Friday 2nd August

Friday, 2 August 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Police are appealing for witnesses to a street fight involving around twenty teenagers in Somerton. Police have seized drugs and weapons including knives during a search of three properties in Castle Cary. The annual Roma Holocaust memorial service takes place today at Sherborne Abbey...and more

Police are appealing for witnesses to a street fight involving around twenty teenagers in Somerton. It happened in Langport Road at around 9 pm on Friday, July 12th. Police would like to hear from anyone in the area at the time who saw the disturbance or has dashcam footage.

Police have seized drugs and weapons including knives during a search of three properties in Castle Cary. Cash, mobile phones and suspected counterfeit designer bags and clothing were also recovered. Three men and two women, arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A and B drugs, were later released under investigation, pending further enquiries.

The cost of rural crimes has risen by almost 70 percent in the last twelve months. New figures from NFU Mutual show rural crime cost the county around 1.3 million pounds between June 2023 and June of this year, with gangs stealing from several farms in one night.

Road safety concerns are blocking progress on building 125 new homes and a medical centre in Bruton. Land on either side of Brewham Road has been earmarked for the scheme with the Acorn Property Group building sixty homes to the south, and Woolsington One Ltd 65 new homes to the north, as well as allocating land for a new doctors’ surgery. Somerset Council’s planning committee south discussed both applications at a meeting on July 23rd, with officers recommending they be given the go-ahead. However, the committee voted to defer a decision until further assurances regarding highway safety and access to both sites had been provided.
A business case has been finalised to connect the West Somerset Railway line to the main rail line through Taunton. Currently, the heritage line goes between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead, via Watchet, Blue Anchor, Dunster and Williton. £6 million of public funding would be needed to create the link.

At the Olympics, Becky Wilde from Somerset won a bronze with her partner Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne in the Double Sculls rowing final. The pair finished behind Romania who came 2nd and New Zealand who won gold in the Women's Coxless Four Final Helen Glover who went to school and trained in Somerset won silver along with her teammates Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten.

The annual Roma Holocaust memorial service takes place today at Sherborne Abbey. The service which starts at midday and will be attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset is held every year in remembrance of Gypsy and Roma people who perished at the hands of the Nazi regime in the second world war.

A former Yeovil College media student will have his latest film premiered at Cineworld in Yeovil tonight. Connor Raithby wrote, directed and stars in Stapler, a comedy about a talking stapler.

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Somerset Council has warned that more homes are likely to flood with further heavy rain forecast to end the week. Discount retailer, The Original Factory Shop, which has an outlet in Crewkerne, has gone into administration. A Barista at Costa Coffee in Ilminster has won a place in the finals of a national competition...and more
Wednesday 28th January

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has announced plans to develop a new operational base on the Leonardo airfield in Yeovil. Several people have been rescued from their homes in Ilminster due to flooding. An £800,000 project is underway to restore two staircases at Montecute House...and more
Tuesday 27th January

Last week was the wettest seven-day period in Somerset for twelve years. NHS Somerset says it’s working towards making access to dental care fairer for all. A scout leader in Somerset has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Young People...and more
Monday 26th January

A new group has been formed to challenge plans to build 100 new homes in Keinton Mandeville. Bridgwater Town Council has voted to increase its share of the Council Tax by 5%. Organisers of Yeovil in Bloom are appealing for young people to get involved in this year’s competition...and more
Friday 23rd January

New data shows that South Western Ambulance is one of the worst-performing ambulance trusts in England. Plans to introduce improved accessibility at Yeovil Junction station have moved a step closer. A community centre in Street is providing vulnerable people with a warm, safe place to meet...and more.
Thursday 22nd January

A new NHS diagnostic centre has opened in Yeovil. The go-ahead has been given to build a replacement school for Milford Junior School in Yeovil. A new 500-bed hotel-style campus is being planned to accommodate workers at the new Agratas car battery factory near Bridgwater...and more
Wednesday 21st January

Councillors have approved controversial plans to build four large carnival club sheds near Ilminster. Somerset Council says there's an increasing gap between the cost of education and the amount the government provides to run local schools. The Bridgwater Tidal Barrier, aimed at protecting homes and businesses from flooding, has been reduced in size...and more
Tuesday 20th January

Citizens Advice says thousands of people in Somerset have lost some or all of their council tax discount. The UK's first autonomous full-size helicopter, manufactured by Leonardo in Yeovil, has successfully completed its maiden flight. A new pharmacy has opened in Wincanton...and more