News in Basildon

BASILDON'S community radio station can now be heard across the region on DAB digital radio.

The station, which has been running for 11 years, is simulcasting its 97.8 FM service to the whole county.

AROUND 40 homes in Wickford were evacuated last night (Saturday, 30 October) becasue of a gas leak.

The alarm was raised in Jacks Close just after 7.30pm.

TOMORROW (Saturday, 30 October) at Basildon'sFestival Leisure Park, the Mid and South Essex Health Care Partnership, Family Health and Wellbeing event is taking place from 11am-7pm.

The vaccination bus will be there for anyone eligible for their COVID-19 vaccine - no appointment necessary, just turn up.

A TEAM of midwives from Basildon Hospital have won a prestigious Royal College of Midwives award for their excellence in bereavement care.

The team of three based at Basildon Hospital, known as the Lullaby Team, were given the award at an event in London in front of their peers.

THE region may be in line for another drenching with heavy rainfall that might lead to flooding due across the region over the weekend and particularly late on Saturday evening and through Sunday morning.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning which says: "A band of rainfall will arrive across southwest England and Wales shortly after midnight and then push quickly northeastwards (lasting only 2 to 3 hours in any location) before finally clearing from Essex and Kent into the North Sea.

A MUCH-loved event to kick off the Christmas shopping period in Basildon is back this year with all the usual favourites.

The Basildon at Christmas event will be on Saturday, 20 November from 10am with activities and entertainment across the whole town centre including the Eastgate Centre, Town Square and St Martin's Square where the event will conclude with a fireworks display at 6pm.

THERE were more delays and disruption to journeys after another protest by climate change campaigners on the M25 this morning.

Police were alerted around 8am with reports that a number of people had been seen walking into the traffic to block both carriageways between Junctions 28 and 29.

PROPOSED changes to food and garden waste collections have been approved by councillors on Basildon's Policy Executive Committee.

This follows a recent consultation exercise in which more than 7,000 borough residents responded and approval by the Leisure and Environment Committee last month. The changes will be implemented in 2022/23

RESIDENTS and motorists are reminded of the closure this weekend of a section of the a13 in both directions.

Both carriegeways will be closed between the A1089 (Tilbury Dock Approach Road) and the A128 (Orsett Cock) junctions.

A PRIVATE space for grieving families who have experienced baby loss has had a makeover at Basildon Hospital.

The Forget Me Not suite has had an updated bedroom, new shower room and family kitchen, and is designed to make it a more comfortable and tranquil space for those families that are spending precious moments with their baby.