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Image source, Getty Images

Former England Test captain Alastair Cook will miss Essex's opening County Championship game with a hip injury.

Cook, 32,  had been made available  by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the county's first three Division One matches.

The ECB, external say the injury is "left hip soreness" and he is to have an injection.

Essex, champions of Division Two in 2016, begin the new season against Lancashire at Chelmsford on Friday.

Cook will have to wait until at least his county's second fixture against Somerset at Taunton a week later.

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

Image source, Essex Police

A teenage drug dealer has been jailed for two years and nine months for drugs offences - and possessing a taser.

Connor Wright, 18, of Hadrians Way, Heybridge, will serve his sentence at a young offenders institution. 

It follows a police search, external of his home in October 2016, during which scales and quantities of cannabis, cocaine and MDMA were discovered "scattered throughout his home", according to detectives.

Police say he also tried to dispose of a taser weapon he stored under his bed. 

Investigating officer PC Claire Forster said: "A dangerous weapon was kept under his bed and he believed he was one step ahead of police by throwing it out of his window. He thought wrong.

"I’m delighted that another drug dealer has been removed from our streets."

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

Image source, DEA

The inquest opened today into the death of Basildon teenager Sherie-Lea James.

Sherie-Lea, who was 15, died on 1 September after taking ecstasy. 

She was taken to Basildon University Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest - but doctors were unable to save her.

Coroner Caroline Beasley Murray confirmed she died of drug poisoning and adjourned the inquest to allow for full toxicology reports.

It emerged today that the teenager - who went to school in Billericay - had survived liver cancer.

Diagnosed when she was just 20 months old she endured more than a year of chemotherapy.

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

Image source, Google

A teenager has been injured after an object was thrown from a car in Braintree.

The 17-year-old had been walking along Broad Road in Braintree - near the hockey club - when a red Mini pulled up and a man in the passenger side threw an object at him, causing bruising and swelling to the side of his face,  police said., external  

The car then drove away after the incident about 17:00 on 30 March.   

The driver was described as in his twenties, white and with a dark brown beard. The car's bonnet bore two white stripes and is thought to be a 2015 model. 

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

Essex-based Women in Football, external member and agent Rachel Anderson has urged Sunderland manager David Moyes to "think about his position" after his controversial remarks to a BBC reporter.

Moyes has  apologised for what he said to Vicki Sparks  after an interview following a draw with Burnley in March. He said she "might get a slap even though you're a woman" and told her to be "careful" next time she visited.  

Ms Anderson, from Leigh-on-Sea, was made an MBE in 2016 for services to gender equality in football, and has been an agent in the industry for more than 20 years.

In an interview with BBC Sport, she said: "He has a big responsibility - not only to the club but to football in general.

"It's still a sign of the times. I'm sure my granddaughter will look back and go - how on earth did people get away with that?

"It's really outrageous."

Watch the full interview here .

Traffic police managed to catch hundreds of people flouting the law - as well as a man wanted in connection with a murder - during a 72-hour crackdown on the county's roads.

Officers from the Casualty Reduction Team, external were out and about in Chelmsford, Basildon, Grays and Southend last weekend. It was a busy time:

• 672 motorists were caught speeding
• 12 were stopped for using their mobiles while driving
• 17 were caught without seatbelts
• 6 people were found to have no insurance
• 2 were caught for careless riding
• 8 had no valid MOT for their vehicle

They also caught one man wanted by the Metropolitan Police in connection with a murder investigation.

Adam Pipe, Casualty Reduction Manager at Essex Police, said: "Operations such as this are crucial in stopping and bringing to justice those who use the roads to bring harm to our communities."

Adam Jinkerson
BBC Local Live

A  High Court hearing is to take place later into allegations that more caravans have been brought on to land in Wickford.

The site, in Hovefields Avenue, is subject to an injunction banning further development on land at Silva Lodge Kennels.

The council obtained a High Court injunction over the land dubbed "Dale Farm II" back in September last year.

Image source, Google

It meant the landowner and other named individuals could not bring any further caravans on to the site, but the council says it's been looking into claims of further development.

The leader of the local authority, Phil Turner, said by taking the case to court, the council was demonstrating its determination to properly enforce planning law.

Helen Burchell
BBC News

This police officer wasn't holding back when tweeting this photo of a rather precarious looking vehicle yesterday evening.

The vehicle had continued to drive after an earlier crash, the officer said.

It was stopped on the M11 between J6 and J7 for Harlow.

Kate Kinsella
BBC Look East weather

A fine and bright start, before cloud gradually thickens from the north. However, some brighter or sunny spells will remain likely, especially across eastern parts.

Most places should stay dry, although the odd light shower cannot be ruled out later.

Highs of 12C (54F).

Here's my full forecast...

You can get more at BBC Weather .

BBC London Travel
BBC Radio London Travel

There is no service between Hainault and Woodford anticlockwise on the Central Line because of a faulty train at Chigwell.  

It's the second morning in a row that there have been problems on that Tube line during the morning rush.

Keep up-to-date, external .

Adam Jinkerson
BBC Local Live

Welcome back to live updates for Essex on Wednesday, 5 April.

We'll be here until 18:00 with the latest news, sport, weather and travel from around the county.

What a gloriously sunny (if not a little chilly) start to the day it's been already...

A full forecast for today is on its way shortly.

You can get in touch with the team by email , Twitter , external and Facebook, external .

A stoppage-time strike from Mark Beevers sees Bolton snatch a win at Southend to move 10 points clear of third-placed Fleetwood.

A man jailed for pretending to be an aristocrat to defraud hotels is told his convictions are safe.

Thanks for joining us for Tuesday'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.

Here's a flavour of some of the stories we've been talking about:

• A Southend conman jailed for impersonating the Duke of Malborough has lost his bid to overturn his conviction
• A cannabis farm found in Braintree has been described as "one of the largest uncovered in Essex"
• And a Writtle College student has found piglets have a penchant for something a little bit unexpected... blackcurrant squash

If you want to read more, just scroll down the page and have a catch-up. We'll be back at 08:00 tomorrow.

Alex Dolan
BBC Look East weather

A rather cloudy evening across the BBC East region, but it will stay mostly dry.

Any clear spells that develop will bring the chance of ground frost.

Temperatures falling to 2C (35F).

Wednesday will start bright, with sunny spells, but turning cloudy later.

Maximum temperature of 12C (53F).

You can find a more detailed forecast for where you live on  BBC Weather .

A man has been arrested by specialist firearms officers in connection with an armed robbery at Asda in Witham and an attempted armed robbery of Tesco in Clacton.

The robberies happened in December and January, and in both cases the stores' security guards were targeted. 

Essex Police said officers had today arrested a 29-year-old Dagenham man after stopping a car he was travelling in on the A414.

The force asked anyone with information about the robberies to contact its serious and organised crime unit.

Working in high temperatures increases the risk of suffering a heart attack, researchers have said.  

The study may explain why heart disease is the leading cause of death among on-duty firefighters, the researchers said.

Basildon firefighter Simon McNally, who was physically fit, had a heart attack while at work, at the age of 36.  

Here, he explains what happened:

Southend United say they have "agreed terms" with their former groundsman who was sacked after a match was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

Ken Hare, who worked at the club for 27 years, was dismissed in January when the Blues' game against Bolton had to be called off.

Mr Hare's wife expressed her dismay at his sacking back in January:

The club said Mr Hare should have told management how cold it was going to get before the game. His wife told BBC Essex he'd done everything he could to make the pitch playable.

In a statement today, a Southend United spokesman said the matter had been closed.

"Ken will also be attending matches as a season card holder next year, which demonstrates there is no ill-feeling on either side," he added.

The re-arranged match takes place tonight .

A police chief has said visible policing is still "at the heart" of what the force does as he opened a new operational base.

Image source, Google

Saffron Walden's police station, pictured, closed in 2015 following a chemical leak.

A different building, known as the Lodge, was made fit for policing purposes and has been officially opened.

Officers will respond to calls and incidents from the site, based within the grounds of  Uttlesford District Council, external 's headquarters. A public front counter is located at the council offices.

Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh said: "Local and visible policing remains at the heart of how we keep Essex safe, but what that looks like in reality won’t always meet expectations. 

"Officers never stopped being visible in the district, but this building will keep us closer to the people who need us most across Uttlesford.”  

A conman who posed as the Duke of Marlborough and racked up bills of more than £10,000 in luxury hotels has lost a bid to overturn his conviction.

Alexander Wood (pictured right), 35, from Southend, was jailed for three-and-a-half years for fraud in 2015.

Image source, GETTY/VIMEO

He was first arrested after booking into the Great Northern Hotel in King's Cross under the name Lord Jamie Spencer - the 12th Duke of Marlborough is called Jamie Spencer-Churchill (pictured left) - and spent thousands in top London hotels while on bail for the first offence.

His case was heard at the Court of Appeal, where he told judges that bad legal advice had led to his decision to plead guilty.

Rejecting his bid, Mr Justice Spencer said Wood's motive had been "simple greed".