Friday 1st December

Friday, 1 December 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Police are warning of a spate of thefts of Ford cars in South Somerset. The government has turned down a bid for levelling-up funds to build a new train station to serve Somerton and Langport. Long-running roadworks on the Somerset-Devon border will continue over the Christmas holidays after a repair scheme was postponed...and more.

Police are warning of a spate of thefts of Ford cars in South Somerset. Several Ford Fiestas and Ford Eco Sports have been stolen over the past four months without a door key being used. Police say it's part of a national increase in thefts of Ford Fiestas that are no longer in production. The vehicles are less than 10 years old and it is believed are being stolen to order for breaking-up for spare parts. Owners of Ford cars are being advised to be extra careful where they park their vehicles and to report anything suspicious by calling 999.

The government has turned down a bid for levelling-up funds to build a new train station to serve Somerton and Langport. The Langport Transport Group, supported by Somerset Council, submitted the bid last year claiming there was a strong case to have a new station provided in the area and asked that the project should progress to the next phase. The government says it’s financing five projects with levelling-up funding across Dorset and Somerset at a cost of £87 million but the new train station proposal for Langport and Somerton is not one of them. Langport and Somerton were originally served by trains on the Taunton to Castle Cary line but their stations were closed in the 1960s.

People are being asked to flag up places that are the most at risk of flooding in Somerset. It’s part of a consultation by Somerset Rivers Authority into a new 10-year plan, aimed at minimising the flood risk.

Long-running roadworks on the Somerset-Devon border will continue over the Christmas holidays after a repair scheme was postponed. For the past 18 months, motorists travelling on the A30 have had to contend with temporary lights at Crawley Farm, between Chard and Yarcombe. The lights, installed by Devon County Council following a landslip, should have been taken down in September but the council has now put back the date for doing the work to early January.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more