Latest news with #Basildon
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Essex Police reshuffle creates more neighbourhood officers
A police chief said reshuffling his officers would help them tackle drug dealers and Police reprioritised 74 officers into dedicated neighbourhood teams across the county on decision came in response to a government pledge of having more visible Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said: "They can help solve problems, they understand the issues and they're reducing crime." Launching the reshuffle in Basildon, Mr Harrington vowed: "I know they will make a real difference."Neighbourhood officers, of which Essex already has more than 3,300, are tasked with reducing criminal anti-social behaviour, enforcing orders and targeting repeat also work with councils and investigate robberies, drug dealing, sexual offences, shoplifting and vehicle crime. Mr Harrington said: "They will tackle the issues that communities need them to tackle. "Sometimes that'll be in full glaring view of the public, sometimes that'll be watching out of the corner of their eye to catch someone who doesn't want to be caught." 'Difficult challenges' But the senior officer, who assumed the post in 2018, wanted assurances from the government that his force would be "fairly funded" to keep police on the force almost axed all 99 of its community support officers in January, before reversing that decision when it received £100m funding from the it did have to cut about 65 staff Harrington echoed his long-held complaint that Essex Police needed more money, revealing it faced an estimated £20m budget gap next year."With that money we can do more, it will make a difference," he said. "Without it, I'm faced with difficult challenges."A Home Office spokesman previously said the force's funding for 2025-26 was £431.1m, which was £24.9m more than in added: "We are ensuring we deliver on our safer streets mission, with an extra 13,000 neighbourhood police officers, community support officers and special constables, all of whom will play a vital role in bringing visible policing to our streets." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Long queues as fallen power lines cause severe delays on A13 in south Essex
FALLEN power lines have caused severe delays on the A13 in Basildon this morning between Saddlers Farm and Pitsea Flyover. While the fallen cables, which saw two lanes closed, have now been cleared major traffic jams remain on the major roundabouts due to the delay. The wires were reported "hanging down" onto the major road and the congestion runs down to Stanford le Hope bypass and extends to the A130 Southbound. A13 Londonbound all lane now OPEN between Sadlers Farm and Pitsea – after some hanging down cables were cleared – Traffic remains slow from before Pitsea to the Stanford le Hope bypass. — Essex Travel News (@Essex_Travel) May 27, 2025
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
I got an £872 energy bill refund – it was so easy and only took five minutes to claim
A FATHER-OF-THREE has revealed how he clawed back £872 in overpaid energy bills in just a matter of minutes. Chris Matthewman, from Basildon, Essex, bagged the "immensely helpful" credit after diving into his finances. 1 It comes as household finance experts reveal bill payers are sitting on hundreds of pounds' worth of credit and call on them reclaim it before the end of the month. Chris, 39, and his partner Tracey were deep in debt two years ago and desperately looking for ways to save money. He decided to first take a look at his energy bills, and logged onto his online account with to see he was in credit by £1,100 on his dual-fuel tariff that he paid for by direct debit. He phoned the firm's customer service team who told him to take a meter reading. Once submitted, it told him he could get an £872 refund. He said: "I phoned and asked if I could take the credit, saying it was my money at the end of the day. "They were quite respectful when I found out I was in credit and could issue the money. "They said I should have a pot (of extra money) for winter but I decided to take the refund." The updated meter reading also led to adjusting Chris and Tracey's monthly direct debit from around £200 to £130 - a £70 difference. Chris first contacted about the refund in January and the money was in his bank account three weeks later. But while the adjusted monthly direct debit was useful, Chris said it was the £872 lump sum that was the biggest help to the Essex family as it helped them write off their debt earlier than planned. They were in a Debt Management Plan (DMP) - when you pay off your debts to creditors, usually through a monthly payment to a debt management company - and the energy credit helped them close it early. "It was immensely helpful," Chris said when asked how useful the refund was. "At the time we were in a Debt Management Plan and it was meant to end in September 2024. "But with the £872 plus with cutting costs in other areas, we finished it in April 2024. "So we saved five months of payments which in turn was about £5,000 of payments. "Having the little impact (of the refund) saved us more in the long run." He added: "I do a meter reading every couple of months now just to see if we are paying too much or if we're not paying too much. "I would always recommend to do it just so you can have a bit of breathing space." Households sitting on £100s in energy credit It comes as warns households they could be owed hundreds of pounds in energy credit - and should check their bank balances before the end of May. Research by the money-saving tool found almost half of households with traditional energy meters it recently surveyed aren't submitting regular readings. Fail to submit regular meter readings and your energy company charges you an estimated bill based on what you paid the previous year - which can see you forking out more than you should be. Nous says after a milder winter than expected, households will likely have built up much more credit than they need this spring - and should look at requesting a refund. Nous experts suggest if your total credit balance this May is more than two thirds of what you usually pay each month, you are likely paying more than you need to and should ask for a refund and for your direct debit to be reduced. As an example, if you have £400 credit in your account and you usually pay £100 a month, you should be fine to request one. Meanwhile, consumer website says as long as you have over one months' worth of direct debit credit in May, you're safe to request a refund. Greg Marsh, household finance expert and chief executive officer of said: 'No one should have a big credit balance built up in their energy account right now. 'Most suppliers won't automatically refund you if you've paid too much, and could be unfairly holding on to money that you're owed. 'If you've got a traditional meter and haven't submitted a reading in a while, you'll be paying bills based on estimates that could be significantly out after an unusually mild winter. 'Energy companies know how hard it is to stay on top of this stuff, and hope that we just put up with paying more than we need to." How to request an energy refund If you're in enough credit, requesting a refund is as simple as getting in touch with your supplier and asking for one. You'll also find contact details for your supplier on a recent energy bill or can log into your online account if you don't get paper bills. If you haven't submitted a recent meter reading, your supplier may ask you for one so it knows if what it is charging you is accurate. If you aren't happy with its response, you can make a complaint via a dedicated page on its website. If you want to write to them or send them an email, you can use the Citizens Advice complaints letter template. How to submit a meter reading Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to submit an energy meter reading. If you do have to submit a meter reading, which you don't have to do if you have a smart or prepayment meter, the easiest way is to take a photo of your gas and electricity meters. Most suppliers will let you send in your meter reading online via your energy account. Some providers will also let you send in the numbers by text or through their app. Electricity meters If you have a digital electricity meter then you will see a row of six numbers. Five of them will be in black and one will be in red. Write down the five numbers in black, which are shown from left to right. If you are on an Economy 7 or 10 tariff, which gives you cheaper electricity at night, then you will have two rows of numbers. You need both to take a reading. If you have a traditional dial meter then you need to read the first five dials from left to right. Ignore any red dials. If the pointer is between two numbers then write down the lowest figure. If it is between nine and zero then write down the number nine. Gas meters If you have a digital metric gas meter showing five numbers followed by a decimal point then you need to write down the first five numbers. If you have a digital imperial meter then you will see two red numbers and four black numbers. Write down the four black numbers only. If you have a digital gas meter, follow the same steps as the digital electricity meter.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Girl, 2, left fighting for life after swallowing FOURTEEN toy magnetic balls as mum issues urgent warning to parents
A MUM has told how her daughter was left fighting for life after swallowing 14 magnetic toy balls. Little Rebecca McCarthy is said to be one of around 300 children rushed to A&E in a single year due to similar incidents. The toddler was taken to hospital in 2021 after swallowing 14 brightly coloured magnetic balls. She underwent a two-hour operation during which doctors temporarily removed part of her intestines to access the magnets, which had clumped together and become embedded deep in her tissue. Rebecca's mum, Sam from Basildon, said the first indication that something was wrong came when Rebecca vomited one lunchtime, according to the Echo paper, covering south Essex. She said: 'Rebecca's accident devastated the whole family. She had months of ongoing health issues. I still find it incredibly painful to think about. 'The memory will never fade. I would hate for any other child to go through what Becca suffered because of buying dangerous toys from sellers on online marketplaces.' According to new research, approximately 300 children were taken to A&E in just one year after swallowing magnets—some influenced by social media trends mimicking tongue piercings. The University of Southampton study revealed that one in ten of these cases required life-saving surgery after ingesting magnets found in various items, including magnetic ball toys, imitation piercings, and other household objects. The findings were based on data collected from 66 hospitals across the UK between May 2022 and April 2023. Professor Nigel Hall, a paediatric surgeon at the University and Southampton Children's Hospital, warned parents about the risks associated with toys that contain magnets. "Having an unplanned emergency operation is a traumatic experience for any child and their family," he said. 'Around one in 10 of these young patients had surgery with most ending up with serious problems, like needing part of their bowel removed or requiring a stoma.' Hall noted that some children suffered severe complications, such as having portions of their bowel removed or needing a stoma. The study also revealed that 6% of the cases involved children—mostly girls—who swallowed magnets while attempting to mimic tongue piercings, influenced by viral trends on social media. Hall said it is crucial to take children to the emergency department promptly if they swallow a magnet. "Most children who have swallowed a magnet do not show any symptoms, so it is really important that all cases have an x-ray to find out for certain," he said. President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) Dr Adrian Boyle said similar incidents can be extremely distressing for children and their caregivers. 'We at RCEM have worked to raise awareness of the issue of children swallowing small items such as super strong mini-magnets, button batteries and water beads – by issuing a 'safety flash' for our members, as well as advice to parents and carers warning about these potentially 'hidden hazards'. 'As a parent I know we all do our best to be vigilant as to what our children are putting in their mouths – but it is impossible to monitor them all the time.' If a caregiver suspects a child has swallowed something they shouldn't have, they should take them to A&E, even if there are no visible symptoms. 'In cases such as this it really is better to be safe than sorry – and to have the child examined by a medical professional,' Boyle said. The Child Accident Prevention Trust, which focuses on preventing death and serious injury to young people from avoidable accidents, praised the research. The trust's chief executive Katrina Phillips said: "These super strong magnets can rip through a child's guts and leave them with life-changing injuries. One boy has died. "Take a moment to check who you're buying from. Don't assume that, just because you can buy something, it must be safe."
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Basildon screenwriter celebrates her heritage in Lady Oriole film
A 12-year-old performer hopes a short film she wrote will educate people about different Dyer-Tuitt, from Basildon, Essex, dedicated Lady Oriole to her grandmother and the stories she shared about the Caribbean island of youngster won an award at her performing arts academy in Wickford and said the reaction since had been "amazing"."My mum was saying she wanted it to go global, but I'm so happy it's here," she told BBC Essex. Kinara incorporated her late grandmother's culture and heritage into the 15-minute said her mother came up with the "lovely idea" of exploring the family's heritage, with the title named after the Montserrat national bird, the Kinara said she also wanted her classmates to have their eyes opened to different cultures."I don't really like it when people in my class make silly Jamaican accents, I just don't really find it funny," she said. Kinara explained her heritage was "very important" to her and she enjoyed exploring it during the screenwriting process."I really wasn't expecting to get that call saying 'you have won it' - it was really exciting," added Kinara, who had never written a film said entering the competition, hosted by the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts, was a total "leap of faith"."I didn't really expect anything," Kinara continued."When I first saw the animation in the trailer it looked really cool, it looked amazing and I was obsessed with it."I'm really proud because I did not think it was going to get this far." It left a lasting impression on the academy's principal, Teri Levett, who instantly knew it was "special".She said: "It was like nothing I'd ever read before."I love myths and legends, but I really don't know anything about Montserrat myths and legends - it was fascinating."I really thought it was special." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
