Friday 6th June

Friday, 6 June 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville have stopped monitoring the local traffic because of online and verbal abuse. Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised more than one thousand pounds for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys...and more.

Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville are temporarily pausing their activities due to online and verbal abuse. Somerset Council has talked about introducing a 20 mph speed limit in the village. The volunteers say they will only return to monitoring the local traffic once it comes into force. John Walker, a Speedwatch volunteer in Keinton Mandeville, says he and his colleagues have been subjected to the worst kind of abuse, and they’ve had enough of it.

Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. Inspectors spent two days assessing the school and praised its 'high expectations' and 'ambitious curriculum', ‘positive student behaviour’ and ‘personal development opportunities’.

Revised plans have been submitted to build 43 new homes at Queen Camel. If changes to the original application granted in 2019 are approved by Somerset Council, the homes will be built on West Camel Road. As part of the planning consent, developers, Ashford Homes Ltd, will provide nearly £300,000 towards new places at Countess Gytha Primary School and £60,000 towards new play equipment in Queen Camel.

A contractor has been appointed to rebuild the carnival sheds on Bristol Road in Bridgwater. The work, costing £5 million, involves replacing the existing sheds with 14 new ones, each equipped with heating, lighting, and running water.

A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised over £ 1,000 for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys. Peggy Moore, who’s 93, lives at the Brunel Care Home in Glastonbury. She’s sold more than 100 of her knitted items for the charity.

Silver Street in Ilminster will be closed to traffic tomorrow and on Sunday. It’s to allow for a food and craft market to be held between the Market Square and Court Barton. Residents of Silver Street are kindly requested to remove their vehicles by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.

More from News

Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more