A man has died after a Yeovilton-based helicopter crashed into the English Channel. A major A-road through Somerset was closed yesterday, due to multiple fallen trees. Somerset Council describes itself as ‘breathing slightly easier’ after balancing its books for the last financial year... and more.
A man has died after a Yeovilton-based helicopter crashed into the English Channel, off the Dorset coast on Wednesday night. The Merlin helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, had been involved in night-flying exercises with the aircraft carrier 'HMS Queen Elizabeth' when the incident happened. One crew man died whilst two others were rescued.
A major A-road through Somerset was re-opened late yesterday afternoon after it had to be closed, due to multiple fallen trees. The A3088 was blocked at Yeovil and at Stoke Sub Hamdon. The westbound stretch was particularly affected towards the Montacute turn off. All trees were clear by 4.30pm.
Meanwhile five people were rescued after a single-vehicle collision in Chard on Wednesday afternoon. The collision took place just before 4pm and the car was reportedly on its side. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service despatched two fire engines and released the occupants using small tools and hydraulic equipment.
Somerset Council describes itself as ‘breathing slightly easier’ after balancing its books for the last financial year. A financial emergency was called in late 2023, with the maximum possible rise in council tax announced earlier this year. These rises, combined with the sale of around £20 million of non-operational assets and the implementation of savings of around £35m have reportedly brought the council back on track.
And a memorial ride in remembrance of Cecil Turner, the founder of the Yeovil Freewheelers Blood Bikes is taking place this weekend. The ride will start at West Bay on Sunday morning, with riders making their way along the Jurassic Coast Road towards Weymouth, and then on to Bere Regis and Sturminster Newton, before ending at Yeovil Rugby Club just after midday.
The new owner of Yeovil Town says he’s in talks with Somerset Council about buying back Huish Park. Water levels at some of Somerset’s reservoirs are below what they should be for this time of year. A Chard woman has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours... and more.
Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Chard, which left one person with life-threatening injuries. Texas Rocks in Middle Street, Yeovil, has closed temporarily following a significant fire. A Yeovil dental hygienist has been named as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain competition...and more.
Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor’s Spending Review for not delivering real change for Yeovil and South Somerset. The CEO of Leonardo UK states that they’re working towards closing the gender pay gap within the company. Yeovil Town is relocating its first-team training camp to Bristol... and more.
People in Somerset are being asked for their views on the state of the county’s roads and footpaths. A trial is being conducted at Yeovil Hospital to investigate whether administering shorter courses of antibiotics to patients can effectively treat sepsis. Somerset Council says it has no plans to reopen a block of public toilets in Chard...and more.
A mother from Chard says schools need to do more to identify students with dyslexia. A fire in a van that caught alight at Stoke-sub-Hamdon is being treated as accidental. A former Yeovil-based police officer, who made it appear he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing...and more
Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more
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.
Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.
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