Local News Friday 12th May

Friday, 12 May 2023 11:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil Town Football Club say a deal has been agreed to sell the club. Communities across South Somerset are being told to prepare for more extreme weather events. Motorists are being advised that the westbound carriageway of the A30 at Babylon Hill will be closed to traffic on Wednesday May 24th. Work has been completed installing new play equipment in Upper Henson Park in Chard...and more.

Yeovil Town Football Club say a deal has been agreed to sell the club. In a statement on their website, Chairman, Scott Priestnall, says after a lot of hard work a buyer has been found to purchase the club and a deal has been agreed. The club aren’t saying who the new owner is but say further details will be announced later today. News of the sale of Yeovil Town follows months of uncertainty at Huish Park and fears that the club’s future was at risk.

Communities across South Somerset are being told they need to prepare for flooding and more extreme weather conditions due to climate change. Somerset Council is asking every town and village to draw up emergency plans for dealing with flooding following Tuesday’s major flooding event which damaged homes and businesses in Queen Camel, West Camel, North and South Cadbury, Bruton and Galhampton.

Work has been completed installing new play equipment in Upper Henson Park in Chard. The equipment is aimed primarily for use by children aged 8 to 13 and includes monkey bars and a climbing wall. The Mayor of Chard will officially open the new play area, near to Avishayes Community School, next Thursday, May 18th at 11 am.

Motorists are being advised that the westbound carriageway of the A30 between Yeovil and Sherborne at Babylon Hill will be closed to traffic on the evening of Wednesday May 24th. It’s to allow for Wessex Water to carry out work to a side road leading to the Compton Service Reservoir. The A30 at Babylon Hill westbound will be shut from 8 pm on Wednesday May 24th to 6 am on Thursday May 25th with diversions in operation.

Councillor Gary Shortland has been elected as the new Mayor of Chard. Councillor Shortland takes over from Councillor Jenny Kenton who resigned from the role without completing her 1-year term of office. Councillor Claire Brown was re-elected as the Deputy Mayor of Chard at a special meeting of Chard Town Council held earlier this week.

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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
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