A motorbike rider, in his 70s, was airlifted to hospital with what police believe are "life-changing" injuries.

It followed a collision between his Suzuki and a 4x4 Range Rover at about 09:25 yesterday. It happened on Cold Norton Road in Latchingdon, on the Dengie Peninsula.

The biker was taken to the Royal London Hospital, while his pillion passenger, a man in his 40s, was taken to King George Hospital in Ilford with serious, but not life-threatening, injuries.

The woman driving the car was unhurt. Essex Police is appealing for witnesses.

UKIP's (now former) main donor Arron Banks has been meeting local activists at a hotel in Thorpe-le-Soken.

BBC East's political reporter Andrew Sinclair has noted it's the same hotel Conservative activists stayed at during the 2014 Clacton by-election, when they fell foul of expenses rules and were fined £70,000.

Tory MP Eric Pickles, who announced this weekend that he won't be standing for re-election on 8 June after representing Brentwood & Ongar for 25 years, thinks the opinion polls are correct this time round...

The Daily Telegraph's poll tracker, external gives the Conservatives 46% of the UK vote, compared to Labour's 26% and the Liberal Democrats' 11%.

With UKIP funder Arron Banks in town, we thought we'd take a trip down memory lane to when his near-namesake carried out a guerrilla art attack in Clacton...

Banksy created his satirical street artwork on Clacton seafront in the run-up to the 2014 by-election.

Image source, banksy.co.uk

Tendring District Council painted over it almost immediately, before the anonymous artist had time to post it on his website.

The council claimed it acted following complaints the painting was racist, a move which in turn attracted a lot of criticism.

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

Arron Banks, the businessman who's been the main donor for UKIP, is in Clacton where he's meeting local people and local UKIP party members and councillors.

They will discuss whether he should stand as the UKIP candidate in the general election on 8 June.

UKIP is due to select its candidate at a hustings on Wednesday.

The party's councillors I've been speaking to aren't so keen on Mr Banks - they would prefer a local candidate, and there is a suggestion he could stand as an independent instead. 

Yet again, it's going to be a very interesting election in the Clacton constituency.

Meanwhile, Mr Banks has apparently had talks with a local fisherman and we could be hearing a pirate radio station broadcasting from a boat throughout the general election period.

Image source, PA

If you took part in the London Marathon yesterday, massive congratulations - we hope you're not aching too much today.

You can watch highlights of the day here.

And, if your time was between 2hrs 30mins and 6hrs, you can see yourself finish with this special feed on iPlayer.

Tom Westley is looking uncomfortable out in the middle but Alastair Cook continues to bat sublimely.

The ex-England captain passed 20,000 first-class runs this morning, much to the delight of his county club Essex.

The visitors will need Cook to make many many more of those today.

Image source, Rex Features

Former England captain Alastair Cook is remaining watchful under testing conditions at Lord's as the Middlesex bowlers probe for more wickets.

A century by Cook is what Essex may need from the opener if they're going to survive the final day - a notion that has a familiar ring to it.

The brief rain delay earlier on meant two overs were lost, so there are 86 left in the day.

A quick guide to Clacton for the would-be UKIP MP who knows "nothing" about the town.

Former major UKIP donor Arron Banks is spending his first day in Clacton since declaring his intention to stand on 8 June, and it appears not all of the locals are impressed by his plan.

Mr Banks said last week he knew "nothing" about the constituency, which also includes Frinton, Walton, Jaywick and Weeley.

Norman Jacobs, chairman of the Clacton and District Local History Society, said: "I don't think he would be a good MP.

"Because Clacton's the only place that's returned a UKIP MP, and that's his views, he just thinks he can parachute in and be elected.

"I don't think he's really interested in Clacton or the people at all."

Arron Banks is today in Clacton - a place he said he knew "nothing" about, despite expressing his intention to stand in the constituency for UKIP in the general election on 8 June.

BBC Essex has made a short guide to help him out....

Essex begin the final day of their four-day County Championship match at Lord's on 19-0, with a target of 452 for victory.

Middlesex declared on 239-3 yesterday.

Follow the action online with text updates or audio commentary.

Image source, Getty Images

Arron Banks is visiting Clacton-on-Sea today - the first time since he said he was thinking of standing as a UKIP candidate there in the general election on 8 June.

He announced his intentions last week after the sitting UKIP MP Douglas Carswell quit the party.

However, he admitted he knew "nothing" about the constituency.

Mr Carswell has since announced he will not be standing again. He was originally Conservative MP for the seat, but stood down when he switched to UKIP in 2014.

He was re-elected in a by-election that year and held the seat for UKIP in the 2015 general election - becoming the party's first ever MP.

A man has been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after his car left the A12 while travelling north.

It happened between junctions 13 and 14 near Ingatestone in the early hours of this morning. 

The 33-year-old, who's from Suffolk, was taken to hospital with head injuries.

We've got the general election in June but first comes the local elections.

BBC Look East's Robby West has prepared this video guide for what's in store.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

A man has been charged with rape and is due to appear before the courts following an alleged attack in Chelmsford over the weekend.

Image source, Essex Police

A 17-year-old girl reported to police she had been raped in Viaduct Road at 22:30 on Friday. 

The 38-year-old man of no fixed abode has been remanded in custody and will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court.

The young woman is being supported by specially-trained officers. 

A man remains in a serious condition in hospital following a stabbing in Chelmsford.

The 38-year-old victim - from Norwich - was also hit over the head during the attack, which happened in the early hours of yesterday. 

Police say a number of people were in the Queensland Crescent area before they were called out at about 02:25, but had left before officers arrived and they want to hear from them.

Image source, Sarah K/Twitter

It will be mainly dry and occasionally sunny across Essex during the morning, then turning cloudier with occasional rain during the afternoon. 

The temperature will peak at 14C (57F).

Most places will become dry and clear during the evening with a widespread frost forming, especially in rural spots such as Halstead and it'll dip to 1C (34F).