Fresh from winning the Best Actress Oscar, Dame Helen Mirren is to be honoured again: with her own Bank Holiday!

Council chiefs in Essex want a county-wide holiday to celebrate her achievement in the Oscars.

Lord Hanningfield, leader of Essex County Council, is asking for the annual occasion to mark her winning the Best Actress Oscar. She was born in Leigh-on-Sea and went to school in Southend, both in the county.

"Helen Mirren is a great ambassador for Essex� said Lord Hanningfield, adding �Ditch the old stereotypes - Dame Helen is the perfect example of the hotbed of talent we have in Essex that anyone who visits our county can see. To celebrate this achievement I will therefore be asking the Government whether they will allow us the power to designate a holiday in her honour throughout Essex."

Dame Helen paid tribute to her home when she accepted the award for her appearance in The Queen. She joked: "I never expected this to happen to me, a girl from Essex."