u/ModTeam-

Think you know your landmarks and unusual locations?

It’s time for this week’s WhereAndWhatIsIt challenge!
Take a close look, put your guesses in the comments and see if you can work out exactly where and what this is

Hints may appear throughout the week..or maybe not

We’ll reveal the answer on Sunday afternoon, until then, happy guessing! 👇

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If you spot something that needs fixing in your area: potholes, fly-tipping, broken streetlights, graffiti, parking issues or general maintenance problems, here are the main official reporting tools to use.

Using these helps get issues logged properly and ensures they reach the right teams faster.

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🏛️ Colchester City Council - CCC Report Online

Use this for issues like:

• Fly-tipping and waste
• Street cleaning problems
• Graffiti
• Parks and open spaces
• Housing-related concerns

👉 Best for general city-level issues within Colchester.

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🏛️ Essex County Council - ECC Report & Track It

Use this for:

• Potholes and road damage
• Street lighting faults
• Highway issues
• Public transport infrastructure
• Footpaths and road safety concerns

👉 Best for roads, highways and county-managed services.

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🅿️ North Essex Parking Partnership - NEPP Report Form

Use this for:

• Illegal parking Report parking on Zigzags to the police
• Abandoned vehicles
• Parking restriction issues
• Enforcement concerns

👉 Best for anything parking or enforcement related.

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👍 Why use these tools?

• Reports go straight to the correct department
• Issues are tracked and monitored
• Faster response than social media posts alone
• Helps improve Colchester and surrounding areas for everyone

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If you see an issue, don’t just post about it, report it so it can actually get fixed.

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The FixMyStreet app and website is a really useful tool for reporting local issues around Colchester, helping improve the area for everyone.

If you spot something that needs attention, you can report it directly in a couple of minutes.

Common things residents can report include:
• Potholes
• Broken street lights
• Fly-tipping and dumped rubbish
• Graffiti & Vandalism
• Damaged pavements & Road markings
• Blocked drains or flooding
• Abandoned vehicles
• Overflowing bins/Litter issues
• Broken signs or street furniture

FixMyStreet lets you:
• Pinpoint the exact location on a map
• Upload photos
• Add descriptions and updates
• Track progress after submission
• View reports already made nearby

It’s one of the easiest ways for residents to directly contribute to keeping our city cleaner, safer and better maintained.

FixMyStreet Website also available from the app store and Google play

If you’ve used it before in Colchester, feel free to share your experience below.

Team Colchester Survey

We have to take these opportunities when we get them, please take the time to give your thoughts.
I see plenty of people moan about Colchester but never take the opportunity to make change and provide their input

• Tiptree: 09 May Walnut Tree Way (Opposite Chestnut Way) 8am to 8:45am
• Marks Tey and Layer: 09 May Birch (at the Mill Lane Recreation Ground Play Area) 9am to 9:45am
• Stanway: 09 May Rogation Close (between Harvest End and Rye Close) 10am to 10:45am

They will take away:

Small/Medium size bulk and waste from domestic properties - use this service to dispose of bulky items that would usually go to the tip and not normally be collected with household waste

They will not take:

• Items that can be recycled
• Upholstered seating (no sofas, arm chairs etc)
• Large loads, fridges, freezers or other electrical goods - you can book a special collection for these
• Hazardous waste such as asbestos, batteries, liquids or gas bottles
• Business waste - this can be arranged through business waste collections
• Garden waste - this can be arranged through garden waste subscription service

Members of Southern Co-op have voted decisively in favour of merging with the national Co-op Group, with an overwhelming 97.07 per cent backing the proposal at yesterday's Special General Meeting.

The ballot saw 13,361 votes cast, representing a strong turnout that demonstrates active participation in the co-operative's governance.

A Southern Co-op spokesperson confirmed the result: "At the Special General Meeting of Southern Co-operative Limited held on 6th May, Southern Co-op Members voted in favour of the Special Resolution to transfer the engagements of the Society to a subsidiary of The Co-operative Group."

The vote represents a major milestone for the proposed deal, though a second ballot will ultimately determine whether the transaction proceeds.

Should the merger receive final approval, more than 300 food shops, funeral homes and coffee outlets currently operated by Southern Co-op would become part of the national chain.

The combined organisation would boast sales of approximately £11.5billion and operate close to 2,500 stores throughout the country.

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https://www.eastofengland.coop/news/east-of-england-announce-annual-results

Matlock’s Co-op has opened its doors to the community on Friday, May 1 following an eight-week investment programme to transform the store.

An in-store bakery and Costa Coffee Express are available, alongside Co-op’s meal deals and food to go

Located in Firs Parade, Matlock, the store has relaunched with a fresh new shopping experience. It will open between 6.00am - 10.00pm, seven days a week.

A thief from Peterborough who ignored a court order banning her from the Co-op has been jailed after stealing hundreds of pounds worth of goods from the retailer.

Cambridgeshire police say that Blades of Fletton High Street, Peterborough, had been given a two-year criminal behaviour order in February last year which banned her from all branches of the Co-op.

But police say Blades ignored the order and went to the Co-op in Columbus Road, Hempsted, Peterborough, and stole Nutella spread and chocolate eggs worth more than £65 on April 6.

“She returned the following day to repeat the crime, stealing more chocolate and a bag of doughnuts.

“On April 8 she went to the shop for a third day in a row, this time taking bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bodywash without paying.”

They returned to the shop on April 24 where she stole more shampoo.

She was identified and arrested by police two days later.

“By entering the shop, Blades had breached a two-year criminal behaviour order she was handed in February last year which banned her from all branches of the Co-op.

On Monday 27 April at Peterborough Magistrates' Court she was jailed for 26 weeks, having admitted four counts of theft from a shop and four of breaching a criminal behaviour order

https://www.cambs.police.uk/news/cambridgeshire/news/2026/april/jail-for-thief-who-ignored-court-order/

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Officers investigating the incident would like to identify the two women pictured.

It is reported that between 3:50pm and 3.55pm on April 16, two women entered Co-op on High Street in Fordingbridge, before picking up and eating two ice creams without paying for them and stealing £60 worth of cleaning products..

https://www.hampshire.police.uk/news/hampshire/news/appeals/2026/april/cctv-images-released-as-part-of-fordingbridge-shoplifting-investigation/

The Scattered Spider gang member used text phishing to steal login credentials from at least a dozen firms, including telecoms, IT suppliers, cloud providers and crypto companies.

He attempted to steal at least £5.9 million in virtual currency between 2021 and 2023.

A device seized from his home contained victim data and crypto login details.

Buchanan was arrested in Spain in 2025 while heading to Italy and has been in US federal custody since April.

Sentencing is set for August 21, 2026.

Co-op is adding 21 new lines to its summer food-to-go range 🥪