Updates for Friday, 19 May, 2017
Search for Danielle Jones' body called off
Care worker gets suspended jail term over arm lock
Fly-tippers are 'scum', deputy council leader says
PC disciplined for 'excessive force and abusive language'
UKIP visit cancelled after bus hit by lorry
Commuters hit after freight train breaks down
There were delays for passengers travelling into London this morning after a swan sauntered on to the railway line at Manningtree.
Image source, Greater AngliaOne passenger told the firm it was "ridiculous", leading them to reply:
Image source, Greater AngliaStars of hit comedy The Inbetweeners are being reunited for a new BBC series set in a double glazing showroom in Basildon, which will hit screens next week.
Image source, Fudge ParkJames Buckley (pictured left) and Joe Thomas (right), from the Channel 4 series, star in White Gold which is set in the 1980s.
The six-part series has been written and directed by Inbetweeners creator Damon Beesley and filming has taken place across the county.
The writers have said the comedy harks back to a time when having double-glazed patio doors showed serious aspiration.
White Gold will be broadcast on BBC Two on 24 May at 22:00.
A garage which was the focus of a search for the teen, last seen in 2001, does not contain her remains.
Read MorePolice say they will keep working with the family of murdered Essex teenager Danielle Jones as they continue to search for her body - but her murderer could easily end their "years of pain".
Image source, Essex PoliceHer uncle Stuart Campbell was jailed in 2002 for life for Danielle's abduction and murder.
Essex Police's Assistant Chief Constable Steve Worron said he is "confident" that her body is not at the site of the garages searched so far at Stifford Clays.
“Danielle’s family have been updated on this development," he said.
“The one person who knows where her body is still refuses to tell police or her family.
"Stuart Campbell could end the last 16 years of pain for Linda and Tony and tell them where their daughter is."
Police have said a detailed search for the body of Danielle Jones has so far found nothing.
Officers have been focusing on one plot in a block of garages in Stifford Clays, near Thurrock (pictured).
The force started digging at the site after revealing new information had come to light in the case in February.
Danielle Jones was 15 when she went missing in 2001 and her uncle was convicted of her murder.
Detectives have focused on one of 20 plots at the block of garages and said the excavation found nothing.
They have said they will continue to work at the site to ensure Danielle's body is not buried there.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Worron said the case will remain open until the teenager's body is found.
Police have said that nothing has yet been found in their search for Danielle Jones.
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The Conservative parliamentary candidate for Braintree has said he's concerned about the suspended prison sentence handed to the owner of a dog, which killed a toddler in Halstead last year.
Three-year-old Dexter Neal was mauled by an American bulldog when he went to the house of neighbour Jade Dunne (pictured) to play with her children.
James Cleverly said: "Little Dexter lost his life - his family have gone through absolute turmoil and the last thing I would want to do is ruin another life, but I am concerned that the suspended sentence does send a message to other dog owners that we don't take deaths due to dog attacks as seriously as, for example, death by dangerous driving.
"I am not comfortable that it is the message we should be sending."
Orla Moore
BBC Local Live
Three special rooms - specifically for young people undergoing cancer treatment - are to open at Colchester General in memory of an inspirational teenager.
The suite has been paid for by the Tom Bowdidge Foundation, a charity created on what would have been Tom's 20th birthday in 2014.
In the 13 months between his diagnosis and death, Tom - a sixth former at Colchester Royal Grammar School - helped raise £178,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
His foundation has invested £25,000 in the hospital rooms, the first to be designated specially for young people.
There'll be a quiet space for young adults, a clinic room for young patients for chemotherapy, and a room for family to stay over.
They'll be opened officially next week.
Image source, Family photoA fire in a large pile of wood near Harlow could take up to a week to put out, firefighters say.
The pile in Hoe Lane, Nazeing, which contains planks of wood and measures approximately 60m x 30m (197ft x 98ft), caught light yesterday afternoon.
Essex Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was "likely to take up to a week to extinguish due to the large volume of wood".
Image source, Essex Fire and RescueOrla Moore
BBC Local Live
Police in Essex have confirmed that the search for Danielle Jones's remains will continue into a third day.
A block of around 20 garages in Stifford Clays is still sealed off as specialist forensic archaeologists join the investigation.
They'll use ground penetrating radar to pinpoint any areas of interest before deciding whether an excavation will start.
Danielle disappeared on her way to school in 2001. Her uncle Stuart Campbell is currently serving a life sentence for abducting and killing the 15-year-old.
He's never told anyone what he did with Danielle's body.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Worron - who's heading up the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate - will be at the scene this morning with an update.
Image source, Essex PoliceThe long awaited heavier rain has finally arrived with some heavy downpours overnight and this morning.
The rains will gradually dry out in the east and as it does there will be some sunny spells and it will feel warmer.
Further west it is going to stay rather wet thorughout the day. Top temperature of 20C - that's 68F.
BBC Weather has more local forecasts.
Orla Moore
BBC Local Live
Oh dear. If that was summer .....
Let's look on the bright side. We need the rain.
Welcome to another day of live news updates from across the county.
We'll be here until 18:00 with anything and everything that's happening in and around Essex.
And do get in touch - drop a line to the team on email, Twitter , externalor Facebook, external.
In the meantime, pull on your mac and galoshes - the weather forecast's on it's way.
Have a lovely morning.
Orla Moore
BBC Local Live
That's it for today from your Essex Local Live team - thanks for your company.
Don't forget that if anything breaks later or overnight you can still read all about it here.
Our top stories today have been the sentencing of the dog owner Jade Dunne over the death of three-year-old Dexter Neal in Halstead last August.
And the search for murdered teenager Danielle Jones continues at a garage block in Grays.
Scroll down for the full details...
You can get in touch - just email, tweet , externalor like us on Facebook, external, or click the Get Involved button at the top of this page.
In the meantime, have a lovely evening.
Essex Police is confirming there will be a third day of searching a block of garages as they try and find the remains of a 15-year-old girl who was murdered by her uncle in 2001.
Danielle Jones, from Tilbury, went missing on her way to school and Stuart Campbell was jailed for life for kidnapping and killing her.
Forensics officers began their search of the garages in Stifford Clays in Grays on Monday.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Worron will be at the scene in on Wednesday and will update us about any progress.
Essex Police has given its reaction to the suspended one year jail sentence handed down to Jade Dunne.
She pleaded guilty to owning a dangerously out-of-control dog which killed three-year-old Dexter Neal in Halstead.
Det Insp Stuart Truss said: "This has been a challenging investigation particularly for Dexter’s family and the community which have supported them through this difficult time.
"I want to praise them for the courage and dignity they have shown.
"I am pleased that Jade Dunne has admitted her guilt, preventing Dexter’s family from having to relive the incident through a trial.
"Dexter’s family will never forget him, and no sentence could ever take away the pain they have suffered.
"I only hope this sentencing will allow them to start moving forward."
Our merry band of BBC Weather Watchers have been out and about snapping the first real burst of summer this year.
Ebb&flow sent in this picture of the clouds whisping over Great Chesterford this morning:
Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/ebb&flowBeacon Hill caught a quiet and sedate Harwich harbour at first light:
Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Beacon HillAnd this was Chelmsford first thing - as theejellyman captured the sun dispelling the overnight murk:
Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/theejellymanOrla Moore
BBC Local Live
Image source, Highways EnglandJust a warning to anyone hoping to use the A12 around Kelvedon this weekend - it'll be closed northbound between junctions 23 and 24 - and southbound between 24 and 25 for Marks Tey.
Highways England, external says it's to allow for further work to repair the Ewell Bridge.
A section of the overhead bridge was lifted out last month so it could be fully fixed nearby.
It'll be re-installed this weekend, but won't reopen until Monday morning.
There'll be diversions in place for A12 drivers - as well as pedestrians using the bridge - so plan ahead.
Orla Moore
BBC Local Live
Image source, Getty ImagesThis is an American bulldog - similar to the one owned by Jade Dunne. The one that mauled little Dexter Neal to death.
So are they deemed dangerous dogs? The short answer is "no".
In fact - the American bulldog is not banned in the UK under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. These are the four breeds that are - based on jaw strength:
However, the American bulldog does fall under the Dangerous Dog Breed List in the USA.
Dr David Sands, external, a behavioural expert with the Animal Behavioural Clinic in Lancashire, said so many factors can influence how a dog breed behaves.
"The American bulldog comes from a very basic line of DNA - the mastiff line," he said.
"There are extremes in the breed. The problem arises when there is dysfunction in the socialisation.
"A well-cared for, content dog will not kill."
Three-year-old Dexter Neal was mauled to death by an American bulldog in Halstead last year.
Read MoreOrla Moore
BBC Local Live
Could you put a smile on the face of someone living alone?
An appeal has been made by the Castle Point Association of Voluntary Services, external for more kind and caring folk to join the team and help those people who never get a visitor or a friendly relative dropping in.
The befriender scheme currently supports 300 local elderly people living in isolation, who need companionship and a sense of belonging.
All they need is a couple of hours' commitment a week in the Castle Point, Rochford and Rayleigh areas.
If that's you - drop them a line at befriending@castlepointavs.org.uk, external.
