BBC Sport

Adam Wheater (pictured) is keeping wicket for Essex in their opening County Championship match of the season against Lancashire which started at Chelmsford today.

Image source, Getty Images

Former captain James Foster has been left out of the 13 man squad which includes winter signings Neil Wagner and Simon Harmer.  

Follow all the action from the County Championship's six matches at  BBC Sport's live page .

Cornelius Lysaght
BBC horse racing correspondent at Aintree

With Aintree being on Merseyside, where red is so prevalent in football (for one half of Liverpool at least), and the fact many people worldwide believe it their lucky colour, Definitly Red (pictured at Haydock in 2015) is sure to be all the rage. 

Image source, Getty Images

And the credentials of the Brian Ellison-trained runner, who has an attractive mid-range weight, add up too: he's the winner of three races this season, earning his place in the line-up with a fine-jumping success over 2016 runner-up The Last Samuri (also misspelled, you might have noticed) in Doncaster's Grimthorpe Chase.

The preparation of Definitly Red, one of three fancied runners - along with One For Arthur and Highland Lodge - from jump racing's currently less fashionable Northern and Scottish circuit, is described by Yorkshire-based Ellison as "better than perfect". 

Image source, Getty Images

On board, riding in the silks of owner Phil Martin, will be jockey Danny Cook (pictured at Wetherby in 2016), from Brentwood, whose appearance on jump racing's biggest stage is, in a way, doubly unlikely.

Not only has Cook successfully rebuilt his reputation after serving a six-month ban in 2015 following a positive test for cocaine - "a catastrophic error of judgement" - he might also have been facing rather more formidable opponents than Becher's Brook and The Chair.

As a teenager, he applied to the Army as well as to the Northern Racing College - it's the Grand National's gain that the NRC answered first.

Arriving aged 16 at the Racing College, Cook had never sat on a horse and admits to be being scared of them.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

TV presenter Paul O'Grady has been invited on a tour of an Essex town after reportedly lambasting it on his revamp of Blind Date. 

Image source, PA

The comedian used insulting language to describe Southend-on-Sea as a place for "single mothers" on the Channel 5 reboot of the dating show, The Sun has reported.

Southend Council and Visit Southend responded on Twitter by suggesting O'Grady "hadn't visited for a while".

"Who would help us give him a tour of the best of Southend?" they tweeted.

The BBC has contacted Mr O'Grady's manager and a statement is due to be issued later by Channel 5.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

A football coach has been jailed for nine years for grooming and sexual activity with teenage boys. Robert Ellis, 50, of Church End, Harlow, denied one charge of meeting a boy aged under 16 following grooming, six counts of engaging in sexual activity with a boy aged under 15 and three counts of sexual touching.

Image source, Essex Police

He stood trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, where he was found guilty of all charges on 28 February and was sentenced today. 

The court heard that Ellis met one of the 15-year-old victims online in April 2015.

He invited him to football matches, claimed to have talent-spotted goalkeepers and offered to coach the teenager, who was from Lincolnshire.

Ellis, a civil servant, arranged to meet him in a park in July 2015 where they played football and later went for a meal.

The boy's mother reported Ellis to local police after finding out and banned her son from contacting him again.

However, they resumed contact in December 2015 and arranged to meet.

This was reported to police and Ellis was arrested in January 2016, before the meeting could take place.

During the course of their inquiries, officers spoke to another young man who said he had been in a sexual relationship with Ellis when he was 15 after they met online.

During the police investigation, it was also found Ellis had been banned by the Football Association from taking part in any FA-football related activity involving under 18s, since December 2013.

However, he continued to take part in informal football sessions in Harlow that were not covered by this ban. 

BBC Sport

An Essex jockey says he's nervous, but can't wait to take part in tomorrow's Grand National at Aintree .

Image source, Getty Images

Danny Cook, who grew up in Romford and has a home in Brentwood, is riding one of the favourites.

He's told BBC Essex today is all about looking after his horse Definitly Red (there's a missing e in his name, it is believed whoever filled out the horse's registration papers wasn't a great speller). 

Cook (pictured riding Yesyoucan at Haydock in 2012) said: "He [Definitly Red] had a gallop this morning, not a hard gallop. That should put him spot-on ready for tomorrow.

"You have got to keep him fresh as well as fit - to find a happy medium."

Olympic bronze medallist Amy Tinkler, now part of the South Essex Gymnastics Club, external in Basildon, hopes to rise to the big occasion once again as the World Cup of Gymnastics heads to the O2 Arena in London on Saturday.

Image source, Getty Images

The 17-year-old is part of a four-strong Great Britain team which also includes fellow Rio Olympian Brinn Bevan, London 2012 bronze medallist Sam Oldham and Georgia-Mae Fenton.

Tinkler (pictured) switched to the South Essex GC from her "home" club in County Durham after her Rio success and is looking to step up her comeback after being hampered by a minor calf injury at the National Championships last month.

Image source, Getty Images

Tinkler said: "The World Cup is my first big event of the year and I'm really looking to go out there and enjoy it.

"I don't feel any extra pressure because of what I did in Rio.

"I feel more motivated than ever to get back in what is going to be another really big year for me. I'm excited to compete in London in front of a massive crowd and it will definitely boost my performance."

Some 79 years ago this month, at Tilbury docks, a group of women were photographed giving the Nazi salute on the deck of the Wilhelm Gustloff .

Image source, get

The ship was a floating polling station enabling the 2,500 German citizens in Britain to vote in Nazi Germany's 1938 plebiscite on bringing together Germany and Austria.

A month earlier German troop had marched into Austria to complete the "Anchluss".

Nic Rigby
BBC News

Essex Police are warning people about a scam by fraudsters claiming to be ringing from TalkTalk. It comes after a 73-year-old from Southend had a four-figure sum stolen.

Image source, Reuters

The pensioner had the money taken from his account by a bogus caller who claimed the victim was due compensation of £200, but that £7,500 had been incorrectly deposited into his bank account. 

The fraudster, who had the victim’s TalkTalk account number, asked him to download a software application so that the "error" could be corrected.

However, the suspect used the software to remotely access his account.

A further victim in her late 80s was persistently called by the fraudster, but she did not give him access to her account. PC Jim Aldridge said: "TalkTalk has stated it will never call customers and ask for bank details, unless they have specific permission to do so."

Essex Police say a man has been arrested on a European warrant during a special road safety operation in Braintree. 

 He's now being extradited to Romania to complete a theft offence sentence.

Police caught 52 people speeding, five vehicles were seized and 23 people were found not wearing a seatbelt during Wednesday's clampdown.

Khalid Baqa was on a Pakistan International Airlines plane diverted to Stansted in February.

Essex Care Ltd's spend on scrapping equipment revealed:

MP James Cleverly back US President Donald Trump's missile strike on a Syrian airbase :

Tom Croasdell
BBC Essex

BBC Essex has learned that 91 tonnes of old medical equipment, including walking frames and commodes, was sent from our county's care homes to the scrap yard last year.

The cost of scrapping this equipment since 2013 has been about £5m.

Essex County Council say equipment is reused when it's deemed safe and has been decontaminated, and that they closely analyse scrapping figures. 

A statement said: "Health and safety is paramount.

"If equipment does not meet the health and safety criteria it is identified as scrap."

Image source, PA

Tom Croasdell
BBC Essex

Basildon Borough Council is going to the High Court today in a bid to remove a number of caravans from an unauthorised travellers' site in Wickford.

Image source, Google

Residents had called for urgent action after it was feared a new mass traveller site was being created.

Some of the land, off Hovefields Avenue, has had roads and other hard surfaces laid and electricity has been installed.

The local authority is looking to stop the development and return the area to its previous state.

Laurence Cawley
BBC News

Campaigners are saying that compensation payouts have led to a climate of fear in schools as it's revealed that Essex County Council has paid out nearly £2.5m in compensation in the past three years following accidents at schools.

The biggest single payout was made to Annie Woodland - who was left with brain damage - after nearly drowning during a swimming lesson in Basildon in 2000 when she was 10 years old.

Image source, The Woodland Family

Miss Woodland, who now lives in the Blackpool area with her partner Sam Hill and their son, Joey, (pictured) continues to suffer memory problems, fatigue and poor balance and is unable to work.

Her lawyer Jennifer Maloney, of Slater and Gordon, said the £1.9m compensation payout (the county council paid two thirds of this amount) would be used towards Miss Woodland's life-long care needs.

Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education and a former head teacher, claimed schools were being advised "to avoid any possibility of risk creeping into the lives of pupils".

"Once you allow the fear of a possible accident to happen, then the atmosphere and culture of the school changes fairly dramatically," he said.

Figures obtained by the BBC reveal an apparent doubling in school payouts by English councils from £1.65m in 2014 to £3.45m in 2016.  

The local education authority figures don't include free schools or academies, because they manage their own finances.  

Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Look East weather

After a chilly start temperatures will rise steadily through the morning bringing warm sunshine and blue skies lasting well into the afternoon but light cloud may appear during the middle of the day.

Temperatures will fall to single figures overnight with some cloud lingering in places.

Maximum Temperature 17C (64F)

More details from BBC Weather :

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Good morning and welcome to another day of live updates from Essex. We'll be here from now until 18:00 bringing you the very latest news, sport, weather and travel.

This morning we're looking at compensation payouts after incidents at school and how the apparent doubling in payouts has been skewed by a single payout in 2016 following a near drowning of an Essex child.

We've also learned that 91 tonnes of old medical equipment was sent to the scrap yard from the county's care homes last year.

But first, as always, there'll be a full regional weather forecast. 

If there's something happening where you live that you think we should know about, you can get in touch on   email ,  Facebook, external  or send  a tweet, external .

Campaigners say compensation payouts have led to a climate of fear in schools.

UKIP's Mark Reckless has confirmed he is joining the Conservative group in the Welsh Assembly.

The South Wales East AM and former Rochester and Strood MP will sit as a Tory but will not join the party.

Conservative group leader Andrew RT Davies welcomed a "hard-working and dedicated" AM, saying it made his party the official opposition to Labour.

But Gower MP and ex-AM Byron Davies said allowing Mr Reckless into the group was "not a particularly bright idea".

Read the full story here .

Nic Rigby
BBC News

Thanks for joining us for Thursday's live updates for Essex. Our coverage has now finished for the day, but if any news breaks overnight then you'll find it here.

If you want to read more, just scroll down the page and have a catch-up with our top stories which included news that gross misconduct notices have been served on police officers who arrested a holiday-maker from Colchester who then died in hospital.

We'll be back at 08:00 tomorrow.