Friday 7th February

Friday, 7 February 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more

A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. Stuart Foster of Welbeck Road in Yeovil pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared at Yeovil Magistrates Court. The Court was told that Foster had sent harassing messages to his ex-wife over three months. Apart from the fine, he was told to pay a £480 victim surcharge and was made the subject of a nine-month restraining order during which time he must have no make contact with his ex-wife.

A Yeovilton woman will set off later this month to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Ally Mcllroy, was a member of the Army Air Corps for 24 years, and now works as a Safety Officer at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil. She is due to start her ascent of the 6,000-meter-high Mount Kilimanjaro on February 16th raising money for the Rawthey Project that supports ex-members of the armed forces, emergency services and NHS communities.

A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. His Majesty's Inspectorate found the force requires improvement in five areas, including reducing the amount of non-emergency calls it abandons. Avon and Somerset Police say it welcomes the report and plans to tackle the problem areas it highlights.

The Local Government Ombudsman has called for Somerset Council to review its direct payment system - after a mother was left 7 thousand pounds in debt. Her children have extensive special needs and have care plans in place but the funds were not paid by the authority.

The government is giving £43 million towards building the new flood barrier on the River Parrett. Work has already started building the barrier and is expected to be finished in 2027. The barrier is designed to give protection to around 11,000 homes in areas surrounding the River Parrett.

Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships. The championships take place at Millfield School in Street tomorrow and on Sunday.

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Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more