Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

A number of railway ticket offices on the Greater Anglia network are set to close, according to the RMT union.

It says the train operator is planning on closing 57 ticket offices, leaving just seven operating.

They are expected to stay open in London Liverpool Street, Colchester, Norwich, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich and Stansted Airport.

Image source, Greater Anglia

The union's general secretary, Mick Cash, said he was "appalled at this planned attack on ticket offices and station staff across the Greater Anglia franchise, which would wipe out the vast bulk of these vital passenger services over the next year".

He added it would "fight" to "halt these disastrous plans". 

We have contacted Greater Anglia for comment.

A medic who helped victims caught up in the Westminster terror attack has been burgled.

Lee Quinlan and his partner Charlotte Powell were out for a couple of hours when they returned to their Wickford home to discover Mr Quinlan's Volkswagen Golf had been stolen, the patio doors had been smashed and their house had been ransacked.

Watches, jewellery and money were stolen.

Police are investigating the crime.

Two young boys who were hurt in a bungalow fire remain in a "life-threatening" condition.

The blaze broke out at a property on Beambridge Road, Pitsea, at 15:15 on bank holiday Monday.

Essex Police said the 10 and 13-year-old boys are being treated at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Detectives said the cause of the fire is not being treated as suspicious.

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

That's it from your Local Live team for today - thanks for your company.

We love to hear from you - drop us a line by email, Twitter , externaland Facebook, externalor just click on the 'Get Involved' button at the top of this page.

We'll be back from 08:00 tomorrow to do it all again. 

Have a lovely evening. 

Julie Reinger
BBC Look East weather

A largely cloudy night with a few clear spells and some outbreaks of mainly light showery rain. The cloud and north-easterly wind will mean no frost. 

Image source, BBC Weather

Tomorrow will see some showers, or outbreaks of showery rain, but a lot of dry weather too.

Hopefully there’ll also be some brightness and sunshine at times. 

Temperatures around 10C (50F) on the coast and 12-13C (54-55F) inland.

BBC Weather has more local forecasts. 

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

Local residents say building work is still going on at an illegal travellers' site in Wickford - despite an injunction banning further development. 

These pictures were taken this morning at Hovefields Avenue - dubbed Dale Farm II - by BBC Essex.

In the last few weeks, Basildon Borough Council has sent bailiffs to visit travellers at the site following the reports of further unauthorised work. 

Postboxes and street names have been added - and asphalt delivered.

An existing High Court order is banning such issues on the land to the west of Hovefields Avenue. 

The local authority says evidence has been gathered and papers served on a number of individuals.  

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

Far from being disillusioned and uninterested, the people I met wanted to know more.  

They liked receiving literature from political parties locally. Yes - many would end up in the recycling minutes later, but it still made them feel thought of and helped inform them about their area.

I asked one veteran Conservative candidate why some households are overlooked when it comes to campaigning.  

To protect his election chances, for his candidness, I am not naming him!  

But he says he leaflets where his vote is and does not doorknock: “If people met me face-to-face, there is a chance I would be interrupting something far more important or they might not like the look of me and I’ve lost a vote!” 

The predominantly Labour parts of his division he would not walk into, it’s a waste of his time and resources and he would rather not alert people who would vote against him that an election is under way! 

There is perhaps a cynical circle in local elections. Low turnout allows local politicians to find votes in the region of 1000-2000 and that can often be enough to have them crowned a county councillor.  

So as much as some people crave a wannabe councillor coming to their door, they may just have to go online and look up the local manifestos.

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

Unlike the general election, in which Essex’s city is a pretty safe Tory seat, of the nine county council seats within the Chelmsford borough, three were held by the Lib Dems so it's a bit more unpredictable. 

I went door-knocking in the Moulsham area.  

Of the half dozen people who opened their doors, none had had face-to-face contact with any candidates, but many felt that would have helped them make a decision.

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

During the 90 minutes, I spoke to Jean from Wickham Bishops, near Maldon, who told me she hadn’t seen a single politician.  

"They used to come round in cars with a tannoy in the evening," she said, "or knock on your door for a chat."  

This year she has had two pieces of literature: Conservative, and a group called “Fighting unsustainable housing because we care” – which is a campaign banner owned by the BNP. They are standing in around half a dozen Essex divisions.  

She said she would have liked to have had Labour and the Lib Dems put their literature through her door as well, to be better informed.

Do people really like having some rosette clad, leaflet carrying chap or chappess knocking on their door during the day wanting to talk local politics in the digital age? Has Jean simply fallen through the campaign trail's’ cracks?  

I decided to find out in Chelmsford, external ..

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

What is the biggest turn-off? The most dull-as-dish-water topic you could bring up in the pub?  

The local elections, external would probably do it.  

There's often an embarrassingly low turnout and many just don’t seem to care – or so the papers and pundits say.  But are the public that apathetic?

Over the last few days, BBC Essex has received texts and calls from listeners saying they had received just one bit of political party local election literature, and in some cases none.  

They complained they had no idea who they should be voting.

So this morning I stepped into an impartial politician's shoes. I had a “Simon’s surgery” on the Breakfast Programme where people could call in and ask me about who was standing in their area and what their candidates were standing on.

Film Suffolk, external, the organisation behind plans for a film involving talent from the county as well as Norfolk and Essex, says those who support its crowdfunding campaign will be contributing directly to the success of the "spooky feature film".

They'll also be able to interact with the film-makers and follow the journey of the project all the way through to the film's release.

Image source, Film Suffolk

Matthew McGuchan, from Film Suffolk, says: "Everyone likes a good ghost story.

"We were keen to come up with a format that would have the widest possible appeal while maintaining the regional relevance that’s so crucial to engaging FILM Suffolk’s creative community – and with The Haunted Hotel, we think we’ve nailed it!"

The cameras are due to start rolling later this month, and the finished film is to have its premiere screening around Halloween this year.

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

Here's a quick look at what's making the headlines around Essex today: 

• A child who dialled 999 to report a drowning goldfish is one of several hundred time-wasting or hoax calls received every month, according to Essex Live, external. The ambulance service is now teaming up with Harlow College in a campaign to reduce time-wasting.
• The Colchester Gazette, external reports on the 10-year-old angler who's snared a catfish that's longer than him. The Chelmsford lad - called, of course, Billy Fisher - caught the 55lbs whopper at Forty Acre Plantation Lake in Stock.
• And it's hoped a fashion show will raise much needed funds for a special local church, says the Saffron Walden Reporter, external. The event on 13 May will raise money for the restoration of the medieval Church of St Mary Magdalene in Ickleton.

A movie project, set in the Great White Horse Hotel in Ipswich (pictured), and featuring eight ghostly tales, is set to be launched with a crowdfunding campaign helping to finance the project.

The Haunted Hotel, from Film Suffolk, external, features writers and directors from Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Image source, Film Suffolk

The team received 95 short film scripts, from which eight were chosen for the project.

• Suffolk writers: Daphne Fox (Hollesley) and Stephen Henning (Ipswich)
• Norfolk writers: Robbie Sunderland (Diss), Victoria Manthorpe and Paul Saxton (both Norwich)
• Essex writers: Amy Feeley and Thomas Winward (both Colchester) and Josh Dickinson (Foxearth)

Matthew McGuchan, joint founder of Film Suffolk, said: "Working on With Love From Suffolk, external [their first film] revealed a remarkable depth of talent and passion for film-making in our local area. 

"We’re excited to be able to build on that momentum and the community it created, and we believe we can achieve something just as special with this new project.

Image source, Film Suffolk

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

Great news for enthusiasts of the glorious red, white and blue plumes.

The Red Arrows, external have confirmed they'll attend both days of the Clacton airshow, external, on 24 and 25 August.

The team - made up of nine fast jet pilots - has been training at its base at RAF Scrampton in Lincolnshire throughout the winter.

The spectacle has been a regular part of the flying programme at Clacton for the last 26 years.

Tanya Ferguson, Tendring District Council’s Cabinet Member for Tourism and Culture, said the contribution of the Red Arrows is immense.

"It is one of those displays that you never tire of seeing over and over again and they always leave you wanting more," she said.

"We always like to unveil the Red Arrows first and we will be announcing more aircraft over the coming months, along with those who will be taking part in the exciting night flying on August 23." 

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

Seventeen people face a trial later this year in relation to a protest at Stansted Airport in March. 

Essex Police charged the nine men and eight women with "obstructing or disrupting a person engaged in lawful activity and organising or taking part in a demonstration likely to interfere or obstruct Stansted Airport."  

They all deny the charges and a further hearing will take place in June.

The protest temporarily halted take-offs and landings at the Essex airport on the evening of 28 March. 

Police said it happened in a remote part of the airport used by private operators - away from the passenger terminal and runway.

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

Kent Police are now warning of major delays around the Dartford Crossing. 

The tunnels have reopened after this morning's accident - but the queues remain: 

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

We're getting reports that both Dartford Crossing tunnels remain closedthis lunchtime as the emergency services work to clear vehicles involved in an accident.

It happened on the M25 at junction 31 for Lakeside at about 09:30 this morning. 

A man was trapped in his vehicle for some time after the incident between a lorry and a car. 

Traffic has been queuing back as far as junction 3 at the Swanley Interchange in Kent.  

We'll bring you more as we get it.

Image source, Library picture

BBC Weather Watchers

It's a grey, cool day across the county, as we can see from our busy band of Weather Watchers today.

Matthew has captured the scene at Clacton-on-Sea this morning: 

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/matthew

And this is Great Chesterford, snapped by Weather Watcher ebb&flow: 

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/ebb&flow

And BangaloreBabe took this shot at Long Melford, on the Suffolk/Essex border:

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/BangaloreBabe

At least the rain has held off - for now.

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

The charity, Buglife, is playing down reports that toxic caterpillars are invading a part of Essex. 

A report in a national newspaper claims the caterpillar of the brown-tailed moth has been causing havoc in the Heybridge Basin area.

Residents have told of rashes and itchiness after coming into contact with the creepy-crawlie, it says.

However Matt Shardlow from Buglife, says it's unlikely to be a major influx.

Image source, RHS

"They fluctuate a bit," he told BBC Essex.

"It's not a massive increase. Probably over time there'll be a bit of an increase along the coast but it's not a huge change."

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, external website, the caterpillars start out in April and are up to 30mm long, blackish with a white band along the sides. The hairs on its body can readily break off - and cause an intense irritation and rash on the skin. 

Orla Moore
BBC Local Live

An eight-year-old boy has been hurt following a road crash in Clacton where the driver didn't stop at the scene. 

The youngster had been crossing St John's Road on Sunday afternoon. 

He suffered a cut to his head and bruising. 

Essex Police, external wants to hear from anyone who saw what happened.

Image source, Google