High winds on Tuesday caused the 80 foot barge  that was being used by contractors doing work on the pier, to crash into the end of the pier.

For more, see the video clip on the BBC News site: Southend Pier: Engineers Assess Damage

It appears that no serious damage has been done to the infrastructure of Southend Pier as a result of the collision, but the pier will remain closed for at least two weeks whilst repairs are carried out. It seems that there is damage to the support pilings and some of the walkway. The pier is off-limits, and pier trains are not running.

At the time of writing, temporary repairs hope to be completed allowing the pier to re-open on Saturday the 24th of September.

Therte’s some discussion of the Barge vs Pier story in our Forum: Southend Pier Damaged

For the latest information on the pier closure, please see www.southend.gov.uk/news

TJ Hughes Closes

After being on the High Street for only a year, the T.J Hughes bargain department store closed on Tuesday the 16th, with the loss of 60 jobs. The store was, of course, the site of the original Southend Woolworths, that was forced to close at the start of 2009.

T.J Hughes on Southend High Street Closed in August 2011

Saks Hair and Beauty Closes

The salon just off the High Street on Alexandra Street closed for business on Wednesday the 17th of August. Customers were informed by text message that Saks had closed.

One of the team here at the Sarfend website was a regular at Saks, and it’s a shame to see them close their doors for the last time. We’re in contact with some of the team from Saks. If you were a customer of Saks and are looking to get in touch with the Southend firm’s former senior stylist Katie Dunbar, note that you can get in touch with her via her new webpage: Katie Dunbar Hair Stylist.

Saks Hair and Beauty in Southend - Closed in August 2011

We have no information on what’s planned for the TJ Hughes site. We suspect it’ll remain empty for a while, but when the retail economy starts to pick up, hopefully the high-profile high street location will again see shoppers looking for bargains.

While we’re here – there is a new addition to the Southend-on-Sea high street – a sweet shop, opposite Marks and Spencer. Makes a change from mobile phone retailers and coffee shops…

Here’s what you need to know:

Get your TV from the Anglia region?

The Sudbury transmitter covers a large chunk of South Essex and the analogue services will be switched off in July. Here’s what should happen:

On Wednesday the 6th of July 2011, the BBC2 analogue TV service will be switched off from the Sudbury TV transmitter.

• Anyone watching or recording analogue TV from midnight on this date will lose BBC2 reception
• Freeview viewers will need to perform a Freeview channel rescan to continue to get BBC channels on Freeview
• There may be brief service interruptions to some Freeview channels between 6th July and 20 July

On Wednesday the 20th of July 2011, BBC 1, ITV 1 Anglia, Channel 4 and Channel 5 analogue services will be switched off from the Sudbury transmitter

• Anyone trying to watch or record BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 or Channel 5 on analogue from midnight will get no service
• Freeview viewers will need to perform a Freeview channel rescan to continue to get all of the Freeview channels

If you get your analogue TV from the Anglia TV region, you need to make sure that your TV sets and TV recorders are able to cope with digital TV services by the 20th of July 2011.

Get your TV from London or Meridian?

Not need to worry just yet. The London Crystal Palace switchover happens in April 2012, with the Kent service from Bluebell Hill switching in July 2012.

More info

For more on your options for the Essex digital switchover, see our Southend Digital TV page

Any comments on the Switchover? Please add your voice below!

As locals will know, Southend Airport is expanding, the new control tower is up and running, and the airport railway station on the Liverpool Street line is due to open in July. There’s also plans for an airport hotel in 2012.

The new Easyjet Flights are set to start from April 2012 to an initial ten European destinations, including Portugal (Faro), Barcelona and Ibiza, and the target is to get 800,000 passengers through Southend each year.

Easyjet expect to operate 70 flights a week. Its plans for Southend Airport will mean more local jobs, more planes coming into Southend, and an easier route to Europe. The expansion plans for the town’s airport will apparently mean 2 million people a year will be using the airport by the end of the decade.

Any thoughts on Easyjet coming to Southend? Please add your thoughts below.

The fire appears to have started at 9:20pm last night (Sunday the 8th May 2011), and has destroyed a deserted shop. It’s the site of the former Londis and Budgens, next to the Zen City Chinese Restaurant. Over 100 firefighters were in attendance getting the blaze under control.

Fire engines from as far afield as Corringham, Billercay and Wickford were called in. The building is home to a firm of solicitors, Jefferies Solicitors, and the amount of documents and paperwork at the site are believed to have made fighting the fire particularly tricky

Firefighters are still in attendance, and roads in the area are closed. Ten people has apparently had to be re-housed.

Here’s a shot from Google Streetmaps of the building as it was in 2010:

Londis, Hamlet Court Road approx 2010, copyright Google

If you’re using, of have used, Jefferies Solicitors, go to their website at www.essexlaw.co.uk where you’ll find details of the fire and an emergency phone number should you be worries about your documentation.

If you’re interested in how the people of Southend voted in the 5th May 2011 referendum, here are the results:

38% of the people of Southend turned out to vote

• Yes to AV: 13,488 (28%)
• No to AV: 34,365 (72%)

Hardly a surprise to anyone.  As was the fact that the Conservatives did well in the local elections. The Tories retained 28 of the 51 seats for Southend-on-Sea. The Lib Dems lost 2 seats (now with 10 seats), whilst Labour have just 4.

Well done to the 38% of Southenders who turned out to have their say.

We’d like to encourage all of our site visitors and forum regulars to visit Southend Pier, where The Worshipful the Mayor of Southend-on-Sea, Councillor Ann Holland will be signing the Sarfend Visitors Book at 1pm.

We’ll be adding photos from the event tomorrow, so stay tuned.

More information: Sarfend Visitors Book

In a final post, Goodbye to Longpier, the site’s owner James Harrod cites a lack of local sponsorship and problems with engagement of a  fellow journalist, as the prime reasons for the decision to close the Southend website.

With so few local websites  covering events in and around Southend, the (small) team here at Sarfend.co.uk are sad to see Longpier close its virtual doors today, as the site provided a great source of local news and opinion.

Many of our site visitors will know that, for a while, Longpier and Sarfend co-branded this site’s Southend Forum, which gives locals the chance to chat about things affecting Southenders past and present.

We wish James and the Longpier team all the best with their future ventures.

We’ve just been told that the incident in question relates to a raid by armed police an hour or two back.

Taxi plus one other car involved. Three fire vehicles in attendance with cutting gear. Two ambulances, plus two police units in attendance.

Police have closed westbound traffic along Kenilworth Gardens and are manually controlling the flow of traffic.

Live pic from the scene at 1950

In attendance, four fire engines, one ambulance, two rapid response vehicles and seven police cars. Clifftown Road closed. c2c trains suspended.

Just seen two police officers leading away a man in handcuffs. At least 6 fire brigade personnel inside railway station.

Update 2315 10Aug: Two men led away by police. Crowd rumour is that someone may have been pushed onto the train track.

Update 2320 10Aug: Emergency services now packing up. Train service restarted. One young man in a white shirt appears to have been walked to a waiting ambulance, after allegedly being pushed onto the track whilst a train was in the station, according to one bystander.

Update 2345 10Aug: all emergency services now left the scene, except for one British Transport Police van with flashing blues, which is blocking Tylers Avenue, closing off Clifftown Road for no apparent reason.

The 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, back from their third tour of duty in Afganistan are currently marching down Southend High Street, being cheered by thousands of locals.

The troops have just been inspected by the Mayor, the Deputy Colonel of the Royal Anglian Regiment, the Lord Lieutenant of Essex and the High Sheriff of Essex. The troops are now marching down the centre of the High Street towards the seafront.

The freedom of the borough of Southed is awarded to people that have rendered outstanding service to the community, and is the highest award that the council can make.

Here are a couple of pictures, live from the scene.

Update: See our forum for more photos and discussion: sarfend.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1276785742

Crowds started gathering at around 11am, with many waving the Union Jack. The parade is expected to start at 1230.

The scene from the centre of the High Street at noon:

Smoke is billowing from what looks like a blue hut or shed. Fireman have had to use short ladders to gain access to the site.

Taken at the scene in Leigh at 9:30pm for Sarfend.co.uk

In the General Election:

• Southend West: 46% of votes to Conservative. David Amess MP remains
• Rochford and Southend East: 47% of votes to Conservative. James Duddridge MP remains

In the local elections:

Conservatives increased their seats by 2, and control Southend Borough Council

• Conservative: Belfairs, Chalkwell, Eastwood Park, Kursaal, Milton, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, St Lukes, West Leigh, West Shoebury
• Liberal Democrats: Blenheim Park, Leigh, Prittlewell, St Laurence, Westborough
• Labour: Victoria
• Independent: Thorpe

Update: On the 13th of May 2010, councillor Ann Holland (Conservative) formally became the new Southend Mayor, taking over from Lib Dem Brian Smith.

We’ve checked in with a couple of polling stations in the Southend West constituency, and are told that turnout is good – higher than in previous elections.

The scene at one polling station in Leigh-on-Sea this lunchtime

Those voting today may be interested to find out just how your vote counts, and we’ve found some interesting information, courtesy of the website voterpower.org.uk

Rochford and Southend East: Listed as a “Fairly Safe” Conservative seat. Just over 69,000 voters

Southend West: Slightly smaller than the average constituency, with just over 66,000 eligible voters, this is a “Very Safe” Conservative seat. Apparently, a vote in this constituency only counts for 0.094 of a vote, based on the probability of the seat changing hands.

It’s a lovely day for a stroll to your local polling station, so make sure you excercise your right by 10pm tonight.

Those images are now live, and by typing an address into maps.google.co.uk , you’ll be able to see and navigate around to see what the cameras picked up.

If you’ve not used the service before – the trick is to type in a street address or postcode into maps.google.co.uk, then drag the little icon of a person from the controller on the left, and drop the person onto the appropriate street. You’re then in a scrollable view of that street and can move around, pan up, turn around and zoom.

Found anything interesting happening in Southend? Let us know below

It seems that the blaze has hit the showroom of Mad Dogs & Englishmen at 1345 London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, and Just Bikes at 1339 London Road, Leigh-on-Sea.

As of 19:55 on Sunday 05 April 2009, the fire is still blazing away. We saw at least six engines in attendance, including crew from Hadleigh, Leigh, Southend and Canvey Island. The aerial platform was also in use to fight the flames. The crews appeared to be drawing water from three different hydrants. We saw some of the crews donning breathing apparatus, and there were at least two ambulances in attendance.

According to initial reports, the fire may have started at Just Bikes, spreading to Mad Dogs. The petrol and oil at the rear of the bike shop, plus the paints and thinners at the furniture store had for a particularly nasty fire.

At the time of writing, the London Road remains closed between Elmsleigh Drive and Belfairs Drive, with a solid police cordon. Smoke and flames can be seen from quite a distance.

Lots of locals are in attendance to see what’s going on, and a fair few were snapping away on camera phones, capturing the scene for posterity.

As were we. Here are a few photos taken between 7 and 8pm:

Congrats to the emergency services for their hard work.

Contact us for images if required.