Latest news with #Chigwell
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Luxborough Lake soil dumping poses a risk to swimmers, man says
Plans to dump huge amounts of soil into a popular lake have sparked outcry, with swimmers fearing it could pose a contamination management company Hersus wanted to offload the dirt in Luxborough Lake in Chigwell, firm said changing the water depth from 35m (115ft) to 6m (20ft) would make the beauty spot more Hill Parish Council objected to the application, stating there was "no credible evidence" of water sports benefitting from the lake's depth being reduced. A total of 850,000 cubic metres of soil would be tipped into the 25-acre (10ha) lake, under plans submitted to Epping Forest District have been raised about where the dirt would come from and its impact on the Martin Powers said: "It's not just about our fears of losing our beautiful swimming place. What are they going to dump in here?" His fears were echoed by resident John Bothwell, who accused Hersus of having no intention to enhance the lake."This is the last decent lane to walk down in Chigwell," he said."People come down here with their dogs, walking, runners, cyclists and horse riders, and if it gets its way that'll be all totally disrupted."Buckhurst Hill Parish Council said: "While the applicant claims to have the noble goal of an environmentally and disability-friendly recreational facility open to the public, they have not established why 850,000 cubic meters is necessary to achieve that vision."The lake was created by workers who dug out a gravel pit during construction of the M11, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said its plan required ongoing tests to verify all material entering the water was clean and naturally occurring."Retaining open-water swimming, as well as other water sports, is at the core of the proposal," it stressed."By shallowing the lake, it will be possible to provide opportunities for open-water swimming to those of all levels."Hersus's application also sought to change the use of the site to an outdoor sport and recreation centre."This will help secure the future of the lake as a destination for sport and recreation," it added. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Joey Essex shows off his £2.2million, five bedroom mansion including his 'exclusive Essex beach club' pool and outdoor bar
Joey Essex has given fans a glimpse of his very lavish life in Essex. The ex TOWIE star, 34, has lived in his five-bedroom, three-bathroom house for the past four years and a new collaboration has seen him give his two million Instagram followers the grand tour. Sharing a reel to promote his Amazon Smart Home upgrades, Joey invited fans into his dream home. Showcasing his latest gadgets, the reality star walked out to the pièce de résistance - his Ibiza beach club style back garden including his vast swimming pool. The pool features golden monkey and dragon statues, whilst the video showed a glimpse of a basktball court and outdoor bar in what he has dubbed his 'exclusive Essex beach club'. Inside Joey shared a look at his bedroom, complete with a his pink bed with a huge statement headboard. The mansion is only a stone's throw from the semi-detached home Joey grew up in with his dad Don, a former boxer, mum Tina and older sister Frankie, who also appeared on TOWIE. The family moved into the property, on a small close-knit road near the centre of Chigwell when Joey was aged around six. Tragically four years later, Joey's mum took her own life and he and his sister were brought up by their father. The reality star's family home hugely contrasts with his current property which is just a five-minute walk from his childhood home, and is now worth about £2.2million. Joey, who is reportedly worth £8million, is one of TOWIE's most successful stars. He featured in the ITV2 series for two years, after being introduced via his cousin Chloe Sims, during which time he enjoyed a romance with co-star Sam Faiers. Since leaving the show he's also been linked with singer Rita Ora, former I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! star Amy Willerton and fellow reality star Stephanie Pratt, who he met on E4 series Celebs Go Dating. Joey released a fashion collection called DAFDEA in 2017, having previously opened his own shop, Fusey, in Brentwood in 2013. The reality star's family home hugely contrasts with his current property which is just a five-minute walk from his childhood home, and is now worth about £2.2million He's had advertising deals with Volvic and Batchelor's Cup-a-Soup, plus also launched his own perfume and aftershave ranges, called My Girl and Fusey. His autobiography, called Being Reem, was a Sunday Times bestseller. He's also continued to make appearances in reality shows both sides of the Atlantic including Love Island, Dancing On Ice and Netflix hit Selling Sunset. More recently, Joey has reportedly been in talks to make his boxing debut, as he follows in the footsteps of his cousin Demi Sims.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Shirley resisted a smart meter for TEN YEARS. Then she finally caved in - and got a bill for £5,230
Shirley Goldstein fought for close to a decade against having smart meters installed in her three-bedroom bungalow in Chigwell, Essex. She received countless letters from various energy suppliers over the years asking her to switch meters, but held out because she was perfectly happy with her existing ones and wary of the new versions that would replace them. 'The energy giants have been hounding me for years, but I simply refused to be bullied into taking out something I do not want or entirely trust,' says Shirley. 'They wheeled out a whole host of excuses, claiming my existing meters were too old, even though they worked perfectly well.' Eventually Shirley, 93, relented and agreed to let supplier EDF Energy install gas and electricity smart meters in her home. Like many energy suppliers, EDF sometimes offers competitive fixed-rate tariffs that are available only to households with smart meters. 'I agreed only when they told me that I had to have them fitted to enjoy cheaper energy tariffs,' she says. Yet within a year she bitterly regretted it, when her gas bill suddenly hit an eyewatering £5,231. 'Where do they think I live – Buckingham Palace?' says Shirley. 'The bill nearly gave me a heart attack!' She usually pays £143 a month for both gas and electricity. Shirley is far from alone in her wariness. Although Smart Energy GB, which manages the consumer engagement campaign for smart meters, says more than four in five people are happy with their smart meters, plenty are not. About one in ten new smart meters does not work properly, according to Government figures. When this happens, they revert to operating like a traditional meter and require regular readings. Some households have reported problems with signals meant to send readings back to the supplier being blocked in areas with poor mobile phone reception, thick house walls or due to battery failure in the units. When Shirley saw the £5,231 bill she called EDF but says she got only a recorded message. 'It kept repeating how busy they were, and that I should call back later, which I did but it was the same thing,' she says. 'When I emailed I got no reply. It's a total disgrace.' She says she was plagued by sleepless nights from the constant worry until she asked her daughter, Nadine, to help. Nadine, 67, from Loughton, Essex, eventually reached someone within EDF's customer services. 'The call handler asked us to take photos of the meter,' says Nadine. 'This required us to get down on our hands and knees because the new meters have been installed at ground level. 'Whoever installed them seemed to want to make it as difficult as possible to read.' Despite emailing photos to EDF identifying the model of smart meters plus readings for gas and electricity three separate times, Nadine was told they needed to submit further readings. And the bill has yet to be corrected. Nadine says: 'We have been fighting this for the past four months and are now being told that the new gas meter was never registered – whatever that means. 'But it still does not explain this sum of money that is being demanded. And while EDF says it is looking into the problem, the bill remains the same. Had my mother not had family around she might well have been bullied into paying the huge bill.' Shirley adds: 'I wish I'd stood my ground and not had my meter replaced. Until I get the right bill, I won't be happy. It's a simple thing to fix but it's taking a toll on my health.' EDF now says when the smart meters were installed the new electricity meter details and the unit reading on it were updated on its system, but this did not happen with the gas meter. This meant that when Shirley submitted a gas reading it led to the wildly incorrect balance showing on her account. A spokesman for EDF says: 'Following the installation of smart meters, the gas meter details were not updated successfully. 'When the customer submitted a gas reading this led to an incorrect balance of £5,231 (which has now been reversed) appearing on her online account. 'We are really sorry this was not identified sooner and we are working with the customer to get this resolved. 'Once the account has been updated with the correct gas meter details, we will issue an accurate bill and apply a goodwill credit for the inconvenience caused.' Can you save money on energy bills? Check the best fixed deals When energy prices spiked most households slipped energy price cap tariffs, but it is now possible again to switch to fixed rate energy deals that can save you money. This is Money's recommended partner uSwitch lets you compare the best energy deals for you, based on your home and gas and electricity costs. > Compare the best energy deals with uSwitch* By entering your address and energy usage, you can search for energy deals that can cut your costs and suit how you live. Switching energy provider can also help the planet, if you move to one of the green deals offering electricity from renewable sources and more environmentally-friendly gas.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
MAFS stars spark romance rumours as they cosy up on boozy night out after bride is accused of showmance with groom
MARRIED At First Sight UK stars Terence Edwards and Lacey Martin got cosy as they rang in her 28th birthday at a trendy bar. Terence, 40, and Lacey cuddled up close for plenty of photos and videos posted to their respective Instagram stories. 5 5 The pair appeared on the E4 reality relationship series one year apart, but seems they have become fast friends since moving on from their TV spouses. Terrence and Lacey partied with her twin sister Paige and Love Island's Marcel Sommerville at celebrity hotspot, Sheesh, in Chigwell. The pair partied together and took a video of them doing shots on the night out. Terrence also posted a video sitting next to Lacey and filmed her receiving her birthday cake as she cheered while everyone sang her Happy Birthday. The social worker turned DJ and host found fame in the 2023 series of MAFS, while Lacey appeared on the E4 show a year later. Terrence was paired with Porscha Pernnelle on MAFS UK, but their marriage did not last when he walked out of the show after hearing rumours she had kissed other grooms. Since then, he has been spotted hanging out with another MAFS UK star, Tasha Joy, 27. As for Lacey, she seemed to have a happier marriage on the series when she was put with Nathan Campbell, but they split after the show aired. Their breakup turned sour when Nathan accused Lacey of wanting to fake their romance in order to get more publicity and media opportunities. He made the revelations during February's reunion episode. MAFS UK exes risk run-in at celeb packed event after bitter split and huge fall out Nathan told some of the other grooms: "She messaged me and said after a year you get magazine deals and things like that, showmance." He went on to say: "She sent me a text message saying the relationship she wanted would be a pretend one so she could get more opportunity from it and make more money but I didn't want to do it." Lacey's family defended her on social media and she opened up about experiencing dark episodes since the breakup. "We all have our battles, but overall, I am a positive girl. And I didn't get out my pyjamas for four days. I was crying, and it was just me, my mum and my twin sister Paige in the house," she told Bobby Norris on his Access All Areas podcast. "And I was like, Mum, there's no way out. And for me, I feel like Nathan should have put a statement out." She continued: "I suffer with depression. I'm pretty open about that, but I've never had dark thoughts like that where I'm drowning. "I just want it to be all over. I just want to be asleep. And, it was a hard place. And there was no one to run to, and even if you put out a statement, people weren't really reading it." 5 5 5 Help for mental health If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support. The following are free to contact and confidential: Samaritans, 116 123 CALM (the leading movement against suicide in men) 0800 585 858 Papyrus (prevention of young suicide) 0800 068 41 41 Shout (for support of all mental health) text 85258 to start a conversation Mind, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary). YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too. Rethink Mental Illness, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate). Heads Together, is the a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
