Follow BBC local radio commentary as Sussex host Essex in the T20 Blast.

The mother of a man who was shot dead at a petrol station has urged a teenager, who is wanted by poilce, to come forward.

As we've reported, Essex Police want to trace Bradley Blundell, 17, in connection with the inquiry into the murder of John Pordage.

Mr Pordage, 34, was shot outside a BP garage on Baddow Road, Chelmsford, on Saturday, just after 02:00.

A £5,000 reward has been offered by the charity Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest of the teenager.

Mr Pordage's mother Sue Wilson said: "Bradley, if you are listening to me, please do the right thing and hand yourself in."

Bradley is known to have links in Chelmsford, Great Baddow, Thurrock and Norwich in Norfolk.

A £5,000 reward has been offered for information about the whereabouts of a teenage boy wanted in connection with a murder inquiry.

Image source, Essex Police

John Pordage was shot outside a BP garage near the Army & Navy roundabout in Chelmsford on Saturday just after 02:00.

The 34-year-old, of Galleywood, was taken to hospital, where he died from a gunshot wound.

The charity Crimestoppers, external is offering the reward for information that leads to the arrest of Bradley Blundell.

Essex Police, external want to trace the 17-year-old who was last known to be living in Chelmsford and has links to Great Baddow and the Thurrock area. He also has links to Norwich.

Liam Duffy, regional manager for Crimestoppers, said: "It’s believed he is a danger to the public and must be found.

"Someone will either know where he is or is maybe giving him shelter.

"The public's safety is important to us, which is why we guarantee that anyone who contacts our charity with information stays 100% anonymous.

"Bradley should not be approached directly by members of the public."

Five arrests have made in connection with the murder investigation.

Talking bins are being introduced to a town's high street and seafront in a bid to try to change people's litter-throwing habits.

The new rubbish bins are being installed in Southend-on-Sea.

They will "talk" or "make an amusing sound" when litter is thrown in them.

To encourage smokers to bin cigarette butts, "ballot bins" are being introduced.

The brightly-coloured bins, like the one shown below, will pose a question, such as "Who is the best player in the world?" with cigarette-sized slots for people to vote for, in this example, either Ronaldo or Messi.

Image source, Hubbub

Gum on the pavements will also be circled with brightly-coloured chalk to highlight the scale of the problem.

Alison Dewey, manager of the Southend Business Improvement District (BID), said she is confident the #Mystreetisyourstreet campaign will help reduce littering.

She said: "If we engage the public in a manner that is positive, fun and encourages them to look after the streets they live and work on, rather than telling them what to do or giving them instructions, we really can make a big difference, simply by giving people a choice."

The bins will be introduced next week.

She was seriously wounded in the face and will require ongoing treatment, Essex Police says.

A man and a woman, arrested after two policewomen were injured in Clacton, have been released under investigation.

The officers tried to break up a large disturbance on Jackson Road on Tuesday night.

One of them was slashed in the face with garden shears and is continuing to receive treatment.

A man and woman have been arrested and released as part of the investigation.

Image source, Google

Police are cracking down on what has been described as the only "street prostitution openly on display in Essex".

Image source, PA

Complaints have been made about sex workers in the Ambleside Drive and Riviera Drive area of Southend-on-Sea.

Members of Ambleside Social Club have said they have seen women waiting on the corners and have found condoms and needles.

They said members have been accosted and have to get taxis home.

"We want to get these people off the streets," said social club secretary Roland Hills.

Police said it is a historical problem, which goes back 30 years, and it is an "absolute priority" for officers in the area.

Insp Bill Potter of Essex Police said they received 191 reports of soliciting in the area in 2009, which has gone down to 25 so far this year.

Children as young as seven have been arrested for carrying knives in the region, according to figures obtained by the BBC.

In Essex, 115 people under 18 were caught with a knife between 2014 to 2015.

In 2016 to 2017, the figure went up to 332, according to the data received from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

There was also a rise in Norfolk and Suffolk.

The number of knife-related crimes in Norfolk doubled in the last three years, from 154 in 2014-15 to almost 300 in the last year.

In Suffolk, the youngest child arrested was 10. This year, 54 people under 18 were found to be carrying knives, compared to 20 two years ago.

Police said they are working closely with charities, and are dealing with young people face-to-face to tell them about the dangers of knife crime.

The wet weather's taken its toll on our roads overnight.

This is Haven Road in Colchester, which as you can see, wasn't passable earlier, even if you are quite a big van.

Image source, @tinygb

And the fire service is advising people to avoid the area as they're getting reports of cars stuck in floodwater in adjoining Distillery Lane.

Take care out there!

Police said they believe a piece of concrete hit a van which then went off the road and crashed into a tree.

As we reported, police are treating the incident on the M11 yesterday afternoon as suspicious.

The van driver, a man aged in his 60s, died at the scene.

Ch Supt Rachel Nolan said: "It's being investigated fully because very sadly someone has lost their life on the road, but also because it appears something struck the windscreen of the van and there are bridges in the area as well.

"It's really important we find out what happened."

She said the object which struck the windscreen appeared to be a piece of concrete.

The death of a driver on the M11 is being treated as suspicious after an object was found to have hit the windscreen, police said.

Image source, Google

Officers were called at about 16:50 yesterday to the northbound carriageway at Goose Lane Bridge, between junctions 7 (Harlow) and 8 (Stansted Airport).

A van had left the road and crashed into a tree.

The driver, a man in his 60s, died at the scene.

Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dash-cam footage.

Lucy Martin
BBC Weather

After yesterday's cool and wet weather, today is due to be drier, brighter and warmer across the BBC East region, with just a chance of a few showery outbreaks of rain in some coastal areas.

Maximum temperature: 20C (68F).

Kate Scotter
BBC News

Good morning and welcome to Thursday's live updates for the county.

We'll be here until 18:00, bringing you all the news, travel, sport and weather.

If you have a story, don't hesitate to get in touch by clicking "Get involved" above.

First, let's take a look at the weather.

There are some parts of Essex which are low lying which are bordering close to the ocean. Experts say rising sea levels mean one day it will be underwater

A freedom of information request found 332 under-18s caught were with knives in Essex in 2016.

Aston Villa hold on at League Two Colchester to reach the EFL Cup second round, as U's defender Frankie Kent scores for both teams.

Sarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Thanks for your company.

We'll be back from 08:00 tomorrow with the latest news, sport, weather and travel for your local area.

Any breaking news will be posted here overnight.

Take a scroll through our feed to read any stories you may have missed.

She's already a Special Olympics superstar, but 18-year-old Kiera Byland is on the hunt for more gold medals.

Last night she co-hosted the opening ceremony in Sheffield for over 2,600 athletes from across the country.

Today she's competing in the 10k time trial.

It wasn't easy for Kiera growing up with learning difficulties, but when she discovered cycling, her life changed dramatically.

Follow BBC local radio commentary as Gloucestershire host Essex in the T20 Blast.

The Deputy Chief Constable of Essex Police Matthew Horne is to face a gross misconduct hearing.

It comes after an investigation by the Indepedent Police Complaints Commission into allegations that he was verbally and physically abusive towards colleagues.

The hearing is being arranged by Essex Police, a date is yet to be set.