Local News Friday 12th March

Friday, 12 March 2021 07:30

A Sherborne man has appeared in court to deny an offence under the Hunting Act. Somerset Wildlife Centre is the latest to sign a petition for hedgehogs to have better protection. Police are appealing for information about a horse trailer stolen in Yeabridge, near South Petherton. Motorists are being warned of a road closure between Ilchester and Yeovil, beginning next Monday....and more

A Sherborne man has appeared in court to deny an offence under the Hunting Act. Mark Hankinson, aged 60, is accused of encouraging or assisting others in an online webinar to commit an offence under the Hunting Act 2004. A director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association, Mr Hankinson attended the hearing virtually at Westminster magistrates court and pleaded not guilty. The case was adjourned for a trial to be held in September.

Somerset Wildlife Centre is the latest to sign a petition for hedgehogs to have better protection. The petition calls for the animals to be moved into schedule 5 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. Putting them in this category would make sure hedgehogs' nesting sites were protected from harm.

Police are appealing for information about a horse trailer stolen in Yeabridge, near South Petherton. The trailer was taken on Monday and is described as a triple axle, Ifor Williams livestock trailer. It has the registration plate CK06 RDU and has a sticker on the side FK2469. Police are also searching for a sit-on motor mower stolen from near Ashill. The mower, made by Winton, was taken from a property on Barrington Hill Road, Windmill Hill between 10 pm on Sunday and 6 am on Monday earlier this week. Call the non-emergency number 101 if you can help with information on either of these crimes.

Motorists are being warned of a road closure between Ilchester and Yeovil. Beginning next Monday, the A37 Ilchester Straight, together with part of the B3151 Yeovil Road will be subjected to re-surfacing work. Work will take place between from Monday 15 March and Thursday 1 April from 7am to 7pm weekdays. These sections of road will be closed to all traffic during these dates, except to provide access for residents and business owners.

Children at Tintinhull Primary School near have been on a virtual trip to France. Pupils at St Margaret's have spent a week on-line leaning about the French Revolution, about French food and French literature, immersing themselves in the culture of the country from the safety of their classroom.

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Monday 15th June

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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