BBC Local Live: Essex

A mansion raid in Sible Hedingham - in which the homeowner was shot in the leg - is being treated as aggravated burglary, police say.

The two suspects are both white, aged in their 20s, of slim build and were wearing dark clothing. 

Police released an e-fit yesterday of one of the men, and said today they believe the men responsible for "this vicious, unprovoked attack" will be known to someone within the local community.

Essex PoliceCopyright: Essex Police

Clear spells this evening and turning quite chilly with the risk of frost and icy patches.  

Cloud later in the night brings the risk of some showers which increases the risk of icy patches first thing in the morning.

Lows of -2C (28.4F)

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More details have emerged about the victim of a raid at a mansion in Sible Hedingham, where the homeowner - named locally as Timothy Mardon - was shot in the leg as he hid in a bedroom.

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Officers say he remains in hospital where doctors are battling to save his leg with the "very real prospect that it may have to be amputated".

"His leg took the full force of the blast as he stood with his foot against the door to keep it shut and if he had been standing in a slightly different position he could easily have been killed," said Det Insp Rob Kirby from Essex Police. 

Colchester manager Kevin Keen says the job has been more of a challenge than he anticipated.

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The 48-year-old is yet to achieve a League One victory after taking his first managerial role in December.

When asked by BBC Essex if he regretted taking the job, Keen said: "I saw it as being a fantastic challenge, probably a little bit more of a challenge than I thought, but that's because I haven't been able to get the results the club needed."

A violin made by a German soldier at a prisoner of war camp in Essex has been played for the owner for the first time since its restoration.  

Professional violinist Jonathan Morton played the violin for David Powell, whose parents were given the instrument by an officer from the camp at High Garrett near Braintree.

"It just sings out at you," he said.

Police are trying to find Katie Grimes who is missing from her home in Harlow.

The 17-year-old has links to Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire and was last seen at 15:00 on Wednesday.

Officers believe the teenager, who is 5ft 6in tall and has dark shoulder length hair with extensions, may have travelled to Haverhill in Suffolk or Skegness in Lincolnshire.

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Your headlines this evening:

• A man who was shot during a raid in Sible Hedingham might have to have his leg amputated, police say
• A senior Essex firefighter has had sexual assault charges against him dropped
• A third man has been charged in connection with the murder of a 67 year-old in Southend

A senior Southend councillor is blaming London councils for the increasing number of rough sleepers at the town's bus station.

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The independent councillor Martin Terry says homeless people are not being supported by the local authorities who sent them to the town. 

He's now introducing security staff to patrol the bus station.   

The Conservative MP for Colchester, Will Quince, is mounting a fresh attempt to bring in a law banning the use of wild animals in circuses.

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Similar proposals were discussed in the last parliament but were thrown out by a small group of Tory MPs.

It means about eighteen lions, tigers, zebras and camels are still being used to perform tricks in travelling circuses in England.

Two dogs are in a critical condition after the latest suspected poisoning near Cherry Orchard Country Park, Rochford.  

Detectives say they believe they have identified the weapon used during a raid at a home in Sible Hedingham, where the householder was shot in the leg.

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Det Insp Rob Kirby said the force thought  a .410 shotgun was used to shoot the victim.

"This type of shotgun is smaller and lighter than a regular shotgun," he said. "If anyone has information on this weapon or believes they have sold ammunition of this type to someone matching our suspects’ descriptions then we would like to hear from them."

Police are appealing for help to find Sharna Middleton, who has been missing from her home in Harlow since Wednesday.

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The 15-year-old, who has links to the Rainham area, was last seen at 14:30 when she left her home address with two bags of clothes.

She is 5ft 7in tall and was carrying a large JD bag and a big black handbag.

Essex County Council said it has taken steps to make sure financial abuse is taken seriously, after it was found to have delayed an investigation into money allegedly stolen from Cecil Hemen (pictured) while he lived in a care home.

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A council spokeswoman said: "Since this incident operations have been comprehensively reviewed to safeguard against such an event happening again."

She said teams had been reorganised, additional training had been given and investment "in the social work area" had gone up.

Police are searching for two men who stole £400 worth of cigarettes from a Co-op in Grays.

One stayed at the door, preventing people from entering and the other threatened a shop worker with a kitchen knife during the robbery on Lodge Lane.

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The first suspect is described as white, with a small face and a pointy chin and nose, while the second suspect is also white and was wearing a scarf, dirty grey tracksuit bottoms, a blue three-quarter-length parka-style jacket with a fur trim and black woolly gloves.

Highways England has tweeted some information about an accident on the M25 in Essex that is causing delays.

A third man has been charged in connection with the murder of Albert Williams in Southend last year.

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Mr Williams, who was 67, was found dead at his flat in Cedar Close, Southend on 8 August when fire crews were called to deal with a fire at his flat.

Simon Smith, 40, of no fixed address, was charged today with murder and two counts of burglary at his flat, one of which happened the week before his death. 

Two other men charged in connection with the incidents will appear at Chelmsford Crown Court in April. 

Firefighters have rescued a man who accidentally fell in the River Colne near Riverside Place, Colchester.

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Two engines were called to the river at 14:30 and found the man clinging onto reeds "in extremely cold water."

Lee Palfreyman from Essex Fire and Rescue added: "Crews did a brilliant job putting their training into practice. They quickly got a line around him and pulled him to safety."

The victim of a shooting by intruders at a mansion in Sible Hedingham might have to have his leg amputated, police say.

The man, named locally as Timothy Mardon, was shot through a door (pictured) after he locked himself in a bedroom during the raid.

Two men fled the scene empty handed after the break-in at 04:40 on Saturday.

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Through the day we've been telling you about problems on the clockwise M25 in Thurrock because of a crash on the Kent stretch of the motorway.

The latest update is that the main road is still closed at junction two so traffic's being diverted around the roundabout above the motorway. 

Queues on the M25 are still back to junction 30 for Lakeside, and it's taking people 40 minutes to get through.