The stinking stretch of waste is over 100 metres long and is in a storage yard near to Rookery corner in Stanford-le-Hope.

It appears to have been there since last month.

YT has been told by Thurrock Council that they are waiting for the Environment Agency to take action.

The event, organised by the Rotary Club of Corringham Thameside required each school choir to sing two songs of their own choosing which were judged on the following criteria, choice of songs, quality of performance, teamwork, and the enjoyment displayed by the children in the choir.

Songs ranged from “The Purple People Eater,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, “It’s Always a Good Time”, and “The Water of Life”. After a fiercely fought contest, Arthur Bugler Junior School retained the coveted “Rotary Shield” whilst Corringham Primary were runners up and Abbots Hall Primary were third.

The excitement mounted as the children tried to guess who the “special” celebrity was going to be, who would present the prizes. An enormous roar of approval went up as “Shrek” appeared on stage to present certificates to each choir and to hand the shield to Arthur Bugler school. The children were overjoyed when “Shrek” left the stage and mingled with them after the show.

There was also a fine performance from Le Danse Fantastique, a troupe of handicapped and “special needs” children who received a standing ovation.

Monies raised from the competition will be donated to the charity, “Roll out the Rotary barrel” which stives to alleviate the necessity of young children in third world countries having to carry heavy loads of water over long distances to service their families needs.

This is done with a simple “lawn roller” type barrel which can be pulled along with far less physical effort and at the same time can carry more water. The concert is expected to raise in excess of £600.

A short section of the A13 will be diverted in both directions between Saturday 15th June and Monday 17th June 2013.

The diversion will commence at 5am on Saturday, and will last 48 hours, before the carriageway reopens at 5am on Monday 17th June to minimise disruption for weekday commuters.

Traffic will be diverted over the Stanford-le-Hope roundabout before rejoining the main carriageway.

Organiser Mandie Groves told the Enquirer: “It went brilliantly, it was a great day and the weather was perfect. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and has said they want to do it again so we will talk to the street and start planning for next year.

“It is our fourth street party and we also raised £30 for the Friends of Hardie Park too.”

Sir Tim Smit, Co-Founder of The Big Lunch, said: “Come rain or shine, The Big Lunch is always a great success and a wonderful occasion for people to get together in the name of community spirit, for a day of laughter, friendship and fun.

“After five years, it’s amazing to see so many people taking our simple idea and really making it work wonders for their communities.

“We’ve heard so many inspiring stories already and know they’ll be plenty more to come. Roll on The Big Lunch 2014.”

Sir David brushed off the inclement weather to lavish praise on the 120 acre wildlife site calling it  ”remarkable transformation”

The site rests on a thick bed of rubbish and domestic waste and has piled up to form layers that are 30m thick.

Sir David said: “We live in a crowded country and need to respect its limits to sustain us. Change like this must become the norm.”

This point was underlined by John Hall, chief executive of Essex Wildlife Trust, which has played a key role in turning the giant rubbish dump into a wildlife refuge. “This was an old gravel pit and once excavations were finished it was used as a vast dump for London’s domestic rubbish,” he said. “Every day, barges of the stuff were brought up the Thames and dumped. The only wildlife we had were gulls – thousands of them. They used to go through the rubbish for food. They would drag waste out then spread it round the area. Local people would find they had dropped rotting chicken bones in their garden.”

They will take place on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 9:30am to midday and the second and fourth Friday of the month from 12:30pm to 3pm.

Cllr Phil Anderson, ward member for Stanford East and Corringham Town said: “One of the things most residents say to me is how they want a face-to-face housing service. This surgery provides that opportunity and I urge people to take advantage.”

Council estate officers will be at each surgery to advise on all housing-related issues from rent payments, benefits, and finance, to repairs and anti-social behaviour.

For full details of all Thurrock’s housing surgeries go to www.thurrock.gov.uk/housing/tenants

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “Stanford-Le-Hope train services through this station may be subject to disruption on all routes at short notice.

“An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed.

More to follow

Members agreed the sale of the car park in King Street, Stanford-le-Hope which forms part of a mixed-use commercial and residential scheme with planning permission; a strip of a larger council landholding in Baker Street, Orsett; the transfer the freehold of the Beehive, West Street, Grays to Thurrock CVS; and the extension of the option for Dr Devaraja to buy the former Graham James Infant school for the development of new surgery facilities.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Kent said he was particularly pleased about the King Street car park sale as “the council had long sought to bring forward a scheme to enhance Stanford town centre” and it “also preserves the parking spaces”.

Cllr Kent told the meeting: “A price has now been agreed in principle – £350,000 – for the sale which also preserves parking provision of 100 spaces and 61 cycle spaces; sees the demolition of a derelict and vacant retail unit, to be replaced by a 1,500 square metre new store built to very good standards; and brings 22 new flats of Lifetime Home Standards – at least a third of which will be affordable.”

He added: “This is an example of the private sector mobilising and working in partnership with the council to regenerate an important site within Stanford-le-Hope town centre.

“It will provide employment opportunities, and it will not have a detrimental impact on the capacity or operation of the local road network.

“It represents a good example of high-quality contemporary architecture and sustainable construction.”

Journey times will be longer for those who use Stanford Road, as the approved safe diversion route is via the Orsett Cock Roundabout. The diversion will be in place for two weeks. These works have been brought forward from the original closure to allow construction to progress whilst the bridge installation works are being completed.

To ensure commuters are safe, during major work on the bridge structure, the A13 will be diverted, taking traffic up the junction’s slip roads and back down onto the A13. The majority of this work will take place between Friday 12 April and 6 May and will see the diversion in place all weekends from 20.00 on Fridays until 5.00 on Mondays and on most weeknights from 20.00 until 5.00.

Murphy Construction Manager, Simon Fay, said: “The patience and understanding of all road users during the construction of the junction improvements has been a great help, and we will continue to work hard to keep any inconvenience to a minimum.”

Diversion routes have been approved by the highways authority and are designed to provide a safe alternative road, capable of handling an equivalent or higher level of road traffic.

The works are being undertaken to increase the capacity of the A13/A1014 junction by widening it from the current two lanes to three lanes. Each of the slip roads will see significant remodelling as part of the works. Despite slip road closures, the junction will operate a single lane usage to maintain access to all surrounding areas.

Road users are recommended to subscribe to the email alerts system on www.a13roadworks.co.uk, which will provide advanced warning of changes to traffic management, allowing them to better plan their daily commute. Diversion routes will be signposted and road closures kept to a minimum. Road users should plan their journey and allow extra time whilst the restrictions are in place.

Southend Road has long been a concern to residents, with a council speed survey showing some drivers travelled at over 70mph. The road is also used by residents crossing for public buses and school/college buses. Additional road markings and a flashing speed sign have already been installed and the new crossing will complete the works.

Conservative Councillor Pauline Tolson for Homesteads ward said “We have been campaigning on residents’ behalf about Southend Road for some time. About a year ago we secured funding for signs to help cut speeding, this crossing will now provide a safe place for many local residents, including schoolchildren, to cross. In such an economically tough time, it’s great to see we can still deliver these important community projects”.

Homesteads Councillor James Halden said “We have also been working hard to make sure that any idea of speed bumps gets blocked. These bumps would only serve to penalise local residents and ultimately force traffic down the avenues and onto Branksome Avenue. This is unacceptable and thus I’m pleased that Stanford will remain free from this “passing the buck” scheme”.

Stanford East and Corringham Town councillor Phil Anderson added “we completed a survey of residents opinions nearly two years ago, and it’s great to see the changes finally being made. We still need drivers to be responsible for their speed, but with these new measures they now really have no excuse.”

The Association hold a number of events throughout the year to raise money for some extremely worthy local causes – this year’s beneficiaries are Holiday Homes for the Handicapped, First Responders and ‘Blu’s nu-shoes’.

Blu’s nu-shoes is a fundraising campaign for four year old Blu from Chadwell St Mary. Blu suffers from cerebral palsy and his parents Laura and Damien had been fundraising for him to have the pioneering Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy operation which will ease his mobility problems, this has now been approved and so all funds raised will go towards physiotherapy and equipment.

Mr Metcalfe commented: “It was a real privilege to attend the Stanford and Corringham Carnival Association spring dance and to present cheques to some fantastic local charities.”

“It was a great occasion and I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the Association for their ongoing fundraising efforts. The money raised makes a real difference to the local community and will bring Blu one step closer to his life changing operation.”

“I look forward to the main Carnival this summer and will continue to support the Association however I can.”

If you would like to donate ‘Blu’s nu-shoes’ please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/blus-nushoes .

Heavy rains have regularly overwhelmed the drainage system, and caused the road to flood with rain water, with one instance of sewage being part of the flood water mix. The company responsible for the system, Anglian Water, has made noises that a fix has been put into place for this since the large sewage flood in 2009, however, since the anniversary of the last flood approaches many questions remain unanswered.

Local Conservative councillor Shane Hebb said “It’s been nearly a year since the last major rain water flood in Runnymede Road, and as yet I’m not satisfied that enough has been done to prevent a repeat occurring this year should we get another wet spring.

“Residents rightly expect better than to wake up and find their road has turned into a river. I have written again to Anglain Water asking them to confirm what steps have been taken to ensure such flooding never happens again in this area. Being told that it has ‘been sorted’ is not enough. We want to know what has been done, and why these improvements have resolved the issue and I look forward to Anglian Water’s response”

The evening began with the hardy but determined souls of the Wharf Road action group holding a silent protest outside the council offices.

The application was for “Retrospective application for the retention of the use of the land as a demolition contractors’ yard and waste recycling centre. Use of buildings as ancillary workshops and offices.”

But also part of the application, which officers had recommended for approval was:

“The applicants advise that they are seeking permission to operate from the application site between 06:00 and 19:00 hrs Monday to Saturdays and not at all on Sundays or Bank Holidays.”

It was the 6am application that the residents were objecting to and had gathered a petition with 426 signatures attached.

Council officers had noted that there was no alternative route for the lorries. An investigation into building a bridge had concluded that, that was unfeasible.

A number of questions were asked in relation to abnormal load movements and whether Squibb demolition had sought permission.

After a number of questions by Stanford East councillor, Phil Anderson it was established that on one particular occasion, an application had not been sent due to a “clerical error”.

The chair of Stanford Community Forum, Terry Piccolo spoke to the committee and cited World Health Organisation regulations, Article 8 of the Human Rights Act and a stated case from Valencia in promoting the concerns of the residents.

He was followed by the Stanford councillor, Shane Hebb, who castigated the applicants for failing to consult and cancelling a last minute meeting.

In turn, barrister Kevin Leigh spoke for the applicants. In his address, he made reference to evidence regarding environmental health.

Surprisingly, Thurrock Council’s Environmental Health Officer (EHO) was absent.

Mr Leigh also made reference to the quality of evidence in relation to road traffic collisions.

Chair of the committee, Terry Hipsey pointed out that this application was part of the local development framework and he expressed a view that many of the councillors should have expressed a view/concern then.

Cllr Hipsey was concerned that the council’s “hands may be tied” underlining why the council officers had recommended the application for approval.

Cllr Anderson commended a series of reasons to refuse the application that were based around damage to the damage to the amenities in the area and Wharf Road not being an accessible route.

It was agreed by all councillors bar cllr Hipsey who abstained.

As the celebrating residents left the building, YT asked Terry Piccolo for his reaction.

So, when we heard that keen biker Mike Bailey, 37, Silvertown Avenue, Stanford-le-Hope had died from cancer recently, we looked back in our archive, we found Mike in a film from December 2008.

Mike had organised a bike ride from the Thurrock Moto services to Little Haven’s childrens hospice. With a twist, that all the bikers were dressed as santas.

It was just typical of Mike.

Mike, a father-of-two, was an engineering surveyor and had worked for a number of companies in the borough.

Mike’s funeral was last week at Corbets Tay crematorium, where, in honour of his memory, bikers and friends drove in convoy.

The fundraising does not stop there. Mike’s biker mates will be holding a charity bike run for Macmillan in April.