The Home Secretary has defended the way police have handed out fines for lockdown breaches, warning that officers “will not hesitate” to take action.

In the last 12 months we have been out and about in the fresh air more than ever.

MORE than 10,000 EU nationals will be staying in Colchester and Tendring post-Brexit thanks to successful applications for residency, it has been revealed.

SHOPPERS who take trollies before dumping them across Colchester have been branded “anti-social morons”.

Our wonderful county has hundreds of attractions for people to enjoy.

A 6ft heart made out of red roses, £3,000 worth of casino chips and a a brand new Rolex watch were some of the unusual items left at Travelodge hotels in Essex.

Now the UK has left the European Union many things are set to change.

Fancy yourself a new challenge?

IN March 2020, the hysteria caused by the first lockdown saw panicked shoppers buying up toilet roll in bulk from shops fearful of when they might see daylight again.

When someone dies with no will or known family, their property passes to the Crown as ownerless property.

These are the NHS workers from Essex known to have died after contracting Covid-19 - as the shocking number of carers who have died during the pandemic was revealed.

The full calendar of celestial events taking place throughout 2021.

ACTION is needed to stop dog walkers and families who are flouting lockdown rules by driving to the beach, it is claimed.

A MAN will spend three years behind bars after he was convicted of manslaughter.

A FURTHER 62 deaths linked to coronavirus have been recorded at hospitals in Essex.

The national lockdown needs to be toughened further to have a similar impact on case numbers as the March shutdown, scientists have said.

PART of the A12 has been shut after a HGV caught fire.

TWO robbers posed as police officers before stealing car keys and a watch from inside a man's house.

POLICE were called to a busy road to help rescue a roaming swan which was running in and out of traffic.

The bank has said that criminal fraudsters have been using the latest lockdown restrictions and vaccine rollout to exploit people for personal gain.

A POPULAR streaming service will be hiking up its prices from next month – but here are some tips to save a few pennies.

OUT with the old and in with the new.

Behind doors forced shut by coronavirus restrictions, a perfect storm has been brewing.

WHAT better time to delve into the depths of a novel is there than during the coldest winter months?

These are the five most expensive properties in Colchester listed on property site Zoopla.

A study by Essex academics has found two thirds of British nationals would not pass the UK citizenship test.

Here are the death notices published in the Gazette this week:

As we enter a third national lockdown, the Government is once again urging people to stringently follow social distancing rules.

MORE than 15,000 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Essex last week.

Even with the best of intentions to not touch a single drop, somewhere, somehow, we succumb to having a drink.

A CAR believed to have a family inside became stranded while trying to cross a causeway during rising tides prompting a rescue mission.

A FAMILY have given an unusual sighting in the River Colne while on a lockdown walk their seal of approval.

POUNDLAND will shut one of its three Colchester stores temporarily due to the third lockdown in England.

NEW mum Simone Ogden has relived the dramatic, speedy arrival of baby Theo.

Detectives investigating the murder of a pensioner in Aldham say they believe three guns were taken from his home around the time of his death.

Clap for Carers returned last night (January 7) to applaud the heroes of the pandemic-but it has been met with some criticism.

AN Essex district has seen one of the biggest rises in infection rates in the country.

RESIDENTS across Essex are being urged to stay at home ahead of the first weekend in the latest national lockdown.

A FORMER The Only Way Is Essex star has revealed her family have been struck by Covid.

TWO more people have been arrested in connection with an assault which left a man with life-changing injuries.

A MAN who sexually assaulted a woman and attacked a teenage girl has been jailed.

A CASH reward is being offered to help catch the graffiti taggers decorating walls and bus shelters with what have been labelled "childish scrawls".

THE parents of a teenage girl who went missing and sparked a search campaign have thanked the public for helping bring their daughter home safely.

ESSEX residents have wracked up more than 500 Covid-related fines since the begining of March.

New plans set out by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will mean any passenger will have to take a test up to 72 hours before travelling.