Last week Highways East was warning of upcoming months of disruption.

Now it seems the plans to improve electronic signage, emergency roadside telephones and CCTV cameras on the M11 between Stansted Airport and Cambridge could be scrapped because they are not value for money.

The National Audit Office (NAO), which scrutinises government spending, said plans for 16 routes were on hold . 

The NAO concluded that several problems were created by the plans being drawn up in just 17 months in order to publish them before the May 2015 general election.

The equivalent rail planning takes about 30 months.

Helen Burchell
BBC News

A party at a golf club turned into a "large scale public order incident" after a "disagreement between travellers and staff", police have told us.

Officers were called to Stapleford Abbotts Golf Club just before 22:00 yesterday.

Insp Rob Brettell tweeted to say "lots of damage" was caused during the incident, and some thefts had also been reported.

Essex Police said a group of people were "dispersed" from the club and it was continuing to monitor the situation.

No arrests have been made so far.

We'll bring you more on this when we have it.

Modifications to a car led to the deaths of Thomas Putt, 20, and Nikki Willis, 23, from Chelmsford, from carbon monoxide poisoning, an inquest heard yesterday .

Exhaust fumes had leaked under the bonnet because of modifications that had been made to the car's exhaust system.

The pair, who were not a couple, had been sitting in the car with the engine running on a cold, still winter's night just before Christmas 2016.

It was described as a "unique" set of circumstances.

Police released a film to demonstrate how the fumes leaked from Mr Putt's car.

The levels were 1,000 times higher than an identical factory standard vehicle. The inquest recorded accidental deaths. 

If it looks bright and cheerful out there now, make the most of it, as a band of rain is set to move in from the west later today.

Cloud will thicken, bringing some showery outbreaks of rain from the south-west during the afternoon. 

Some rain may locally turn heavy, with hail possible, and brisk, south-easterly winds, which will be strongest near coasts. Maximum temperature 8C (46F).

Best get the washing out on the line early, and get it back in by lunchtime....

Nikki Jenkins
BBC Local Live

So do you want the good news first... or the bad news?

Another morning of live updates on all that is Essex. 

Keep it here and keep in touch via  Twitter, external  and Facebook, external . 

Weather coming next: the skies over Boxted were looking promising this morning, this is courtesy of our weather watcher, Nik.

Image source, Weatherwatchers:Nik

A 23-year-old man died in hospital after being stabbed in the early hours of Monday morning.

Delano Sam-Yorke scores twice as Woking hit back to beat Braintree in the National League.

The death of a man during an armed robbery in Essex is being treated as murder, police reveal.

That's it, folks. Do scroll back and take a look at what's been happening in the grand old county of Essex today. 

Among the stories we covered are the following: 

• Police investigating the deaths of Thomas Putt and Nikki Willis have appealed to car enthusiasts to have modifications checked after an inquest finds they died from  inhaling car fumes

• Six areas of Essex are to get police funding to support victims of gang culture  
• And, finally, good luck to Braintree who are playing Woking tonight

Have a good evening.

Alex Dolan
BBC Look East weather

A mostly dry night with a few isolated showers.

Temperatures falling in places to as low as 1C (33F).

Tomorrow will start fine, dry and chilly. It'll become cloudy with showery later in the afternoon, with some hail mixed in.

Temperatures reaching a high of 10C (50F).

You can find more details on BBC Weather for where you live.

Nick Alliker
BBC Essex

Braintree Town are back in action tonight. 

They're looking to move further from the National League relegation zone as they host Woking. 

The Iron picked up only their second win in seven matches at the weekend to move seven points clear of the relegation zone. Woking are currently in the bottom four.

There's commentary on the game via the BBC Sport website. 

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

Six areas of Essex are to get police funding to support victims of gang culture.

Gangsline, which was set up nationally 10 years ago, will run the project being financed by Essex's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Roger Hirst.

The PCC is putting £200,000 into the initiative over two years in six districts in the county chosen as the most vulnerable to gang activity. 

Tendring, Chelmsford, Southend, Basildon, Thurrock and Colchester will all benefit. 

Gangsline, external  provides help and advice to young people who are being groomed and exploited, as well as preventing others falling into the gang lifestyle.  

Lynda McWilliams, of Tendring District Council, said: “There is no doubt that some of our young people are being recruited by older gang members and we need to get to grips with this problem."

Mr Hirst said: “Gangs exploit some of the most vulnerable young people in our community, bringing them into a culture of crime, drugs and abuse. 

"This pathway into exploitation can be stopped by early identification and effective intervention."

Nick Alliker
BBC Essex

A murder inquiry has been launched after man died following a robbery near Rayleigh.

The victim, who was 57, was assaulted at a friends' house in Hullbridge on Sunday night after returning from The Anchor pub with his wife and the friends. 

A sum of cash was stolen by two masked men, one of whom appeared to have a gun. 

Det Ch Insp Martin Pasmore says  "From our inquiries so far, we understand that during the incident one of the suspects pushed the victim and he fell heavily onto a low level wall, causing a serious brain injury."

No-one else was hurt during the incident and the firearm was not discharged.

The man died in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, earlier today.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

A man who died after being stabbed in St Osyth yesterday has been named by police as Danny Myers, 23, from Enfield, north London.

A post-mortem examination has been carried out, which found the cause of his death was a stab wound to the heart.

Detectives are continuing to question a man and a woman arrested on suspicion of murder yesterday.

Fifty eight years ago this month, photographers captured on camera Whipsnade Zoo's triplet brown bear cubs being held aloft by their keepers for their public debut.

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Flynn
BBC Essex

An inquest into the death of an inmate at Chelmsford Prison earlier this year has been opened and adjourned today. 

Chelmsford Coroner's Court was told that Timothy Shaw, 34, was found "apparently unconscious" on his bed in his cell on 28 February. 

He died at Broomfield Hospital two days later.  

Vents cut into the car bonnet allowed fumes into the cabin, an inquest hears.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

A family has escaped a blaze that left the roof of a period farmhouse near Colchester badly damaged.

Image source, Essex Fire and Rescue

Emergency crews were called to the blaze, in Little Horkesley, just after 02:00 this morning.

Those inside escaped unhurt. 

The cause of the blaze has been recorded as "accidental". 

A spokesman for Essex Fire and Rescue said: "I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to have working smoke alarms in your home. 

"This morning, thanks to their working smoke alarm, the occupants of this property were alerted to the fire and were able to get themselves out of the house safely and call 999."

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

Thomas Putt, who died with his friend Nikki Willis in a modified car, was not an inexperienced mechanic, according to the detective who investigated their deaths.

Det Insp Robert Kirby said that as an apprentice at Ford, Mr Putt had carried out modifications to his car a year ago.

Mr Putt, 20 and Ms Willis, 23 were found dead inside Mr Putt's modified Ford Fiesta in Chelmsford in December. 

Det Insp Kirby said Mr Putt "was not inexperienced" and "had carried out lots of repairs".

He also revealed the car's catalytic converter had been removed to try to increase its performance and vents had been cut in the bonnet. 

A small gap had appeared in the exhaust system that had allowed fumes to escape. 

"They had not gone through a catalytic converter so more dangerous fumes came out of the vents that had been cut out and into the cabin of the vehicle," he said. 

He added that the deaths were "the first case of this kind that I have encountered".

Essex Police said it would now be working with Ford and the family to get the message home to car enthusiasts about the dangers of carrying out modifications and the need to have them checked. 

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

The police officer investigating the circumstances around the deaths of Thomas Putt and Nikki Willis has appealed to car enthusiasts to always have modifications checked by a mechanic. 

Speaking after the inquest into the pair's death, Det Insp Robert Kirby said "there were inherent dangers in modifying vehicles". 

The friends died from inhaling exhaust fumes.

Tests by police revealed the car had "levels of fumes a thousand times more than from an unmodified Ford Fiesta of that make".