News

Landlord fined over appalling conditions of shared house

13 August 2019
A South Ockendon landlord has been ordered to pay more than £7,000 after failing to provide adequate living conditions for his tenants.
Alex Oladineji Olayinka was found guilty of violating 6 regulations designed to protect tenants living in a house in multiple occupation (HMO) and failing to undertake remedial works to a property in Foxglove Road, South Ockendon at a trial at Southend Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday (7 August).

Motorists reminded of A13 closure, 16 to 19 August

13 August 2019
Drivers are reminded that a short section of the A13 beneath the Orsett Cock roundabout will be closed this weekend.
Thurrock Council is widening a section of the A13 from two to three lanes in both directions between the A128 (Orsett Cock roundabout) and the A1014 (The Manorway, Stanford-le-Hope) in what is one of the largest local authority-managed road schemes in the country.
To enable the next phase of the project to be completed safely, 2 weekend-long closures of the A13 are required this month, with the first taking place this weekend (16 to 19 August).

Thurrock Parkway lorry fines among highest in the UK

12 August 2019
Strict enforcement action taken to prevent lorries from parking illegally in Thurrock Parkway has seen the road named as one of the top 10 roads outside London where inconsiderate drivers are likely to get a fine.
Last year Thurrock Council issued 1,693 notices and took £89,492 in fines on Thurrock Parkway alone as the council took decisive action to deter drivers from parking in the road. It means the road has the fifth highest level of fines for nuisance parkers outside London.

Horndon playground gets new lease of life

11 August 2019
New play equipment designed by Thurrock school children has been unveiled at a special event in Horndon.
Local residents joined councillors and the Mayor of Thurrock today (Thursday 22 August) to officially open the new playground at Horndon on the Hill Recreation Ground. The site was prioritised for refurbishment by Thurrock Council because the previous play equipment was over 30 years-old.

Third vehicle seized as zero tolerance of fly-tipping is reinforced

8 August 2019
A fly-tipper has been forced to pay out nearly £1,000 and had their vehicle seized after being caught dumping rubbish in Thurrock.
Green waste and a large amount of builders' materials were found discarded in Gammon Field Way, Grays on Sunday 19 May and reported to Thurrock Council.
Thanks to CCTV, and as the result of an investigation, Environment Enforcement officers supported the police and seized a white Ford Transit – shown below – from a Grays address on Tuesday 6 August in connection with the fly-tip.

Sinatra and Me

8 August 2019
A celebrated performer regarded as one of the world's finest Sinatra interpreters will be hitting the stage at Thameside Theatre.
Richard Shelton is an award winning actor and singer who has received many critically acclaimed international reviews for his performances as Sinatra in the show, which comes directly from London's West End and Los Angeles.
The fabulous Denmark Street Big Band will accompany Shelton on stage at theatre in Grays on Saturday 31 August, providing the audience with a wonderful music experience.

Council fly-tipping campaign steps up a notch

6 August 2019
Thurrock Council is ramping up its zero tolerance stance to fly-tipping by tackling notorious hotspots in the borough.
More than 500 fly-tips have already been cleared in Thurrock since the start of April, with the council issuing 39 fixed penalty notices during the same period.

Victory for Little Thurrock residents as housing appeal rejected

5 August 2019
An appeal against Thurrock Council's decision to refuse plans for 4 new homes on a well-used sports pitch and children's play area has been thrown out.
Outline planning permission for the houses to be built on land in Gunning Road, Grays, was refused by the council's planning committee in November.
The site is well used by residents as a recreational open space and the committee decided the loss of the open space was unacceptable.
An appeal was lodged by the applicant, Gunning Road Thurrock Ltd, to the Planning Inspectorate and has now been refused.

Council leader hits out at ‘fake news’ about plans for Aveley

2 August 2019
Thurrock Council Leader, Cllr Rob Gledhill has rubbished a letter in the local media that said there are plans to build new homes on a popular local park and a school playing field in Aveley.
A letter, which appeared in a local paper, said that Thurrock Council had "sanctioned" deals to sell off part of Usk Road Park and Kenningtons School playing field, both in Aveley, despite there being no truth to these claims whatsoever.

Case for unauthorised encampment injunction taken to the High Court

2 August 2019
Thurrock Council has taken its application for an injunction preventing unauthorised encampments to the High Court.
The appearance on Wednesday, 31 July is the first stage in the process of obtaining an injunction to prevent unauthorised encampments on both public and areas of private land in the borough.
The hearing allows the commencement of service of the papers on 107 named defendants, and each of the sites which are to be protected against unauthorised encampments.

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