Patrick Byrne
BBC News

That's it from the BBC Local Live team for today, so goodbye and enjoy the evening sunshine.

We'll be back from 08:00 tomorrow to bring you the news, sport, travel and weather updates as they happen.

Today we've seen 12 football hooligans jailed for attacking a Cambridge United fan in Southend and leaving him with brain damage.

We've also been at the inquest looking into the death of a driver in a lorry which plunged from a bridge onto the A12.

For more on these stories and others just scroll down.

If there's anything happening that you'd like us to know about, you can contact us via the "Get involved" button at the top of the page.

The wife of brain-damaged football fan Simon Dobbin has been speaking about the jail sentences handed out to 12 men involved in the attack which left him unable to walk or talk.

The men, who were involved in the attack in Southend in 2015, were jailed for up to five years each for either violent disorder or conspiracy to commit violent disorder.

Nicole Dobbin said: "Obviously we knew they weren't going to get hefty sentences as five years was the maximum, but we can put this behind us and move on as a family."

Simon Dobbin was in court for the sentencing, but he was taken out because his family felt he was getting too upset.

"We wanted to do that [bring him to court] so that everybody could see the impact of the injuries.

"It was what Simon wanted. He clearly understands what we're saying and we got a clear 'yes' that he wanted to come.

"If it stops one person from hitting another human being, we will have achieved something.

"He has been practising saying 'rot in hell', so that's clearly his answer to them."

The last of the 13 defendants is due to be sentenced at Basildon Crown Court next month.

The wife of driver Gurdip Johall, the lorry driver who plunged from a bridge onto the A12 near Witham, is struggling to face life without him.

Mandy Johal said Gurdip was a "caring and loving husband" and she is struggling daily to come to terms with what happened.

The incident has been recorded as accidental death at an inquest.

Julie Reinger
BBC Look East weather

A dry night with clear spells and some patchy mist and fog across the BBC East region.

It'll be fairly humid, especially in the west, with light winds.

Minimum temperature: 13C (56F)

Tuesday will be another very warm day with spells of sunshine, but a yellow warning for heavy rain is in place for the evening and night through into Wednesday.

Some parts are likely to see some heavy, thundery downpours and possibly some localised flooding.

Hail and frequent lightning could also lead to disruption to power networks.

Maximum temperature: 26C (79F)

More details from BBC Weather.

League Two side Colchester United re-sign defender Cole Kpekawa for undisclosed terms from Barnsley.

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

More than £2m is to be invested with the aim of attracting more than 50 businesses to Essex with claims it could secure 5,000 new jobs.

The £2.2m project, managed by the Let's Do Business Group, external, will be part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Starting this month, the project will run for three years and Invest Essex, external will shortly move into new premises in Chelmsford.

Funding will be supplied over a three-year period and, in addition, the Euro-funding will enable support to provide 180 jobs in small and medium sized businesses.

Twelve men are given prison sentences for assaulting Cambridge fan Simon Dobbin in March 2015.

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

Health workers, teachers and other public servants are to be given priority for new homes planned for Basildon, the district council's housing and community committee has announced.

A programme through Sempra Homes will give priority to key workers to purchase new shared ownership housing.

Image source, Getty Images

Gavin Callaghan, Basildon's chairman of the policy and resources committee, said: "Sempra Homes was established to deliver a range of new homes across the borough and I am delighted that they are delivering schemes to local key workers and residents through their shared ownership programme."

Melanie Keys, manager of Sempra Homes: said: "Shared ownership provides an opportunity to purchase a share in a home where outright purchase is not affordable and pay rent on the unpurchased share, with an option to buy further shares in the future.

"Through our shared ownership programme we are working alongside the government's Help to Buy scheme, enabling residents to purchase an initial 25% share of their home."

Gurdip Johal did not know his trailer was full of heavy batteries when his vehicle came off a bridge.

Police say accusations that Simon Dobbin had been ejected from the Southend United v Cambridge United game on the day he was attacked are "absolute nonsense".

Det Ch Insp Martin Pasmore said some of the defendants' friends had been making comments about Mr Dobbin's behaviour.

"Let me be clear, Simon Dobbin is a thoroughly decent man," he said in reponse.

"He was not involved in any form of disturbance and was not ejected from the match or any other establishment.

"He is an entirely innocent victim of an unprovoked savage attack which left him with a permanent and devastating brain injury."

Image source, Family photo

"What happened to Simon could have happened to anyone’s husband, father, or son," Det Ch Insp Pasmore added.

"I also hope this tragic case highlights the consequences of football-related violence.

"No genuine football fan would ever be involved in, or condone, such acts of such horrific violence.

"This was not fuelled by a passion for the game. It was fuelled by alcohol and thuggery and there is never any justification for such mindless behaviour."

Here are further details of the sentences handed down to a group of football hooligans at Basildon Crown Court this afternoon after Cambridge United fan Simon Dobbin was left brain-damaged during an attack in Southend in March 2015:

Eight men were jailed for violent disorder:

• Five years for Ryan Carter, 21, of York Road, Southend
• Four years for Jamie Chambers, 24, of Coleman Street, Southend
• Three-and-a-half years for Lewis Courtnell, 34, of Stadium Road, Southend
• Three-and-a-half years for Scott Nicholls, 40, of Little Spenders, Basildon
• Three-and-a-half years for Matthew Petchey, 26, of Lascelles Gardens, Rochford
• Sixteen months for Rhys Pullen, 21, of Wickford
• Five years for Thomas Randall, 22, of Seaforth Avenue, Southend
• Five years for Alexander Woods, 25, of Fairmead Avenue, Westcliff
• Three years for James Woods, 25, of Fairmead Avenue, Westcliff

Three men were jailed for conspiracy to commit violent disorder:

• Three years for Greg Allen, 29, of Western Avenue, Westcliff
• Three years for Phil McGill, 32, of Hornby Avenue, Westcliff
• Two-and-half-years for Michael Shawyer, 31, of Belgrave Road, Leigh-on-Sea

All 12 have been banned from attending football matches for 10 years.

Ian Young, 41, of Brightwell Avenue, Westcliff was found guilty of assisting an offender by hiding the group while police were conducting a search. He will be sentenced next month.

Debbie Tubby
BBC Look East

The judge at Basildon Crown Court has handed down sentences to 12 of the 13 men convicted of offences in the case of Simon Dobbin.

Mr Dobbin, a Cambridge United fan who lives in Mildenhall, was left brain-damaged after being attacked after attending the game at Southend United in March 2015.

Three of the men were jailed for five years - the maximum possible sentence for the offence of committing violent disorder - with sentences of varying lengths for the others.

The shortest sentence - 16 months - was given to Rhys Pullen, who admitted the charge of violent disorder earlier in proceedings.

Image source, Essex Police

A thirteenth man, Ian Young, who was found guilty of assisting offenders by hiding them, is due to be sentenced on 2 August.

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

A group of residents in Leigh-on-Sea are hoping to club together to put in a bid to buy the Grand Hotel after its current owner, Mick Norcross, tweeted a picture of the hotel, with the words "for sale" over it.

Image source, Google

The star of reality ITV programme The Only Way is Essex, external, has struggled to get planning permission to turn the landmark hotel into a luxury spa.

Richard Longstaff from the Grand Again campaign has told BBC Essex they'd need to raise around £4m.

"We want to be owned by the community so want to attract as many people as possible into co-ownership," he said.

"We're not looking for investors and the strapline is a grand for the Grand."

The campaign is already getting interest with 2,000 followers, 900 people on the website and plenty "of excited volunteers" distributing leaflets about the campaign.

Debbie Tubby
BBC Look East

I'm at Basildon Crown Court where 13 men are being sentenced for their involvement in an attack which left a Cambridge United fan unable to walk or talk.

Simon Dobbin, from Mildenhall, Suffolk, was assaulted outside The Railway pub while on the way home from Southend's Roots Hall stadium in March 2015.

Image source, Nicole Dobbin

His wife Nicole told the court he's been left with a "life sentence", and that she "hates what these violent thugs have done to us".

The 13 defendants were convicted of various offences on Friday including violent disorder, conspiracy to commit violent disorder or assisting an offendor.

She and her daughter Emily (pictured above) have called for a change in the law, asking how someone who was clinically dead for seven minutes before being saved by paramedics results in 13 men being convicted of violent disorder and not murder or attempted murder.

Claire Sawyer
BBC Essex

An inquest into the death of a 30-year-old driver in a lorry that crashed off a bridge onto the A12 dual carriageway at Witham has concluded it was an accident.

Gurdip Johal, 30, was negotiating a right-hand turn when the vehicle came off the bridge, Chelmsford Coroners Court heard today when the inquest reopened.

Image source, Family photograph

Mr Johal, from Witham, was pronounced dead at the crash scene which was Coleman's Bridge at Junction 22, in February.

He worked for Harris Truck & Van, based in Wheaton Road, a firm which maintains lorries based on the Freebournes Industrial Estate a few hundred metres from where the accident happened.

The A12 was closed for several hours following the crash to allow emergency services to recover the vehicle and its load, which was a large industrial-sized battery.

Mr Johal's sister, Mandip Kaur, had previously described him as "the best brother you could ever ask for".

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

Police have named the man who died in a crash in Saffron Walden in the early hours of 2 July.

A white VW Polo driven by Clinton Louis Smith, 33, hit a tree in Chestnut Avenue.

Police are keen to hear from any witnesses.

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

An inquest into the death of a driver from Witham who was in a lorry which fell off a bridge onto the A12 is resuming today.

Image source, Family photograph

Gurdip Johal, 30, went through a barrier at the Witham North junction in February and died from a haemorrhage due to multiple injuries, the earlier inquest hearing was told.

He was negotiating a right-hand turn on Coleman's bridge when "for reasons unknown" he went through the barrier.

Mr Johal's death was not deemed to be suspicious.

Tom Croasdell
BBC Essex

A Loughton man, who had acid thrown in his face during a robbery in February, has welcomed government plans to bring in tougher sentences for those who carry out similar attacks.

Bradley Robinson told BBC Essex the attack has really affected his life and that now he is worried whenever he goes out that it will happen again and the effects are long-lasting.

Image source, PA

Mr Robinson was in his car when he was sprayed with the acid by an unknown man on a petrol station forecourt in Church Hill, Loughton.

His car was stolen and found abandoned in Plaistow, east London.

He suffered serious facial injuries, including damage to his vision.

A woman passenger in the car suffered minor injuries.

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

Two more people have been arrested over a crash in Corringham last month when a woman had to have part of her leg amputated.

Two motorcycles were involved in the crash on The Manorway.

Image source, Essex Police

Two men from Rainham were questioned by detectives in connection with the crash and later released under investigation.

Seven arrests have now been made following the collision.

East Anglian Daily Times

Here is the front page of today's Essex edition of the East Anglian Daily Times, external:

Image source, Archant