford, district commander for Brentwood and Epping Forest, said: "Whilst I understand people are attached to their police stations, as they are an important part of the community, effective policing is not reliant on buildings as it is my officers that catch criminals, prevent and detect crime and support victims."

A 23-year-old burglar who brandished a meat cleaver and assaulted a police officer has been jailed for 10 years. 

James Preston, from Bardfield Road, Colchester was appearing at Ipswich Crown Court where he had already admitted a number of burglary offences and possession of bladed weapon, after incidents just up the A12 in Suffolk.

Image source, Suffolk Police

Preston admitted a burglary in East Mill Green, Bentley, and an attempted burglary at a property in Capel Road, Bentley, all during a crime spree on 1 February.

It was whilst the Capel Road burglary was in progress that officers were called, and they managed to detain him after he "fled the scene on foot" towards the A12.

The defendant also admitted an aggravated burglary with intent at an address in Pound Lane, Capel St Mary, possessing a meat cleaver, and assaulting a police officer.

Two hospitals in East Anglia have been praised for becoming smoke-free.

In his  blog, external , Duncan Selbie, the chief executive of Public Health England, external , said lessons are to be learned from Ipswich, external and Colchester, external hospitals.

The two trusts officially became tobacco-free on Wednesday.

Mr Selbie said: "They are based in two of the largest towns in East Anglia, making them the main port of call for thousands of people, both as a workplace and for treatment.

"The decision to take the final step and go tobacco-free has not been taken lightly but with joint chief executive Nick Hulme keen to improve the health of his staff, patients and anyone who visits the sites, this was an important step forward in combating the detrimental effect of smoking on the population, community and the NHS."

A hospital has bought a £42,725 hi-tech manikin to help staff improve their skills.

Image source, Colchester Hospital University

Colchester General Hospital, external 's new patient simulator can make noises when in pain, bleed, shed tears, has blood pressure that can rise or fall and its lips turn blue when deprived of oxygen.

Senior doctor Andrew Eldridge said the manikin, known as a SimMan, was "much more than a lump of plastic".  

He said: "What’s important is what’s inside it and the supporting computer technology which allows us to rehearse both common clinical scenarios and critical incidents to improve real patient outcomes.

"We’ve only just started using SimMan but I genuinely believe it gives us the potential to vastly improve the care we deliver."

Colchester Catalyst Charity, external  provided £10,000 of the cost with the remaining £32,725 coming from the Postgraduate Medical Centre Charitable Trust Fund at Colchester General Hospital.

The money was collected after a German bomber carrying mines crashed in Clacton.

Former Southend United defender Adam Barrett joins League One rivals Millwall as first team development coach.

A fund, which was forgotten about after World War Two, was re-discovered during an office move.

Image source, PA

As we've been reporting , a fund set up after a German Heinkel aircraft crashed in Clacton in 1940 is finally going to be spent.

After 1946, the fund was put into a Post Office Saving Bank Account, where it remains to this day. 

The amount of £243, 13 shillings and six pence held in the account in 1950 is now worth around £1,700. 

The account documents were discovered in Clacton Town Hall during an office move four years ago.

Together with a £10,000 contribution from Tendring District Council, it will be used to improve landscaping around an existing memorial bench.

Image source, Tendring District Council

UKIP's only MP has denied he lobbied against a knighthood for the party's former leader Nigel Farage.

Image source, PA

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme  earlier this month, Mr Farage said he "doesn't particularly" want a knighthood.

He denied his public feud with Clacton's UKIP MP Douglas Carswell had anything to do with him not being granted a title.  

But he added: "Whether I would have got one or not I’ve no idea but the point is, he [Douglas Carswell] will do anything he can to damage leading figures in the party. He is working for the Conservatives, it’s plain for all to see.” 

Speaking at the opening of UKIP's new office in Pontypool in Wales, Mr Carswell said: "I didn't express a view at all. It's not for me to make these [calls]." 

A writer, who is claiming damages from controversial newspaper columnist Katie Hopkins, finds out the result of her High Court action today.

Image source, PA

Jack Monroe, a food blogger from Leigh-on-Sea, sued Ms Hopkins (pictured) over tweets she said caused "serious harm" to her reputation. 

The 28-year-old has asked a judge in London to find that she was defamed by the former contestant on The Apprentice. 

Following a recent hearing, Mr Justice Mark Warby is due to announce his findings. 

Rail passengers in on the East Anglian mainline face delays due to a defective track between Stratford and Liverpool Street in east London.

Greater Anglia, external said services may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.

It said the disruption is expected to last until the end of the day. 

Head teachers are calling on the county's MPs to intervene and lobby the Chancellor of the Exchequer over schools funding.

Image source, Google

It comes after Shenfield High's head criticised one of the state comprehensive's most famous former pupils, Chancellor Philip Hammond, for neglecting schools like the one he went to .

BBC Essex political reporter Simon Dedman has seen letters being sent to MPs.

He said: "I'm told every secondary school in Essex will send one calling on MPs to step up and end what they describe as schools having to make far-reaching cuts to services which are at breaking point. 

"School heads have told me it's getting to the point where curriculums could get scaled back."

The government has said it is investing in education so all pupils prosper.

Georgina Burnett
BBC Weather

It'll be a chilly start to the day but during the morning, milder air will push in and cloud will thicken. For many it will stay dry today but there is a chance of a spot of rain at times with a high of 11C (52F).

Here's my full forecast...

There are more details on the BBC Weather website .

Good morning and welcome to Friday.

We'll bring you all the latest news from across Essex throughout the day. 

You can keep us posted too via email, Facebook or Twitter by clicking "Get involved" above.

First, let's take a look at today's weather forecast.

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

The bell's just rung so school's out - that's something you never forget. 

It seems though that the head teacher at Chancellor Philip Hammond's old school thinks he's forgotten the important stuff and what the school did for him. She's given his budget a very poor grade.

The jury's going to have to decide soon whether a man in the dock accused of a double murder is from Tilbury - or, as he claims, had never set foot in the UK until he was brought here to stand trial...

Our reporter has been covering the judge's summing up in the Weybread murder trial at Ipswich Crown Court.

And you can scroll down for these stories and the rest of the day's news.

Registration is at 08:00 tomorrow - don't be late.

Image source, Getty Images

Nic Rigby
BBC News

The team will be back again tomorrow from 08:00 but before we go, here are today's highlights:

• The judge has been summing up in the trial of a man accused of murdering a couple who were last seen alive in Pulham Market 
• Norwich authors are in the running for a major literary award
• Police officer kicked in the groin after stopping a man in Dereham on suspicion of drink-driving

Scroll down to read these stories and much more...

The headteacher at the Chancellor of the Exchequer's old state school is given a 'fail' for his budget from its current head teacher.

A drugs den in Witham has been closed down.

Image source, Google

Essex Police, external has been granted a closure notice for a flat in Cypress Road.

Officers seized cocaine, crack cocaine and cannabis from the property when two search warrants were executed in January and February.

It followed complaints of anti-social behaviour from people living nearby.

Two men were arrested for drugs offences.

PC Jenna French said: "There has been ongoing anti-social behaviour at the property since November 2016 that has had a detrimental effect on the day-to-day lives of the residents living in the immediate area. 

"In order to prevent further problems, local officers have sought the closure notice, which was successfully granted this morning."

The two arrested men have been released on bail until 30 April.

The trial of a man who denies being Ali Qazimaj, formerly of Tilbury in Essex, who's accused of the murder of Peter and Sylvia Stuart from Weybread, has been adjourned until Monday morning.

Judge Mr Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith will resume his summing up of the case at Ipswich Crown Court then.

Mr Qazimaj denies two charges of murder on the grounds that he is actually another Albanian man called Vital Dapi.

Tendring District Council's efforts to get a hostel for homeless people in Clacton closed down have failed.

Image source, Google

The council took enforcement action against the former Frandon Hotel on Beach Road last year. 

But the owner, Deepak Sharma, argued that the hostel had been operating for more than ten years and that under planning law it was too late to take action. 

After a public inquiry lasting two months the government's Planning Inspector has agreed.

Ironically, many of the referrals made to the hostel over the past decade have come from Tendring District Council, external .

Nevertheless, the council has a policy that hotels in the centre of coastal resorts cannot change their use unless it can be proved that they are no longer financially viable. The aim is to safeguard the town's tourist offer and image. 

Paul Honeywood, council cabinet member for housing, said he was "very disappointed".