No one was trapped or injured as a result of the collision in Edmund Road and the gas supply had been isolated before crews arrived.

Firefighter made the vehicle safe and stood by at the scene until gas engineers arrived to make sure the gas supply to the pipe was fully isolated.

They left the scene at 16:37hrs.

A couple of dozen people joined top Thurrock Council officers and councillors in Chafford Hundred.

The latest Thurrock’s Future – Let’s Talk session was held at the Warren Primary School in Gilbert Road and covered a wide range of issues which will affect local communities over the coming years.

The sixth event, where members of the council’s directors’ board and cabinet answer questions from local people, opened with chief executive Graham Farrant giving a presentation on the council’s vision for the borough’s future.

He spoke of the many regeneration schemes which are already moving forward here – and said he was lucky to be in Thurrock while many of his chief executive colleagues were seeing their plans being put on hold because of the world-wide financial situation.

Questions from the floor initially focused around topics close to home and how Lakeside expansion would affect Chafford Hundred residents, including traffic congestion and even the possible need for a new West Thurrock railway station.

The audience heard that the council had already started considering these issues. It was putting pressure on the government to improve the road network, including Junction 30 of the M25, the Thames crossing, and the A13; it was starting to look at if a new station would be needed – and where it should be; and it would be consulting over the need for local road improvements and how the Lakeside area should develop with shops, offices and homes in the New Year.

The meeting was also told that a government announcement over a new modern bus scheme linking Lakeside with Basildon Hospital (the South Essex Rapid Transit system) was expected soon.

The discussion ranged from the need for new schools and new medical facilities, through apprenticeships to safeguarding children and how local people of all ages should be able to take advantage of the many new jobs being created.

Cllr John Kent, Leader of the Council, said afterwards: “I’m always pleasantly surprised by how insightful local people are. We come to an area and obviously anticipate that local people will ask local questions.

“Yet time after time I find that our residents are willing to buy into our vision for Thurrock. They have the same concerns we do and if we can all work together to achieve something approaching that vision – a vibrant Thurrock with managerial and professional jobs for our residents; decent homes, a working road network and a thriving local economy, then I am confident that in ten or 20 years time we’ll all be able to look back and say with pride: I helped create that.”

The Chafford councillors said: “In view of the lack of consultation as promised with ward members, lack of consultation with members of the public, as set out within the Council’s constitution, incompleteness of the Cabinet Report on which the decision was made, and the lack of financial clarity, call in of the Cabinet decision is warranted”.

Cllr. Hague commented, “Residents who live adjacent to, or overlook, Devonshire Road, bought their properties with the knowledge that a weight restriction was in force on Devonshire Road to restrict HGV traffic. Quite understandably they have very serious concerns over the potential safety and environmental impacts if the decision to remove this limit is implemented.”

Cllr. Ojetola added, “Local residents are rightly concerned when any works are to be carried out on local roads and they are right to want to be consulted. Cllr Steve Veryard and I have done our best to furnish them with the facts and to ensure that we make their views known, but we have not been provided with up-to-date reports by the Labour administration and so have been unable to consult properly with the people we represent. This is not a happy state of affairs and we cannot let this decision stand without putting up a fight”.

Cllr. Wootton remarked, “This decision is wrong on many levels. Lack of public consultation and appropriate scrutiny, lack of a properly costed proposal in a time when budgets are under severe pressures, inaccurate Cabinet reports, and commitments not kept. If the administration thought that this decision would simply be waved through then they’ve made yet another mistake to add to the list. I hope that we can use this call-in process to get them to reconsider”.

The councillors are asking for the following;

That the Cabinet reconsider the grounds upon which they formed their original view and defer making a decision until a proper consultation process has been undertaken and all relevant Ward members have been given adequate time to consult with local residents, and all mitigation measures have been properly costed and evaluated as part of a comprehensive scheme for dealing with local transport problems, rather than as a stand alone issue focussing solely on Devonshire Road.

Their position can be summarised as follows; “What we want is a fair, sensible and properly costed decision that is made following proper input from local residents and with all relevant factors taken into account”.

The event, which is open to all, is the sixth in a series but will take a slightly different format.

Starting at 7pm sharp in the hall of the Gilbert Road school, Thurrock Council chief executive Graham Farrant will open with a brief overview of the regeneration opportunities and challenges facing Thurrock over the coming decade.

Packs with details of the proposed council 2012-2013 budget will also be available at the meeting and questions invited.

As well as the chief executive, Leader of the Council, Cllr John Kent, senior members of his administration and top council officials will also be at the two-hour event.

Following Mr Farrant’s presentation, questions from the floor will be invited and the event will close with a half-hour chance to mingle and talk with senior councillors and officers one-to-one over a cup of tea or coffee.

Cllr Kent said: “When I became Leader I felt that the council was too Grays-centred and wanted to get decision-making councillors and officers out into our various communities to explain our actions face-to-face with local people.

“Of the five meetings we’ve held so far, some have been packed and others less so, but I think those who came along appreciated our efforts.

“At the moment there are two major issues taking up much of our time — regeneration and the changing face of Thurrock over the coming ten or 20 years; and the budget.

“We want to hear people’s views on both subjects — and their questions too. But we also invite people to ask their own questions and to ask us about what they are concerned about.”

Raptor species in particular are visiting and nesting on site more and more regularly and in the last 2 years we have had Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Hobby, Merlin, Peregrine, Tawny Owl, Long Eared Owl, Buzzard, Honey Buzzard and Osprey visit the site. As a result of this success we are trying to provide more nesting provision for these birds so that they will either nest for the first time or so that their young have suitable nesting sites and so to achieve this we needed to build nest box’s.

In order to achieve funding for this we approached the Stanford-Le-Hope and Corringham Rotary Club and they were kind enough to donate £250 to the project to build 6 Kestrel box’s. Luckily we have been able to make the money stretch further than we originally thought and as such we have installed 6 Kestrel box’s, 1 Tawny Owl box and 1 Barn Owl box as well as a bat box made from the small off cuts. Over the Autumn we have already had birds investigating the box’s and we hope that in the Spring time we will see the proud parents of new broods flying over the reserve.

The site in question is the one on Howard Lane, behind Bannatynes Gym in Chafford Hundred.

The plan was for 153 homes called Thames Square.

It was quite a contentious issue, four years ago as local councillors like Tunde Ojetola expressed their concern that once again homes were being built in Chafford without the accompanied infrastructure.

But it was recently announced in the London Gazette that the builders Thames and County Construction Ltd, formerly Stephen Howard Homes have gone into liquidation.

We understand that the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation (DC) are looking for a buyer.

A report by Sir Roy McNulty for the Department For Transport recommends replacing ticket offices at East Tilbury, Chafford Hundred and Ockendon, with unmanned machines.

Union bosses at the Transport Salaried Staffs Association said the “hit list” could mean the loss of several jobs at smaller stations.

Union leader Gerry Doherty told a reporter that: “Not only are unmanned stations less secure, tickets bought from machines are usually more expensive.”

Station Officer Mark Elliott from Grays Fire Station said:
“The girl had fallen down a make shift pathway into the disused quarry in Warrens Gorge at the park. The girl had collided with trees when she fell down the very steep path. Firefighters used a line to rescue the girl and a paramedic was in attendance whilst the rescue operations were carried out.”

I live in Swiftsure Rd, Chafford and our estate was fitted with Powermax boilers when properties were first built.

Poor maintenance on many of these boilers has caused or will cause them to deliver an ear piercing whistle due to a faulty gasket, part no P507 and must be replaced.

If you have a maintenence contract eg: British Gas, it should cost nothing and I have been informed it should have been changed at regular service intervals.

Thurrock’s Environmental Team have done an excellent job, notifying householders in my road but I wonder how many Powermax boilers are fitted elsewhere.

We are beginning to get some peace now but urge your readers to e-mail fggoddard@hotmail.co.uk for further advice should you or your neighbours have this problem .

Since opening the reserve in 2006 there has been the desire to improve accessibility around the site for visitors and in May we were lucky enough to secure funding from the Veolia ES Cleanaway Mardyke Trust to install a flight of steps from Warren Lane to Devonshire Road on a slope that has always been treacherous – especially in wet conditions.

Due to this support in May we employed the help of Hugh Pearl Land Drainage Ltd to install a flight of railway sleeper steps and by June they were in place and opened to the public. Since their grand opening we have had many positive comments about the relative ease of using these steps and now we can welcome more people to the site, this means that people can now move from the cliff top on Warren Lane to the cliff foot on Devonshire Road without having to walk miles around the houses.

Residents have been campaigning for years for a park to be built on the estate and on Monday they were celebrating.

Residents and local councillors joined chair of Chafford Hundred Community Forum, Philomena Cleavely, and Mayor of Thurrock, Cllr Charlie Curtis at the official launch of the Chafford Hundred Park, on the corner of Rainbow Road and Warren Drive.

South Chafford member, Cllr Tunde Ojetola, said: “I am pleased that the years of discussions and planning have finally produced this fantastic result.

“I commend the resilience of Philomena Cleavely and all other volunteers who made it a reality.

“The park serves as a play area and will later include an extension of the Essex Wildlife Centre. Work is ongoing as the park still needs more play equipment which will be added over time.”

Funding for the park came from a variety of sources, £4,500 from National Grid; £60,000 from Veolia, £10,000 from Awards for All; £3,000 from the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation, £10,000 from Chafford Hundred community forum, and work donated by Thurrock Council.

The man is described as white, early 20s about 5ft 10ins tall. He was wearing a multi coloured jacket, dark jogging bottoms and had his face covered.

He ran from the store down Drake Road and along the cycle path into Daniel Close.

Detectives at Grays want to hear from any witnesses who have not already contacted them, or anyone who saw the man in Daniel Close and knows where he went. Anyone with any information is asked to contact CID at Grays on 0300 333 4444, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

At 1.30 am, police attended at bend in Clockhouse Lane, fifty metres from Drake Road. At the scene, they found A grey Volkswagen Golf wrapped around a tree.

There was no trace of the driver.

The vehicle was taken away by the council’s highways department.

The police are conducting an inquiry.

At this stage, Essex Police have not received a complaint in relation to the theft of a stolen grey Volkswagen Golf.

The four Conservative councillors (Simon Wootton, Steven Veryard, Garry Hague and Tunde Ojetola) have issued a statement condemning the action.

The councillors state: “The Council took the first step in closing the library last year by massively reducing the opening hours to 3 half days a week. This was done despite factual evidence which showed that the Chafford Hundred library is the third most used library in Thurrock with over 91,000 visits a year.

“The library is used by students of the four schools in the community, by parents and by community groups such as the nursing mothers who meet there every week.

“Despite cost saving pressures, the Chafford Conservative Councillor team opposed this cut and lobbied for sufficient funding to be made available in the council’s Budget for the library to operate.

“We have had numerous discussions with the Council to ensure that the 14,000 residents of Chafford continue to enjoy the benefit of the library but this seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Instead the Council is providing a 2 hour mobile library in a different location.

“When is Labour going to listen to the electorate and their representatives?

“The library is needed; it is used, and has funding to cover its operation. Councillors voted for it to be open, why then has this not been adhered to?. Blaming the Campus School for the closure is not acceptable.