AIDS expert warns against complacency
Professor claims number of people with disease is on the increase
GOVERNMENT spending cuts in the fight against AIDS and complacency over the risk to the general public could make an epidemic among heterosexuals more likely, a leading expert warned yesterday.
Professor Nicholas Day is the author of an unpublished Public Health Laboratory Service report on the spread of AIDS which has been expected to revise official predictions of heterosexual victims downwards.
But he gave a rare interview yesterday, stressing his belief that his report had been grossly misrepresented and that numbers infected heterosexually were ' substantial ' and growing.
He spoke on a radio programme on which Health Secretary Virginia Bottomley defended AIDS spending cuts, saying the campaign should now be aimed at ' groups most at risk ' rather than at the wider population.
Professor Day, head of the Institute of Public Health at Cambridge University, said: ' I think it would be a disaster if the Government decided that a heterosexual epidemic was not a realistic prospect for the future.
If they acted accordingly it would increase the risk that just such an epidemic would occur, ' he warned.
Prof Day questioned the ' hidden agenda ' of newspapers which suggested his report indicated the AIDS threat to heterosexuals was over.
' The message they have been giving is totally irresponsible, ' he said.
Some had called for public acceptance that homosexuals and drug users were the only people facing a real risk of getting AIDS.
' It just isn't true that the number of people infected heterosexually in this country is minimal, ' he said.
Mrs Bottomley said Prof Day was' quite right ' that AIDS remained a very serious threat but added that new statistics made it possible to frame future policy ' according to facts, not fantasy '.
The campaign aimed at the general population had been right at a time when there was ignorance about AIDS, she said.
It had helped Britain to keep AIDS levels at a sixth of those in France and a third of Italy 's.
' But I think it is time to move on to target the groups most at risk, ' she said.
County seeking entrants for environment scheme
ESSEX County Council is looking for entrants for its 1993 Amenity Society Award Scheme.
The awards are aimed at encouraging local groups which have carried out projects relating to environmental issues.
Winners of the last awards included projects relating to Roman saltworks, a history of Wivenhoe, and a conservation project in Harlow.
There are five categories: written and illustrated, practical and physical, natural history projects, historic buildings and areas and school projects.
Scheme organiser Dawn Whitton said: ' Entries can include written reports or publications, tidying up campaigns, landscaping projects, studies of a species of wildlife, repairs to an historic building or a scheme to enhance a new development.
' Groups have put tremendous efforts into past projects and we always see a high standard of work. '
The winner of each category gets 200, and two other projects in each category will be highly commended.
Further details and application forms are available from the planning department at County Hall Chelmsford, on 0245 492211 extension 51671.
Props are sought for resort musical
A THEATRE group putting together props for its main summertime show is appealing for help to find two vital items.
Felixstowe Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society is staging the popular Annie at the resort's Spa Pavilion from June 16C19.
Backstage staff assembling and building the set are looking for a 1930s-style upright wheelchair, and a male ventriloquist's dummy.
Anyone who has either item which they could lend to FADOS for the production is asked to contact producer Bob Davies on Felixstowe 283133.
Taking the lead part of Annie in the musical will be 11-year-old Zoe Jones, with Laura Cheadle, both of Felixstowe, as her understudy.
The other orphans will be played by Liz Stephenson, Lucy Mitchell, Faye Dyke, Jo Lewis and Brie Harrison.
FADOS members are enjoying a busy year and will be presenting regular Wednesday Summer Variety shows at the Spa, the comedy-drama Arsenic And Old Lace in October, and a revue, Happy Days (are Here Again) in November.
Villagers keep age-old tradition alive
ESSEX villagers rediscovered the outer limits of their parishes yesterday as they re-enacted the centuries-old custom of Beating the Bounds.
The ceremony is a tradition associated with Rogation Sunday  the fifth Sunday after Easter  when some churches also hold open-air services and bless newly sown crops.
However, the origins of the practice are thought to pre-date Christianity in Britain, with earlier pagan fertility rites having been adapted by the Church in the fifth century.
Willow branches
This explains the traditional use of branches from the willow tree  noted for its vigorous growth  to beat the line of the boundary.
Beating the Bounds also served a practical purpose in the days before maps, reminding villagers where the boundaries of their parish and the areas of common land within actually lay.
Today, participation in the event is encouraged by the Open Spaces Society, which was formed in 1865 to fight for the preservation of Hampstead Heath and which now campaigns nationally for the protection of commons, village greens and footpaths.
Among the groups in Essex who carried on the tradition yesterday were members of the Great Tey Footpath Preservation Society and villagers from neighbouring Chappel, who teamed up for a 14-mile walk around the boundaries of the two parishes.
Their route also included the boundary of Chappel village green, where children in the party were given the bumps  another echo of the ceremony's original purpose.
' The idea was to pass on the information from generation to generation, so children traditionally played a very important part, ' said a spokeswoman for the Open Spaces Society.
' They would beat the boundary stones or other landmarks with willow wands and sometimes the adults would bump the children's heads gently on the ground to imprint the knowledge in their memories. '
There are 8,675 commons and 3,865 village greens in England and Wales, mainly remnants of the medieval manorial system of land division.
' The openness of commons and greens is an important feature in the landscape, ' said the society spokeswoman.
' Their history, archaeology, wildlife and value for informal recreation are very high.
Ancient land/
' But all too often the margins of our commons and greens are subject to encroachment.
If no action is taken, it frequently results in the loss of common land.
' Beating the bounds will remind local people just where their commons and greens are and discourage encroachments and other unlawful works, thus contributing to the safeguarding of these ancient pieces of land. '
Beating the Bounds: villagers getting to know Chappel
Tories confident policies will work
Ministers rally to back Major
A CLUTCH of Cabinet Ministers rallied behind the Prime Minister yesterday, hoping to calm the atmosphere as Tory economic policies start to take effect.
President of the Board of Trade Michael Heseltine denied Tory MPs were looking for a new leader, saying: ' We know that so long as we keep our nerve and pursue policies that are important we can come through.
I haven't the slightest doubt that is what is going to happen. '
Home Secretary Kenneth Clarke said of Mr Major: ' I am sure he will retain the leadership for many years to come and he is in the process of emerging from the Government's present difficulties. '
As they launched a follow-up operation to Mr Major's fight-back speech to Scottish Tories at Edinburgh on Friday, Health Secretary Virginia Bottomley warned that the Government must take seriously claims it is out of touch with what ' ordinary people ' are thinking.
' We have heard a lot of that in the last ten days, ' she told a meeting at St John's College, Cambridge, yesterday.
' But we should take it seriously, nonetheless.
Those in authority need to share the problems of those by whose grace that authority is exercised.
We need to put ourselves in the other person's shoes. '
Mrs Bottomley said that in her South-West Surrey constituency she had heard at first hand many stories of personal anguish, crisis and despair in the last hard year.
' The misery of unemployment or of repossession is all the more stark for seeing it written in a face rather than on a page.
It should not surprise us that misery turns to protest when the temptation of the ballot box invites. '
The plan was for a show of swift action by a ' listening Government ' to counter the demoralising effects of the Newbury and county council election disasters on May 6.
Today the Prime Minister will hear from party business managers, who have been taking soundings nation-wide, about how his speech to the Scottish Tories on Friday was received by Conservative MPs and rank-and-file workers alike throughout the country.
Four face charges after pub violence
FOUR men are due to appear in court in Mildenhall today after an incident in a Haverhill pub which left two people needing hospital treatment.
Two men from London were charged with affray, criminal damage and possession of offensive weapons last night after the incident at The Bull in Camps Road.
Two Haverhill men have been charged with threatening behaviour and possession of offensive weapons.
The condition of the two people injured was not known last night.
Museum puts on a show for children
YOUNG visitors to Colchester Castle Museum during their half-term holiday will have the chance to get their hands dirty, talk to a cave man  and even answer back one of the exhibits.
On Monday, May 31, and Tuesday, June 1 there will be pottery workshops where visitors will be able to use genuine Roman techniques and designs to make their own Ante-fix (and to find out what an Ante-fix is you will have to go along).
During the following two days, a flint knapper will be crafting tools among the castle's prehistoric displays, and on June 4 and 5 the museum's Spitting Image-style puppet Bulbus Ludicrus, the Roman legionary, will again be in residence.
He will be telling stories about his life and times in Roman Colchester, giving children an authentic insight into the town's past.
All the activities take place between 11am and 4pm.
The museum is open from 10am to 5pm, Mondays to Saturdays, and from 2pm to 5pm on Sundays.
Council told recovery action needed
New council tax payment snags
BRAINTREE District Council is having to face up to a need to take recovery action over the new council tax.
Treasurer Bernie Gaught is telling councillors that it is' inevitable ' that some people will be taken to court.
The council has however already collected 353,000 in cash plus another 856,000 by direct debit.
Mr Gaught said that valuations of houses in the various bandings were ' a main area of discontent, ' because the scope of value was possibly too narrow at either end of the spectrum.
Mr Gaught also foresees problems where there is joint liability and liability for second homes, and houses with multiple occupation.
' Apart from the appeals procedures on valuations, ' said Mr Gaught, ' the other main area of contention will certainly be the discounts to be applied. '
Students and carers are likely to be among those who will be affected by this.
Another problem is trying to ensure that as many disabled people as possible claim their rightful reductions.
Mr Gaught tells of problems with the transitional reduction scheme, designed to help those faced with bills much higher than the previous community charge.
He said: ' This appears at first glance to be quite a simple scheme, until we come to actually explaining it to the customer.
We have encountered a number of difficulties where the calculation of the scheme charge is certainly not what the customer expects to see on his bill. '
Services for mentally-ill at centre of plan to unite with trust
Health chiefs go to public on merger bid
PUBLIC consultation is to start over plans to merge mental health services in mid Essex with the district's community health NHS trust.
Mid Essex Mental Health Services is one of the few remaining branches of the NHS in the county still answerable directly to its local health authority rather than having trust status.
Managers of the service, supported by watchdog body the Mid Essex Community Health Council, have always been keen any merger should involve another locally-based trusts.
However, there has been some pressure at health authority level for the mental health service in mid Essex to merge instead with its counterpart in north-east Essex, which is already a trust.
Mergers of health authority-run services with trusts have been criticised by some opponents of the Government's NHS reforms as obtaining trust status' by the back door '.
The Department of Health told health authorities last autumn such mergers would only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.
It later issued new guidelines on the procedure.
Under the new proposal for mental health services in mid Essex, there will be a three-month period of public consultation, running until August 17.
If the merger is then approved by Health Secretary Virginia Bottomley, the Mid Essex Community Health Trust will be dissolved on March 31 next year and replaced the following day by a new trust also embracing the mental health services.
Instead of being run directly by a health authority, NHS trusts obtain their funding from contracts placed by health authorities and GPs.
Although technically still responsible to the North Essex health authority, Mid Essex Mental Health Services is already managed on a contract basis by the community health trust with which it is planned to merge.
Copies of the merger document are being sent to organisations and individuals in the area.
They will also be available for inspection at public libraries.
Comments on the application should be addressed to the North East Thames Regional Health Authority, 40 Eastbourne Terrace, London W2 3QR.
Lazy Sunday afternoon: Simon Curtis, 16, relaxes beside the River Blackwater at Kelvedon
Dam-busters' dead recalled
Bonn: RESIDENTS of Germany's small western city of Arnsberg yesterday commemorated the 1,400 people who drowned 50 years ago after British ' bouncing bombs' smashed the Moehne dam.
Silent citizens marched from the city centre to the mass grave of those who died in the flood released by the destruction of the dam.
' More than 1,400 died, including 750 prisoners-of-war from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, ' an Arnsberg Press statement said.
Conmen take clock from elderly woman
TWO MEN claiming to be from the electricity board tricked their way into the home of an elderly Essex woman and stole an antique carriage clock and jewellery, police have revealed.
The incident happened at about 3.30pm on Friday, when the pair called at a house in Main Road, Danbury, saying they had come to check the meter.
Detective Constable Peter Phillips said one of the men went round the house with the woman, checking points, while the other stayed in the kitchen.
When they left she found an antique carriage clock in the hallway missing and also some jewellery.
Det Con Phillips said it was not known how much the stolen items were worth.
' She is very confused about what happened, ' he said.
' It is a callous thing to do, to prey on a vulnerable elderly woman. '
One of the men was aged about 40, white, 5ft 6in, of slim build, with short, dark brown hair, clean shaven, and wearing a navy zip-up jacket.
The second was white, 6ft, well built, and with dark brown hair slightly longer than the first.
Anyone able to help is asked to phone Chelmsford police on (0245) 491212.
New Essex guide to a fun day out
A DAY out in Essex could bring you face to face with sharks, tigers or an Egyptian mummy  provided you know where to look.
The county council's tourism department has released a new edition of its guide, Essex  Places to Visit, to help local families or visitors to the region choose their destination.
A new feature of the guide this year is the inclusion of information for those with mobility problems, whether they be people confined to a wheelchair or with walking difficulties or families with children in prams or pushchairs.
It follows research by the county council and the Essex Physically Handicapped Association which has led to many of the visitor attractions being graded for accessibility.
A new attraction included in the latest edition is the Sealife Centre at Southend, featuring an underwater tunnel with dramatic views of sea creatures.
It opens next month and is likely to join Colchester Zoo, Clacton Pier and Audley End House as one of the county's most popular attractions.
A copy of the 16-page full colour guide can be obtained free by contacting Essex Tourist Information Centre at County Hall, Chelmsford, CM1 1GG, tel: (0245) 283400.
Princess will open town's new hospice
THE Princess of Wales will officially open a 2.5 million hospice when she visits Suffolk in July.
During her visit to the county the princess will open the St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds, and then move on to Sudbury for two more special engagements.
Lady Miriam Hubbard, hospice chairman, was delighted the princess had agreed to open the unit.
She said patients and staff at the hospice were looking forward to the visit.
' Everybody loves her and is very supportive of her.
She will be shown all around the hospice and meet patients and staff, ' said Lady Miriam.
She said the princess's helicopter would touch down only yards from the hospice building in Bury's picturesque Hardwick Heath on July 27.
Lady Miriam's three-year-old granddaughter, Franchesca Hubbard, will present her with a posy of flowers when she arrives.
Lady Miriam said the princess will unveil a special plaque to mark the opening of the new hospice, which she describes as a vital addition to health care facilities in the area.
The unit offers home care, day care, a ten-bed in-patient unit and counselling, she said.
' It is one of the few hospices in the country to have all four services actually working from one centre. '
Lady Miriam said the new building is needed because the former St Nicholas Hospice, in Westgate Street, Bury, is too small to house an in-patient unit.
The new hospice, which has been fully up and running since March, was built with funds from a 2.5 million appeal launched in 1991.
During Princess Diana's visit to Bury, which is believed to be her first, she will also attend a conference organised by the St Matthew Society.
The princess is patron of the charity, which provides accommodation for homeless people and then helps them find homes of their own.
Young asked to help save planet
LIBRARIES across Essex are inviting the county's younger readers to take the battle to save the planet into their own homes.
Over the next few weeks, the main libraries in Chelmsford, Colchester, Southend, Clacton, Harlow, Basildon, Saffron Walden and Thurrock will be stocking a leaflet called Helping the Earth Begins at Home.
Children will also be able to get a Save the Earth money box, in which they will be asked to put money each time someone in their family wastes energy, for example by leaving on a light or boiling a full kettle of water for one cup of tea.
Money collected as a result can be paid in at branches of the Halifax Building Society and will be given to the Barnardos charity.
The campaign is an Environment Department initiative that is also being supported by Essex County Council's property services division.
It is responsible for the care of council-owned buildings, including areas such as energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly materials.
Government set for week of setbacks
Figures to show recovery is slowing down
GOVERNMENT euphoria surrounding the performance of the economy in recent weeks may burst this week after new statistics which are forecast to show Britain's climb out of recession is slowing.
Factory production, high street sales and unemployment figures are all expected to reveal a more sober picture after recent buoyant indicators, economists believe.
' Figures over the past two months have been suspiciously strong, unbelievably strong.
It is very unlikely they can be sustained, ' said John Shepperd, economist with merchant bank SG Warburg.
' There is no doubt of a recovery, but we are more likely to see a gentle climb rather than any sort of a boom, ' he said.
Pundits are unanimous that recovery has arrived, but the string of statistics which have pointed to a vigorous upturn in the early part of the year have been greeted with caution.
City consensus is that economic realities will reassert themselves this week in the form of rising unemployment and weaker retail sales growth and industrial production.
The number of jobless is forecast to have risen about 15,000 in April after two unexpected months of decline.
Retail sales volumes are also expected to have come off the boil last month after rising strongly over the past quarter.
Industrial production, which measures manufacturing output and energy production, is tipped to have fallen back sharply in March  the latest figure available  after a sharp drop in oil and gas production.
SG Warburgs expect manufacturing output to have fallen about 0.5 per cent on the month.
The weaker figures will renew pressure on Chancellor Norman Lamont to consider another interest rate cut to ensure the upturn is not derailed.
But the statistics would have to be extremely bad before Mr Lamont seriously considers such a move.
Half-century show is young farmers' best
THE 50th anniversary show organised by Essex Young Farmers and held at the Great Leighs Showground yesterday, displayed every aspect of the world of agriculture.
The show, the biggest and best yet, featured not only competitions but continued with its farming and countryside theme, which has been popularised in years gone by.
The Essex group consists of 17 Young Farmers Clubs, and all were represented at the show.
Arena displays boasted heavy horses, including Shires and Suffolk Punches, a sheepdog demonstration, falconry, vintage machinery, tug-of-war, axemen, lawnmower racing, traction engines, dog display team, country dancing and not least, gundogs.
There were more than 100 trade stands, including vast displays of sophisticated hi-tech agricultural machinery.
Bang up-to-date tractors were seen alongside diminutive pre-war vehicles, and the latest in creature comforts in the modern cabs provided a startling contrast to the metal seat and open-to-the-elements driving position of a 1930 machine.
The display by the Farm Machinery Preservation Society included a 1938 Fordson tractor, plus early post-war machines.
The FMPS has been at the show for 20 years, and its display included static engines, used in the past to drive water pumps, mills and generators, said FMPS organiser Jeffrey Giblin.
Livestock on show included rare breeds.
Star attraction among the livestock for many people was a sow with a litter, belonging to Mr Tom Pitt of Chelmsford.
Organiser Andrew Gemmell said the rare breeds were growing in popularity, with more farmers taking them on, not just as a hobby but as livestock to help out on farms.
These included Highland and Longhorn, Sussex and Dexter cattle.
Mr Gemmell said some of the rare breeds of sheep, cross bred, were proving hardier than normal animals.
Sheep at the show included Wensleydale, Jacob, and Manx.
Visitors were able to see sheep shearing and cattle milking and get close to the docile farm animals.
At work and play: Christine Michaeledes and Rocky, left, of Great Leighs, watching the sheepdog trials while Brian Bourn, above, of Little Baddow, gets to work on his 1924 Firequeen Burrell steamroller at the Essex Young Farmers' Show
Stiff competition: Jessica Brown, ten, of Chelmsford, left, gathers pace in the pony relay race while Michelle Buntins takes the tug-of-war strain for the Thaxted Young Farmers
In step: Derek Murfitt in the ring with Shire horse Fenland Jake
Everest woman set for historic ascent
MOUNTAIN adventurer Rebecca Stephens was yesterday thought to have set off on the final stage of a climb which will make her the first British women to reach the top of Everest.
It is the 31-year-old journalist's second attempt to complete her ascent of the world's tallest peak after an earlier effort was aborted due to bad weather.
Lesley Springall, spokeswoman for the Everest DHL 40 expedition, said the latest contact with the climber from London indicated she was' gearing up to set off '  just 3,000ft away from the 29,000ft peak.
The news came on the day another record-breaker, Harry Taylor, 33, returned home after he became the first Briton to reach the summit from the Nepalese side without the aid of oxygen.
The former SAS officer from Oxfordshire suffered exhaustion, snow blindness and frostbite when he was forced to spend three days above 23,000 feet after his initial ascent.
Mr Taylor arrived at Heathrow in a wheelchair to be greeted by organisers and his girlfriend Veruschka Hoffman.
Top of the world: record-breaker Harry Taylor
BIRDS of prey were on display with both static and flying exhibitions at Cressing Temple yesterday.
The event, staged by husband and wife team Terry and Jill Garrard, included static displays of hawks, owls and falcons with experts telling the onlookers about the birds and their habitat.
The flying display, with a falconer, showed how they could be controlled, even in free flight.
Mr Garrard has kept birds of prey all his life, and he and his wife gave up their jobs to start the Feather Perfect Display Team, and often put on displays for children.
His wife Jill said: ' By showing the children these magnificent birds we emphasise the need for conservation of all our wildlife and the countryside. '
It's a hoot: Terry Garrard with a European eagle owl
Armed police raid house
AN IMITATION firearm was discovered by armed police officers who raided a house in Colchester.
The operation, centred on an address in Sanderson Mews, was undertaken on Friday afternoon and resulted in three arrests.
No shots were fired.
Police at first declined to comment on the nature of the inquiry, but at the weekend a spokesman confirmed that an imitation firearm had been recovered.
Of the three people held, one was freed without charge and the other two released on police bail pending further inquiries.
Men on 2m forged notes charges
THREE men are to appear in court today following the discovery of 2 million-worth of forged 50 notes.
The charges follow raids by detectives from the South East Regional Crime Squad at addresses in Essex and north London.
In addition to the forged notes, found in a garage in east London, officers also seized equipment for inserting foil strips into notes.
The raids on homes in Basildon, Islington and Hackney came as part of an operation in connection with the National Criminal Intelligence Service.
Two men are to appear at Highbury Corner magistrates' court in north London and the third at Thames magistrates' court in east London, charged with conspiracy to contravene the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act, Scotland Yard said.
Castle is setting for play
THE impressive walls and towers of Framlingham Castle were the setting for a highly entertaining version of Shakespeare's Henry V yesterday.
Members of the The Odd Socks Clown Theatre performed the shortened version of the play in 40 minutes.
The three members of Odd Socks, who enact the tale based on the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, introduced themselves as a 15-strong cast of Elizabethan actors who have lost 12 members en route to Framlingham.
Consequently, the enjoyable show relied heavily on voluntary audience participation to act out the battle scenes.
The actors also play the horse that pulls their cart and perform juggling, tumbling and let off mock cannon fire.
An English Heritage spokeswoman said: ' This is one of the many English Heritage entertainments and displays taking place this summer.
Proceeds will go towards the vital restoration and conservation of historic properties looked after by English Heritage '.
Centres ready to hand out advice
FOR more information you should contact the following: Essex Business Centre 0245C283030: offers women-only training and an Options For Change programme, covering confidence building, skills assessment and job search techniques.
Colchester Business Enterprise Agency 0206C48833: free advice for those starting or running their own business, courses and workshops.
Essex Rivers Healthcare 0206C834641: information on stress, assertiveness training and Look After Yourself programmes.
Colchester Institute 0206C761660: 250 full and part-time courses.
Also acts as the centre for Accreditation of Prior Learning scheme whereby skills and experience can be accredited towards qualifications.
Essex University 0206C873387.
Anglia Polytechnic University 0245C493131.
Greyfriars Adult Education Centre 0206C42242: offers free guidance, creche and 600 courses.
Colchester Careers Centre 0206 575618
Tanker in need of refit
Sir,  I am indebted to Mrs Swindin for her lucid article of May 10, in which she explains in whose hands the Suffolk County Council has been in until quite recently.
Apparently it has been similar to the crew of a huge tanker somewhere on the high seas sailing hither and tither no doubt, for four long years after setting out, and returning just in time for the recent elections.
No wonder then that communications with the landlubbers of Suffolk has been so remote.
After four years at sea and now without compass and sextant, apparently the main attributes of its navigational aids, the old tub and crew are in need of a refit and the new establishment would be most foolish to embark upon the same kind of voyage.
J.I. HOWARD, Glendale, Upper Street, Witnesham.
Driver not to blame for accident
Quarry death will not result in prosecution
SAFETY officials are not going to prosecute anyone following the death of a worker at a quarry near Ipswich.
A 47-year-old man died after an accident involving a 17-ton loading shovel at the Redland Aggregates site at Barham.
He was Daniel Doncaster, 47, of The White House, Ardleigh, Colchester.
Brian Brunswick, of the Health and Safety Executive, which investigated the case, said it appeared that the driver of the vehicle checked to see if anyone was behind him before reversing.
Mr Doncaster, knowing that the driver would start using his power shovel, walked into his blind spot when the engine started, said Mr Brunswick, who is HM principal inspector of factories for the HSE.
' The Health and Safety Executive decided it would be inappropriate to take any form of legal action in regard to the fatal accident, ' said Mr Brunswick.
However, he added that investigations were still proceeding over another accident which happened 12 days before Mr Doncaster's death.
The result of this inquiry should be known in about two weeks.
That accident victim, trucker Harry Martinson, is still recovering at home in Hatfield Road, Ipswich, following the accident in April.
Mr Martinson, 44, was burned by boiling bitumen while dumping it.
The material was deemed faulty and Mr Martinson was emptying it from his truck when it splashed over him, causing severe burns.
He still visits Ipswich Hospital each week for dressing changes and expects to be back at work in about five weeks.
His consultant was impressed with the speed that the arm was repairing in places.
Mr Martinson was especially grateful for a modern medical process which may mean that his skin will repair without having skin grafts.
' I 'm left with three deep burns which they're treating, two on the arm and one on the knee.
It looks as though I won't need skin grafts but we're not sure yet.
' It's just a case of letting the skin heal. '
Jousting display helps school raise funds
CASH raised at a display of medieval jousting will pay for a wildlife garden at a Suffolk school.Pupils, parents and staff from St Jame's Middle School, in Bury St Edmunds, were entertained by members of the International Jousting Association on Saturday.Headteacher Bob Thackray said the group gave a demonstration of the skills and equipment needed to take part in jousting before the display itself got under way.
He said entertainment also included a whole range of craft stalls, games and competitions, all organised by the pupils.
' There were 200 children helping in one way or another, ' he said.
Mr Thackray said some of the cash raised, which he hopes will be well over 2,000, would be used to construct an environmental area in the school grounds.The rest of the money would boost school funds, he added.
Doing battle: Professional jousters clash at St Jame's Middle School, Bury St Edmunds Picture by Keith Mindham
Tinker aids
BR replace old trains on railway named after Lovejoy
TINKER Dill, the sidekick on TV of wheeler-dealer Lovejoy, helped British Rail consign some of its antique trains to the history books.
Actor Dudley Sutton, who plays Tinker in the BBC1 series, unveiled the first trains to be introduced on the Marks Tey to Sudbury branch since steam was abandoned 30 years ago.
The official start of the new service today will also coincide with a marketing drive to promote the branch, which BR's Network SouthEast division has re-styled the Lovejoy Line.
Most of the series is filmed in north Essex and south Suffolk, boosting interest locally and nationally in the locations used and the countryside in general.
As part of the NSE marketing drive, notices giving details of local places to visit have been put up at stations along the line, including the intermediate stops at Bures and Chappel and Wakes Colne  home of the East Anglian Railway Museum.
Two leaflets explaining walks which can be made from the stations have also been published, with help from the Sudbury and Marks Tey Rail Users' Association, and a range of special family fare deals is to be introduced next month.
The ' new ' rolling stock  actually about four years old  involves Sprinter diesel multiple units hired by NSE from Regional Railways, the provincial services division of BR.
They replace familiar Class 101 DMUs, which were introduced across East Anglia as steam locomotives were withdrawn but are themselves now becoming something of a rarity.
The new service got off to an inauspicious start when the unit earmarked for a media preview on Friday had to be substituted due to technical problems.
There were murmurs from the platform when the less than pristine replacement set arrived  but NSE's Great Eastern operations manager Dave Sargent said he was confident the units would prove popular with travellers.
' Obviously the appearance of the train is important, but a vehicle in public service is bound to deteriorate and a perfect finish does not last for ever, ' he said.
' I think the vehicles are a vast improvement and I am sure the public will notice. '
The old stock had given ' sterling service ' over the years but was now at the end of its useful life and becoming notorious for rattling windows and engine noise.
Passengers on the new Sprinter units would find them quieter, with a smoother ride, better acceleration, more comfortable seats and improved heating and ventilation.
However, although the new units are capable of speeds up to 75 mph, Mr Sargent said their introduction would not result in shorter journey times.
Restrictions imposed by the nature of the track would limit the operating speed to 50 mph and the large capital sums required to upgrade the line were not available.
On the right track: Dudley Sutton at Marks Tey station
Transplant will make history
Essex boy set for life-saving operation
DOCTORS will today start tests on Essex toddler Rhys Daniels, who looks set soon to have a life-saving bone marrow transplant.
Two-year-old Rhys, from Epping, arrived in Bristol yesterday to settle in before three days of medical investigations at the city's Children's Hospital.
The tests will be carried out in the specialist bone marrow unit, which is planning the world-first transplant on the boy at the centre of a legal tussle over the closure of the Westminster Children's Hospital.
But time is short for Rhys, who has Batten's Disease, a rare genetic disorder which can rapidly lead to dementia and blindness.
In children it is fatal before the age of seven.
No-one was ever had a transplant for the inherited disorder.
Rhys's five-year-old sister Charly also has the condition and for her it is too late.
Parents Barry and Carmen Daniels have been involved in a legal battle to force Health Secretary Virginia Bottomley to reopen London's Westminster Children's Hospital, where a transplant was to have taken place.
Millionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, the owner of Harrod 's, has offered to pay for Rhys's treatment anywhere in the world.
The youngster was referred earlier this year to the Bristol unit, which has carried out 50 transplants involving unrelated donors  the highest number in Britain.
Dr Jackie Cornish, the hospital's transplant co-ordinator, has said there are at least two possible donors lined up following a search of the national bone marrow registers.
Due to patient confidentiality, the United Bristol Healthcare Trust has declined to discuss arrangements for Rhys.
But if the youngster follows normal patterns he will return home after the tests to await the selection of the donor and final preparations for the NHS hospital procedure.
The transplant process takes six weeks.
Before the transplant Rhys will face an intensive course of chemotherapy.
He will spend almost the entire time in an isolation cubicle within the unit's small ward until the new bone marrow becomes effective.
His parents will be able to stay overnight in the hospital or in home-from-home hospital accommodation nearby.
Dr Who fanatic is a real mastermind
Dr Who fan Gavin Fuller, 24, last night became the youngest ever champion of Mastermind.
Gavin, from Fareham, Hants, an archivist in the historic ship HMS Warrior, based at Portsmouth, scored 32 points to win the 21st competition.
He beat runner-up Barrie Douce, 23, by one point in the final at the Commonwealth Institute, London.
Gavin, who chose The Crusades, 1095C1154, as his final specialist subject, said: ' It came as a great surprise to win.
I'd applied for Mastermind in three previous years but was unsuccessful and even had an audition in 1989. '
In his first round he chose Dr Who as his specialist subject.
' I 'm a great fan and over the years have accumulated a vast knowledge on the subject.
I've seen most of the programmes and for Mastermind it was just a question of re-reading all the Dr Who books again. '
Watching the final were 17 past winners and members of the Mastermind club  a 500-strong organisation of people who have taken part.
Pirate DJ hijacks airwaves again
ONE-time pirate radio disc jockey Keith Skues' hi-jacked ' the airwaves again on Saturday  or so listeners were led to believe.
Ray Anderson, who presents the Juke Box Memories programme on the Tendring-based station Mellow 1557, was' interrupted ' half an hour into his show on Saturday morning.
Instead, listeners heard the voice of Keith Skues, the veteran from the days of Radio Caroline and Radio London  which were anchored off the Essex coast  and who later joined Radio One.
The take-over was explained away as the result of a technical mix-up, with Keith supposedly recording a two-hour special which was accidentally broadcast live.
' Reaction'
In fact, the hijack was a plot hatched between the two presenters to fox listeners, some of whom phoned to find out what was going on.
' The reaction from listeners was very good, ' said Ray after the stunt.
' We have had calls from all over the place.
' Our music is 50s, 60s and 70s-orientated over the weekend and Keith was a big name around here in the 60s, and in fact still is. '
He added that Keith's return to the airwaves was a one-off for the time being, although he could be on the look-out for a job when he finished work on a book.
Gagged: Keith Skues silences Ray Anderson
Priorities in wrong order?
Sir,  If Asil Nadir was a Labour supporting council home dweller, standing accused of defrauding the DSS of 100, no doubt Peter Lilley would, even as I write, be leading an SAS scratch squad to being him back to justice.
DAVID MITCHELL, Woodstock, Pettaugh.
Major must act to stop the drift at the Treasury
IN HIS short time as Chancellor, Norman Lamont has made an unusually large number of mistakes.
His first was his refusal to devalue the pound until he was forced to do so; had he devalued in mid 1991 as he should have done, the recession would have been over much sooner.
The prolonged recession wrecked Government finances, as income from taxation fell and spending on social security rose.
Mr Lamont made matters worse in his autumn statement of 1991 and his spring Budget of 1992 when he increased spending and cut taxation.
If these measures had been designed to encourage investment, or to create jobs, they would at least have restored economic growth.
As it was, they merely added to Government borrowing while allowing the recession to continue as before.
Needing to borrow 50,000 million this year, Mr Lamont had to promise his creditors that he would put his accounts in order as soon as possible.
To that end, he announced in March that he would be raising taxation next year, and again the year after that.
Proposals for higher taxes on incomes have been grudgingly accepted, but the introduction of VAT on domestic fuel has not.
People always protest against new forms of taxation, and in this case they will protest now when it is threatened, and again next year when half is imposed and half is threatened, and again in 1995 when the full effect is felt on fuel bills.
These protests will be all the stronger, because the Cabinet has already changed its mind on a number of issues.
In Margaret Thatcher's day, most people thought that complaining was a waste of time; but a ' listening ' Government must expect to be shouted at, loud and long.
While Ministers might like to please the voters by abandoning VAT on fuel, they know that this would be disastrous abroad.
If foreign bankers thought that the UK was not serious about balancing its books at some future time, they would be reluctant to lend their money at low interest.
Indeed, it is likely that the Chancellor, whoever he may be, will have to consider even higher taxation in the next year or two, than has already been announced.
If that Chancellor is not to be Mr Lamont, he could quickly become as unpopular as Mr Lamont.
Mr Lamont has, by his mismanagement of the economy, ensured that none of his colleagues will be canvassing hard for his job.
Yet in the national interest as well as for the electoral advantage of his own party, the Prime Minister can not let matters drift any further.
Last week, he promised that there would be no more boom and bust.
The last Prime Minister to give an undertaking of that kind was Harold Wilson in the 1960s  and he went on to deliver bust without boom.
It is not a happy precedent and if Mr Major is to avoid it, he needs somebody at the Treasury who commands confidence, and who deserves it.
That somebody is not Mr Lamont.
IRELAND'S historic second successive Eurovision Song Contest victory has left the Republic with a potential multi-million pound hangover after a night of celebrating.
The rules of the 38-year-old competition oblige the winning country to stage the following year's event  and that could lead to problems for Ireland's state-backed network, RTE.
The weekend's spectacular was held at a surprise but successful venue, a specially-converted showjumping arena in the tiny Co Cork market town of Millstreet.
It was the most expensive venture entered into by RTE, and might result in a shortfall.
Liam Miller, the producer, sounded a cautious note later, saying the spectacular had been a 2.5 million operation involving a lot of time and resources.
Niamh Kavanagh, 25, the Dublin bank clerk who won with the song In Your Eyes, was caught in night-long celebrations with composer Jimmy Walsh and members of her family.
Niamh's victory came in a nail-biting final moment of the competition against Britain's Sonia with Better The Devil You Know.
The two had battled it out in the scoring and until the final vote from the Maltese jury, filing later than scheduled because of a technical fault, either could have won.
Malta gave 12 points to Ireland and none to Britain.
The final figures were Ireland 187, United Kingdom 164, Switzerland 148, France 121.
Singing success: Bank clerk Niamh Kavanagh, who sang Jimmy Walsh's winning song at the Eurovision Song Contest, pictured by Loch Lein in Co Cork
Disease-free supplies have Anglian connection
Hybrid seed cure
End believed in sight for coconut crisis
THANKS to the work of a Suffolk man and the company he founded a decade ago, an end could be in sight for a crisis affecting the coconut industry around the world.
David Anderson of Bures is a director of the Costa Rican company SACRAC, whose disease-free hybrid coconut palm seed has just been licensed for import into the United States, Mexico and Honduras.
The decision, reports Phil Wisdom, coincides with a shortage of disease-free seed from other sources, is expected to send demand for SACRAC's seed soaring after years of research and marketing.
The firm was founded ten years ago by Mr Anderson, an investment consultant who once worked in the tea business, and ex-commodity broker Richard Illingworth, to provide Latin America with seed.
SACRAC established its seed garden in Costa Rica in 1986, using 5,000 Malayan Dwarf palms, which are resistant to Lethal Yellowing Disease, and quickly achieving spectacular results.
However, it proved difficult to persuade growers to accept the new seed  until problems in Ivory Coast and Jamaica, the main seed-producing nations, led to a drastic reduction in supplies from these states.
' We were literally giving the stuff away just to get people to use it, ' said Mr Anderson.
' It has been a tough haul but things are starting to pick up.
' We have been inundated with inquiries from the USA.
Palm trees are mostly used for decoration there, but they are very important.
' No one believes they are in Florida until they see a palm tree. '
Bosnian Muslims feel betrayed
OUTGUNNED Muslim forces fought off Serb and Croat attacks on two fronts yesterday as Bosnian Serbs voted on an international peace plan they seem certain to reject.
The powerful Serbs and Croats, who between them control most of Bosnia, seemed poised to squeeze the weak Muslim-led government forces and try to carve up most of the state between them.
Bosnian government officials, feeling stabbed in the back by former ally Croatia, believe the peace plan is dead and the end may be near.
' We don't have a chance, ' said Kemal Muftic, spokesman and chief adviser to Bosnia's Muslim President Alija Izetbegovic.
International mediator Lord Owen appealed for thousands more peacekeepers to protect Muslims in United Nations-designated safe areas.
However, the UN commander for Bosnia, General Philippe Morillon, insisted the peace plan was still on track.
He was speaking at Sarajevo airport after Bosnian Serb commander General Ratko Mladic and Bosnian Croat commander General Milivoje Petkovic signed an agreement to cease fire throughout Bosnia on Tuesday.
Other truces have been repeatedly broken in the past week.
This weekend's referendum was supposed to be the Bosnian Serbs' last word on the Vance-Owen peace plan, which has been rejected three times by their self-styled parliament.
US President Bill Clinton has dismissed the referendum as a ploy to buy time, and is expected to press reluctant Europeans for military action against Bosnia's Serbs.
But Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev made it plain that his country still prefers peacekeepers to military action.
Be thankful for the country
' May birds are always cheeping '
YESTERDAY was Rogation Sunday, the rituals of which are very old and its roots go far back into pre-Christian times.
They first appear in the fifth Century AD as part of the Christian scene.
It is a quaint custom in which our villagers' beat the bounds, ' ride around on trailers pulled by tractors and sit on bales of straw.
Usually God's blessing on the fruit of the land is sought, with a reading and prayers said in some field or farmyard.
Thursday is Ascension Day when the church observes the bodily ascension of Christ into heaven.
At this time the old custom of well-dressing takes place, when wells are adorned with flowers.
The ancient superstition is that the water gods required a sacrifice to keep them content, and the church later named wells after saints and called them holy wells.
Many still believe that water from a well is pure and health-giving.
With so many changes in the countryside I think it is nice to keep the old traditions as, once they are dropped, it will be a job to get them going again.
A lot has been said in the Press and on television about the noises and smells of the countryside.
Perhaps I will be thought outspoken, but so often it is those people who have moved into the country that complain.
I could hardly believe reading in one of the London papers, that cows are under threat and are being monitored for their noise level.
This really takes the biscuit!!
With all the trouble in the world, the atrocious killing and starving people, it annoys me that there are some people kicking up a fuss about the noise and smells from the farms.
There was one case where cockerels crowing in the night upset the neighbours.
I can't help agreeing with my brother that if some of the townspeople did a good day's hard work, they would be too tired to lie and listen to see if a cock was crowing in the night or the early dawn.
For God's sake, this had been going on for years, with animals making a noise  surely this is what country life is all about and it would be a sad day if there were no noises from the farms or from the back gardens of our cottages.
I feel sorry for the farmers with so many rules and changes from the Common Market laws.
I am sure they don't know whether they are coming or going, with all the form-filling.
For them, it must be almost a relief to walk around listening to the cocks crowing or the cows mooing  it must help to keep them sane.
When going into a supermarket to buy cabbages, onions, carrots or eggs, just give a little thought as to how these came to be on the shelves  the early planting and worrying about frosts, packing and carting to the shops.
It must be a headache with all the work involved.
It's still worth looking for English labels on the vegetables and fruit  do try to support the good old English varieties.
To see and support British effort, one has only to look at the Chelsea Show which starts on May 25, where the National Farmers Union stand is so impressive with the huge pyramid of vegetables, fruit and flowers.
It makes me so cross when I see so much imported fruit and vegetables in the shops when we have as good, if not better English produce on hand.
Why is it that housewives still buy tasteless fruit from Common Market countries when English varieties are available, I suppose it boils down to cheapness.
Only recently we have heard of the mushroom factory near Eye in Suffolk having to close down as mushrooms could be brought in cheaper from Ireland.
Something must be wrong when, although they have to travel further they are coming in cheaper.
No wonder our country seems to be in such a mess.
If you visit the show next week and note down all the East Anglian exhibitors, it may surprise you what the nursery people from this area do to put on this wonderful show.
Disabled man left stranded by theft
CAR thieves have left a disabled man virtually housebound after taking his car and crashing it into a wall.
The red, H-registration Rover Metro was taken from outside St Basil's Church in Whitmore Way, Basildon, some time after 9.30pm on Saturday.
It was found abandoned at about 7.30am yesterday in Northlands Approach, off Dry Street  about four miles across town  where it had been driven into a garden wall.
Besides the crash damage, the thieves had also smeared tomato sauce over the front seats and dashboard.
A police spokeswoman said the middle-aged owner of the car, who lives in Pitsea, was confined to a wheelchair and the vehicle represented his only way of getting about independently.
His wheelchair was also in the back of the vehicle when it was taken, but fortunately had not been damaged.
' We are very anxious to trace the people responsible for this mindless behaviour, ' she added.
Anyone who believes they might be able to help the police with the inquiry should contact Basildon police station, the Laindon traffic police unit or the Essex Crimestoppers line on (0245) 252252.
PM told to come clean over claim of sell-off hitlist
AN ESSEX MP yesterday urged the Prime Minister to come clean about a ' sensational ' list of Government services which it is believed he would like to place in private hands.
Andrew MacKinlay, Labour MP for Thurrock, said he believed the Government was now heading for a ' crazy course of action ' to privatise services even with a high security content.
Mr MacKinlay said he had heard of the existence of a list of services, some of which appeared in The Observer newspaper yesterday.
Government sources declined to confirm or deny the contents of the list, but MPs believe some of the services will almost certainly figure in the Queen's Speech setting out the legislative programme for the next session of Parliament.
The list includes courts services such as the issuing of summonses, prison service records, the police data centre at Hendon and collection and publication of vital economic statistics.
Other likely candidates include prison canteens, the Endangered Species Unit of the Environment Department, ten-yearly census, distribution of welfare foods, payment of civil service and teachers' pensions, awarding and paying student grants, Companies House and the Insolvency Service, and the Northern Ireland Government cars service.
Security
Mr MacKinlay said: ' I believe, from what I have heard, this sensational list is true.
I find it breathtaking after the Group 4 fiasco they should even consider privatising those things which have a security content.
' The whole exercise is repugnant at a time when the popularity of privatisation is drastically on the wane.
' The Prime Minister must make known what the Government's plans are.
The sooner we know for certain what we believe to be true, the sooner we can mobilise against them. '
Four arrested in drugs squad raid
FOUR people arrested during a raid by drugs squad officers on a house in Colchester were released over the weekend.
Detectives and uniformed officers went to an address in Victor Road on Friday evening and seized a quantity of what is thought to be cannabis resin.
A police spokesman said all four people held had now been released without charge, although some had been bailed to report back to the police at a later date.
Further inquiries were now being made and the substance seized had been sent for scientific analysis.
Windsurfer is rescued
A WINDSURFER was rescued off the Essex coast yesterday as he was in danger of being driven on to rocks.
Richard Guinness, from London, who was rescued by the Clacton RNLI Atlantic 21 lifeboat and the Coastguard Mobile Rescue Unit, was unhurt.
Lifeboats also stood by the yacht Giaconda as it waited to refloat after going aground near the entrance to the River Colne.
Another yacht which went aground near the approaches to the River Crouch managed to refloat before help arrived.
Villagers join pupils to mark big day for school
BOYS and girls of the Royal Hospital School at Holbrook were joined by villagers yesterday at an ecumenical service in the school chapel to celebrate the jubilee of the school's move to Suffolk from Greenwich.
Before the service, people from the village saw the chairman of Holbrook Parish Council, Mrs Marion Leeson, take the salute as the students, in their naval uniforms, marched past to the music of the school band.
The visitors, who included several who had been employed at RHS in its early days, were welcomed to the service by the school chaplain, the Rev Kevan McCormack, who referred to the support given to the school by many local people over the years.
The address was given by the new Chaplain to the Fleet, the Ven Michael Bucks.
Founded under a charter of 1694, the Royal Hospital School came into being in 1712.
It moved from Greenwich in 1933 to new premises built on an estate provided by ship owner Gifford Sherman Reade in gratitude for the work of the Royal Navy in safeguarding shipping during the First World War.
Sainsbury calls for reform of trading laws
Store staff urge shoppers to back Sunday opening
SUPERMARKET staff in Chelmsford were yesterday urging shoppers to back reform of the Sunday trading laws.
The move follows the adoption of a tough stance by Chelmsford Borough Council, which says it is obliged to enforce the existing Shops Act.
Stores in the borough which have defied the law and opened on Sundays are now starting petitions, which will be presented to the council's environmental health director today.
At Sainsbury in Boreham yesterday morning head office spokesman Nick Green said staff and customers wanted the shops to open on Sundays.
He said: ' People obviously want to shop on Sundays  we have over 3,500 customers every Sunday.
' Chelmsford seems to be taking a very hard line, but our legal department and the council's legal department are in discussions to see just what we would be able to sell on Sundays. '
Staff are not forced to work on Sundays but volunteered, he said.
The Sainsbury petition was expected to attract about 2,500 signatures.
Sainsbury worker Toni Madsen said: ' I am working on Sundays because I need the money.
We are not pressurised to work. '
She is employed at the stores five evenings a week and on Sundays, and says the Sunday hours mean her husband can look after the children while she works.
Her views were supported by fellow worker Suzanne Riddington, who said the extra money helped, especially with people forced to take pay cuts in other jobs.
The Sunday working at Sainsbury helped maintain the household's income, she said.
Shopper Kim Hart described the campaign to force shops to shut on Sundays as stupid.
She said people should have a choice when to shop, and for many, other days of the week were inconvenient.
' I don't have any problem with shopping on Sundays.
I have already come in here for my milk today. '
Husband and wife Graham and Gill Moore said they found Sunday the best time to shop.
Mr Moore, a worker on London Underground, said he worked on Sundays anyway.
' Times have changed.
A lot of people are working on Sundays. '
However David Blackmore, local representative of the Keep Sunday Special campaign, said more and more councils were now taking action against Sunday opening, including, in Essex, Colchester and Braintree.
He said they were reacting to public pressure, and that the majority of people did not support Sunday opening.
Mr Blackmore said stores that open on Sunday are stealing a march on their competitors.
He also dismissed the claim that Sunday opening gives people freedom of choice as nonsensical.
' The public interest has to take a much wider view than that. '
He said the erosion of Sunday opening regulations is leading to traffic increases in towns, along with noise and disturbance.
Four injured in gunfight after man murdered
Policemen shot in chase after gunman
A MAN injured in a police shoot-out was last night in hospital with chest wounds while police pieced together the tangled events of a night of violence that also left one man dead and three policemen injured.
The inquiry became a murder probe with the discovery of the body of mechanic Craig Anderson, 24, near a reservoir.
The sequence of violence that crossed two police force areas began when Mr Anderson and his new fiancee Jackie Fisher, 22, were confronted by a gunman in their parked car near Crosswood reservoir, on the Edinburgh to Lanark road.
Police gave no details but it appeared Mr Anderson fell dying with gunshot wounds, and the Ford Capri car sped off with the gunman and Ms Fisher inside.
The distraught woman was dumped about five miles away from the reservoir, at Whitburn, west Lothian, and she flagged down a police patrol car from the Lothian and Borders force.
It set off in pursuit of the Capri, but lost it about five miles away, outside the town of Forth in Lanarkshire.
A second, unmarked car joined the chase, carrying four armed officers from the Tactical Firearms Unit of Strathclyde police.
The driver was an unarmed local officer with knowledge of the area.
The two cars stopped by Farm Lane, Forth  by coincidence the lane down which the Capri had vanished  where the seven police officers discussed their next move.
Suddenly, a lone gunman appeared.
He opened fire and three officers were injured.
The armed police fired back, and the man fell injured.
A man was' stable ' in Law Hospital, Lanarkshire, with chest wounds, his life not in danger.
Police said they had a ' presence ' at the hospital.
Seven slain by gunmen
California: SEVEN people were found shot dead yesterday in a Fresno nightclub, police said.
Local radio reports said four men and three women, were killed execution-style by two men who came into the club on the outskirts of Fresno and ordered people to lie face down.
The reports said two other women were being treated for gunshot wounds.
Boy of 16 in solo Atlantic sail bid
TEENAGER Cameron Springthorpe hopes to become the youngest person ever to sail across the Atlantic single-handed.
Cameron, 16, of Ardfern, Argyll, is already an experienced sailor who has covered thousands of miles offshore since he was eight.
But his attempt to sail solo across the Atlantic in the 25ft yacht Howlin' Gael will be his first single-handed voyage.
He views the prospect with youthful equanimity.
' Once you get out of the sight of land, one bit of sea is very much like another, ' he said yesterday.
The record was set 16 years ago by David Sandiman, who was then 17.
Cameron hopes to set off early next month if the boat is ready, but he could wait until August.
His planned route would take him from Oban via Falmouth to the Canary Islands before striking out for either Bermuda or Newport, Rhode Island  a total voyage of about three months.
Being alone for two months will be one of the greatest challenges, he admits.
Cameron was educated at home in a remote farmhouse with his younger brother and sister by parents Val and Phil.
The resourceful youngster has overhauled the yacht and drummed up sponsors largely by himself.
Steam railway treat for children
WARM-hearted Lions will give handicapped and underprivileged children from across the region a special day out next week.
The East Anglia region of Lions Club International will be taking the youngsters to the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel and Wakes Colne station between Colchester and Sudbury.
There, they will be able to ride in a train hauled by a 102-year-old locomotive that was used in the construction of the last mainline railway to be built in Britain.
Named Sir Berkeley, the loco was built in 1891 by Manning Wardle for Logan &amp; Hemingway, contractors for the construction of the main line from Manchester to Marylebone Station in London.
On loan
It was later sold to an ironstone quarry where it continued in use until 1963 when it was purchased for preservation.
Sir Berkeley is on loan to the museum from the Vintage Carriage Trust, based at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in Yorkshire, until early July.
In terms of design, it is an ancestor of the museum's own resident industrial loco, Penn Green, which is 50 years younger.
The young visitors to the museum next Sunday will also be entertained with a model railway and sideshows.
Although the steaming has been arranged for the Lions, the museum will be open as normal to other visitors.
A share of the entrance charges on the day will be donated to the Lions.
Trains will be running from 11am to 5pm.
Police link truck to house break-in
POLICE are hunting two men believed to be responsible for a break-in in Stisted.
The two were seen in a blue Peugeot pick-up in a private road between the Post Office and church.
Inspector John Stonehouse said the two were approached by the burglary victim.
They claimed to be grass cutters working at the nearby golf course.
When the householder went to investigate, he found a 500 sit-on mower stolen.
On Saturday the pick-up and mower were found in St James Road, Braintree.
Man charged after Pc hurt
A Special Constable needed hospital treatment after being punched in the face outside the Red Lion pub, Newlands Street, Witham, on Friday night.
Police were investigating reports of windows being broken at the pub.
The constable was treated for a badly bruised nose at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.
One man was charged following the incident.
Firm in new bid for A12 hotel
A fresh application has been submitted for a 98-bedroom hotel near the A12 in Ipswich Road, Dedham.
Permission for the scheme on the site of the former Birchwood Hotel was granted by Colchester council but has lapsed.
The Mount Banking Corporation, based in Mayfair, London, has applied to renew the consent.
Tomato load stolen
A container and trailer, valued at 4,000, along with a 7,000 load of tinned tomatoes have been stolen from the Springwood Industrial Estate, Braintree.
Thieves defy chain
A black Yamaha 250cc motorcycle, registration number YMM 981T, worth 400, has been stolen from Maysent Avenue, Braintree.
The motorbike was left chained to a tree in a front garden, but thieves cut through the chain.
Machine taken
A 1,300 cultivator has been stolen from the back garden of a house in The Street, Hatfield Peverel.
The cultivator had been displayed for sale outside the front of the house, but was put in the back garden for safe-keeping on Friday night.
Phone cash goes
Thieves broke into a cash box in a telephone kiosk at Braintree railway station and stole about 300.
Crooks target barn
Thieves have stolen 300-worth of equipment after breaking into a barn in Bakers Lane, Black Notley, used for rearing game birds.
Workshop break-in
A workshop in Broad Road, Braintree, was broken into and power tools worth 2,000 were taken.
Robbery bid is foiled by taxi driver
A ROBBER armed with a knife fled empty-handed after the cabby he was threatening refused to hand over his cash.
The taxi driver, aged 63, picked up a fare at Witham railway station at about 1.30pm yesterday and was directed to Munro Road.
In Conrad Road, however, the man told the driver to stop, then produced a knife and demanded money.
The cabby refused and grabbed him by the arm, at which point the robber pulled free and ran off.
Neither man was injured during the incident.
A 28-year-old man was later arrested and was last night helping with inquiries at Witham police station.
Therapy can heal the past
Unlocking cruel phobias left by an unhappy childhood
The Orwell Counselling Group offers a wide range of therapeutic skills and personal therapy in East Suffolk for people trying to deal with all kinds of problems.
STRESS dominates the lives of many workers these days, according to the six therapists.
Solicitors, teachers, members of the Police force, self-employed businesspeople and, in particular, employees in the health service are finding it difficult to come to terms with changes at work and home.
Often their frustration is made worse as they do not wish to admit to stress at work in case it appears on employment or insurance records.
The anxiety and anger is then taken away and suddenly erupts in the family environment, placing stress on other members of the household.
However, there are ways of dealing with stress, handling and overcoming problems.
Each member of the group, based in Woodbridge, has an area in which they take a special interest.
Shirley Baddeley and Christopher Coulson are experts in psychodynamic counselling.
Anne Hudson guides children through their traumas.
Shane Smeaton is interested in teenagers.
Gloria Wade works on the aftermath of sexual abuse and Michael Cohen is interested in family dynamics.
Childhood
The group can help clients on a wide range of problems and the treatment can last anything from two sessions to two years.
They find that unhappy childhoods are behind many difficulties in later life.
It does not matter how successful a person can be, there often lingers an unhealed wound from early childhood which haunts them.
Shirley and Christopher specialise in psychodynamics.
This, they say, is healing the person from within and establishing how the past has affected the present.
' I deal with sexual abuse in childhood, phobias, any personal relationship problems, almost anything, ' said Shirley.
' Problems often arise in childhood which may have affected their lives in a way they can not understand.
' They may be unable to live their lives as they want to because of influences from the past.
They may have fears and can not make relationships, but do not know why.
' The client and I work together to see what the problem was in the past and how it affects the present. '
The problems as they occur in childhood are tackled by Anne.
' The problems are usually to do with family tension and parents rowing, separating and divorcing.
One problem is being bullied as an early teenager.
Rebellion
' They can get deep depressions and do not know how to express it, and it can come out in rebellion of one sort or the other, ' said Anne.
One way of making people express themselves is to give them a Russian Doll.
There are four dolls inside which are made to represent the person's different selves.
Gloria, in addition to careful exploratory work, says the use of dolls is a method of provoking the client into action.
' There is Ronald the male doll, and Mandy the female doll, although the dolls become whoever they are angry with.
They can punch them, kick them and generally vent their anger, ' said Gloria.
Art therapy is used to make the person transfer their inner feelings into something more tangible.
' Art therapy is very much as it sounds, it is about people transferring feelings into something which is tangible, ' said Gloria.
Clients are given a huge piece of paper and paints with which they can unlock the feelings welling up inside them.
The concept of the inner child is a theory often used to find the key to unhappiness.
Gloria said that when a person does not receive the right emotional nourishment at a stage in their life, then they can stay in that emotional period.
Laughter
' The mind will continue to develop but nevertheless it will have those savage fears of a hurt child.
We then need to reach in to that inner child and supply what it did not have, and heal it. '
Healing is one of the magic words, and so too is laughter, for, as one client said, ' Laughter is such a wonderful way of crying. '
Further details on the group are available from Gloria on 0394 286876.
Stress control: members of the Orwell Counselling Group at their headquarters in Woodbridge
Murder attempt charge follows stabbing incident
A 22-YEAR-old Essex man was last night charged with attempted murder and another was critically ill in hospital.
The 36-year-old victim of a stabbing incident had suffered multiple wounds to his back and stomach at a house in Bailey Bridge Road, Braintree, said Inspector Roy Dennis, head of Braintree and Witham CID.
Mark Piller, of Bailey Bridge Road, will appear before magistrates this morning to face a charge of attempted murder.
The stabbing victim underwent a three-hour operation for damaged kidneys and spleen at Broomfield Hospital following the 3.30 am attack yesterday, and is now in intensive care.
Insp Dennis said police were alerted by a phone call from the house after an alleged attack.
Although the victim's condition was critical he was expected to recover.
Following another violent incident police were called to the White Hart pub, Boreham, where officers found a 20-year old man lying on the floor with a knife still embedded in his back.
He also received surgery at Broomfield Hospital, and his condition was later described as stable.
A 24-year-old man suffered a less serious knife wound to his arm, and after treatment was arrested, also another man, aged 20, on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.
Insp Dennis said the injuries appeared to result from a flare-up between two groups of men.
' We have interviewed a number of people in connection with this incident, but we would like help from any other witnesses, ' he said.
A Chelmsford motorist was hit over the head with a golf club, during an altercation at a hamburger stall on the A12 near to the town.
The victim suffered serious head wounds and is stable in hospital.
Two men from the London area have been arrested in connection with this incident.
A big step for Mavis
A GRANDMOTHER is preparing to walk the 50-mile Peddars Way from Thetford to the Norfolk coast to help the fight against leukaemia.
Norfolk-born Mavis McKechnie, 71, of Mill House, Wissington, near Nayland, has wanted to try the walk for some time and decided to give it a serious purpose.
Last year her nephew died from leukaemia and Mrs McKechnie is doing the walk in aid of the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust.
Anyone who wants to sponsor Mrs McKechnie can phone her on (0206) 262305.
Concern over number of disconnections Protest as AW opens new water treatment works
DEMONSTRATORS protesting about water disconnections, high charges and huge pay awards greeted dignitaries at the opening of a new Anglian Water treatment works.
The 2.2 million revamp at Bocking, Essex, was officially opened on Saturday by AW chairman Bernard Henderson, together with Tony Newton, Braintree MP and Leader of the House of Commons.
Mr Henderson said the water authority is committed to cleaner rivers, beaches and purer water.
It was necessary to increase charges and most people were even willing to pay a little more.
Mr Newton said the extensions will help meet demand from increasing housing and industry in the district.
The new works was originally an old depot and now treats water, from two borehole 100 metres down on the site, for 35,000 customers.
There has been a waterworks at Bocking since 1912, and the two boreholes now extract five million litres of water a day which is then pumped to the Panfield reservoir, where it is mixed with water from other sources at Petches Bridge, Codham and Notley Road.
Protester Richard Keeble, a Labour member of Braintree District Council, said the number of people having their water supplies disconnected  which they put at nearly 2,000  meant more would be suffering from ill health including dysentery.
' It can affect their children's health, ' he said.
' The water supply is a natural resource.
It should not have been privatised. '
The protesters were also angry about the high salaries of the chairman and managing director of the privatised water company, and the high annual cost of water.
However, John Sainsby, divisional manager for Anglian Water, refuted their charges.
He said their figures applied to five other water authorities as well as AW, and said disconnection was only carried out as a last resort, when all other methods failed.
' We will not cut off someone in genuine need, ' he said, adding that the average cost of water worked out at 56p per day.
Figures by the water industry watchdog OFWAT show disconnections in the region have fallen by 50 per cent.
Their figures that Anglian Water last year disconnected 1,306 homes but this year the total fell to 213.
Nationally there has been a 12 per cent drop.
However, OFWAT is concerned about the effects on health of those disconnected.
Britain gets another drenching
MORE rain was on the way to much of Britain yesterday just hours after parts of Scotland and northern England finished clearing up after floods and snowfalls.
Heavy rain fell in Wales and persistent rain will affect many areas, including Northern Ireland and Western Scotland, today.
But in Edinburgh, where 48 hours of non-stop rain led to sandbags being distributed early on Saturday, a Lothians and Borders police spokesman said everything was back to normal.
AA Roadwatch said problems with snow on higher ground around the Pennines had also ended.
Roads across the country were now clear.
Weathermen said the rain will be followed by showers and warmer weather as high pressure areas move in.
Editors still believe the royal family sells newspapers
When ethics go out the window
On May 27, declares the press release for James Whitaker's new book, ' a major news story is going to break concerning the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. '
The story broke all right, but two weeks earlier than planned, thanks to the spoiling tactics of The Sun.
James Whitaker works for the rival Mirror, and his book was due for serialisation in that paper.
The Sun decisively sabotaged what should have been a major circulation booster for its main competitor.
' The best-kept publishing secret of the year is set to become the best-seller of the decade, ' declared that press release.
The secret wasn't so well-kept after all.
So will the book, rushed into the shops as events overtook it, be a best-seller?
Andrew Morton became a millionaire, thanks to the runaway success of ' that book ' as his Diana: Her True Story is apparently known in royal circles.
His fellow royal-watchers have no doubt all been left thinking: ' I could do that. '
Whitaker had more reason than most, since Morton was once his apprentice on the Daily Star.
The ' doyen of the royal correspondents and chronicler of the lives of the royals for more than 25 years, ' as his press release puts it, is billed by the Mirror as' the man who really knows the royals. '
Perhaps he felt he needed a best-seller like Morton's to re-establish his claim to those titles.
But questions must be asked about the ethics of a newspaperman, paid a considerable salary to give Mirror readers the latest royal news, who keeps' a major news story ' under wraps for his own book.
Then there is the question of whether there really was' a major news story ' at all.
Seemingly more interested in spoiling tactics than news values, The Sun gave the supposed transcript of an alleged row between Prince Charles and his estranged wife far more prominence than it deserved.
Is it really news that a couple on the brink of separation should be arguing about the custody of their children?
The suggestion that the ' bugging ' may have been the work of the security services is already largely discredited, as is even the authenticity of the tape.
The fact that the Palace has issued a denial is highly significant: there was deafening silence about earlier, more damning tapes.
So we have a story that may or may not be a story (it had already appeared in The People back in January, when it raised few eyebrows), and a news reporter who suddenly finds himself giving press conferences rather than attending them.
And the subject still won't go away.
On May 27, the date Whitaker's book was planned to hit the shops, at least another two more ' controversial ' books by prominent royal watchers are also scheduled to appear.
One is by the Mail's Nigel Dempster, the other by journalist and biographer Anthony Holden.
The Tarnished Crown: Crisis in the House of Windsor, is' perhaps the most significant work ever written on the House of Windsor, ' (Daily Express, May 8) and promises to ' fan the flames of royal debate like no other publications since Andrew Morton's Diana: Her True Story ' (The Times, May 3).
Does that all sound depressingly familiar?
It is undoubtedly a good thing that royal reporting has moved on from the tradition of deferential reverence in which James Whitaker first learned his trade.
But many people would no doubt argue that the current ' anything goes as long as it sells papers' style goes too far the other way.
Countless columns of comment filled the heavy Sundays this weekend with yet more doom-laden analysis of the future of the monarchy.
Anthony Holden, whose book ' contains revelations on the collapse of four royal marriages' believes that the 1,000-year-old monarchy is in peril.
But is it really?
Who is more in touch with the mood of the public  the tabloid editors, or the broadsheet pundits?
The pundits agree that the omens for the royals are not good, the republicans are gaining ground.
The tabloid editors continue to believe the royal family sells papers better than anything else.
Book publishers appear to agree.
The real irony is that if, as so many commentators suggest, the British are becoming increasingly disillusioned with and disinterested in the royal family, all these much-hyped books would stop selling.
As long as the market exists  and tabloid sales are a healthy indicator  the throne is apparently in no danger at all.
Tabloid wars: how last Wednesday's Sun spoiled Thursday's Mirror ' world exclusive'
' Questions must be asked about the ethics of a newspaperman, paid a considerable salary to give Mirror readers the latest royal news, who keeps' a major news story ' under wraps for his own book '
Tory defeat is no surprise
Sir,  It is not surprising that the Tories lost so many seats, if my experience is anything to go by.
My ward is Braintree East and the only person who came round or dropped any literature in was Mr Elwyn Bishop for the Labour Party.
Who else, if anyone, stood I do not know.
Mr Bill Dixon Smith (Tory) used to be a near neighbour until recently, but although I understand he is still in the area I have no idea if he still takes an active part in the council elections.
If this was the situation throughout the country, then the Conservatives deserved to lose out.
Congratulations Mr Bishop.
My policy is to vote in local elections for the person who, in my opinion, is going to serve the locality best, regardless of political views, but how can one vote without some knowledge of who is putting up for election?
JUNE S WHITEAR, Ivey Farmhouse, Surrex Old Road, Coggeshall.
General situation: Wet but some bright spells.
Eastern parts of England will start bright and mainly dry but central areas will be cloudy with showers in places.
These showers will gradually spread east and some may become thundery.
Wales, western and northern England will have a wet start but become brighter with showers but with a risk of thunder.
Northern Ireland will have continuous and heavy rain but gradually become more showery with thunder likely.
Some heavy rain over Scotland will move north, then becoming brighter with heavy showers.
Very windy in many areas.
Warmer in the east.
East Anglia: Bright, mainly dry, becoming showery.
Wind southerly fresh.
Max 21c (70f).
Outlook for tomorrow and Wednesday: Rain clearing eastern areas, followed by sunny periods and showers from the west.
SEA PASSAGES
Southern North Sea: Wind southerly fresh or strong.
Showers, perhaps thundery later.
Visibility good, becoming moderate with fog patches.
Sea rough.
Women reap rewards of study
Women are being urged to re-train and re-learn but what are the obstacles they have to overcome to give themselves that second chance?
CHARLOTTE ADCOCK reports.
Here, two women talk about lessons learnt and their hopes for the future
The cartoon figure from the poster above the Women in Business desk screamed: ' I 'm not just a housewife, I am a saleable asset '.
While many of the 200 young mothers, grandmothers, shoppers and office workers who drifted into the Women's Education Day might never have thought of themselves in this light, they probably identified immediately with the cartoon on the fact sheet: ' I am not just a housewife, I am an accountant, vet, nurse, negotiator, teacher, cook, red coat, driver... '.
Learning to value the skills they have developed through running a home and family was just one of thousands of options for change being offered to women at Colchester Town Hall on an Education Day organised as part of this year's Adult Learners' Week.
Advice, prospectuses, fact sheets, helplines, career and benefits experts, course counsellors, businesswomen, and mature returners and learners, who had been through it all and come out stronger, were all there to persuade women learning is for life and it's never too late or too hard to start.
The event, the first of its kind in Essex, was organised by Colchester Institute, Greyfriars, and Essex University and partly funded by Essex TEC.
It was part of a nationwide celebration of the six million adult students currently giving themselves a second chance.
Women are a key target.
They are still occupying the lower status jobs, and bringing up a family has often meant interruptions to education or professional training.
In the current economic climate, many are having to return to work and need to update their skills and boost their confidence.
Women's expectations are also higher.
Their ability and desire to get an education and earn a living for themselves has been one of the most dramatic changes in recent years.
Yet in spite of the drive to encourage adults to invest in new skills, not all will find the pathway to learning a smooth one and women in particular still have to overcome considerable obstacles.
Apart from the difficulty many find in accessing information, the chief barriers to success are three fold: financial, domestic and psychological.
The financial difficulties, according to Clare Hawkins, adult education advisor at the Colchester Institute, are considerable.
The decision by Essex County Council to cut all part-time grants will hit women particularly hard and single parents hardest.
Many keen to set up in business will also be hampered because they have been unable to build up capital.
She said: ' Women are now having to support themselves and for women on lower incomes or on income support participating in education is an impossibility unless they have savings.
The cost of child care is another barrier.
Women might be able to scratch together the fees but they can't pay for the child cover. '
As for the psychological barriers, the chief one is lack of confidence.
Isolated at home, and without a network of contacts, many fail to recognize and market their own skills.
Many also feel inadequate because they believe they lack the right qualifications.
Mrs Hawkins said: ' It doesn't take long out of the workplace to lose confidence.
Even short periods at home with small children seem to destroy women's faith in their own ability.
' Women say to me they haven't done anything for the last ten years and it turns out they have had four children, run the PTA, served as parent governor, done charity work, organised a community activity and cared for aged parents. '
Some who enrol on a course may also find managing their work load and domestic arrangements traumatic and feel guilty, undermined by lack of support from partner, parents or children or emotionally blackmailed.
However, given the difficulties, the success rate is high and the rewards for women are clear.
' Clearly the major spin-off is the feeling of self-worth and self-esteem ', said Mrs Hawkins.
' Education isn't about knowing things but about how you feel about yourself.
The actual process of thinking, discussing and planning brings about this enormous enhancement of self-belief. '
Mothers break through guilt barrier
Degree opens up new life
SEVEN years ago at the age of 41, Carolyn Scott moved to Essex and started a full-time philosophy degree at Essex University.
In her last year she shared a flat with a 70-year-old mother-of-seven from Wales, who was doing history finals.
She now works in the university admissions office.
Mrs Scott said: ' It brought me out of myself.
It was the best three years in my life.
I didn't do a degree with a career in mind, I did something I wanted to do.
It was hard work but brilliant.
' Other students didn't treat me as a mature student and I got to know students aged 17 to 70.
I had a very good social life and made about six really good friends.
I made a new life for myself.
' I got there on one A-level and kept thinking I shouldn't really be here.
I spent the whole of my first year waiting to be tapped on the shoulder and told they'd made a mistake.
' You do lose confidence when you spend years and years at home with children.
Women aren't encouraged to be as confident in themselves or as single-minded the way men are.
Women always apologise more.
' My son was 18 when I moved down here and I left him with grandparents.
For the first term I felt guilty I'd abandoned him even though he'd told me to come and could stand on his own two feet.
' If someone is thinking about going back into education, I'd say: ' Go for it. '
Just be confident you have the ability.
An awful lot of women have but aren't told so.
Mature students usually end up doing better  they're there for the right reasons. '
Change
As a divorced mother-of-two and approaching 40, Jacqueline James had to face up to going back to work.
Her first career as a hairdresser no longer appealed so she took an Options For Change course at the Essex Business Centre and has now completed 30 hours of a counselling course.
She said: ' The Options course gave me confidence and the information you could go miles for and never find  like the fact 70 per cent of all jobs aren't advertised.
That's the sort of thing that makes you realize you're not going to find the job of your dreams just by going to the job centre.
' I learnt to be assertive, how to put together a CV and how to market myself.
You look at the skill you didn't know you had, put a label on it and think: ' Yes I do do that ', whereas when you first walk in you think you've done nothing for the last 18 years.
' All my school life, I was under the impression I was not completely stupid but pretty dumb so I never had that oomph.
It was only half way through my life, I suddenly realized if you really want something, go for it.
Guilt
' I have changed.
I've learnt I 'm a person in my own right, not just someone's wife or mother and I have a right to be here and a right to pursue a career or studies.
Two years ago I got through the guilt obstacle.
That's the breakthrough  to realize you have a right and no longer feel guilty.
' I think men's attitudes are changing because we're making them change but most of the best jobs still go to the men. '
Back to work: a mother gets advice about retraining.
Picture by WARREN PAGE
