Local News Friday 16th December

Friday, 16 December 2022 06:00

Today is the last day for First Class post for letters and parcels to arrive before Christmas. Two men have been arrested in Wincanton as part of an investigation into stolen vehicles and drug offences. The fish population at Chard Reservoir has been given a boost. A warning has been issued about celebrating the Winter Solstice at Glastonbury Tor. Yeovil Rotary Club has sent 100 shoeboxes filled with gifts for Christmas to Eastern Europe...and more.

Today is the last day for First Class post for letters and parcels to arrive before Christmas. The date is much earlier this year because of industrial action by Royal Mail workers.

Two men have been arrested in Wincanton as part of an investigation into stolen vehicles and drug offences. Eleven cars in total, all suspected of being stolen, have been seized by police, along with car parts, weapons and drugs. One man was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods; a second was arrested on suspicion of importing cannabis. Both men remain in police custody.

The fish population at Chard Reservoir has been given a boost. It follows fish having died during the drought conditions in the summer. The Environment Agency has restocked Chard Reservoir with 2,000 tench and roach. They say Christmas is a good time to introduce new fish, as it gives them time in which to acclimatise, ahead of the spawning season.

A warning has been issued about celebrating the Winter Solstice at Glastonbury Tor. People are being asked to park responsibly around the area of the Tor on December 21st to minimize disruption and damage to the ancient site.

Yeovil Rotary Club has sent 100 shoeboxes filled with gifts for Christmas to Eastern Europe. The boxes are for handing out to disadvantaged children at schools, orphanages, hospitals and street welfare associations. Members of Yeovil Rotary were assisted with filling the shoeboxes by Jones Building Group and the Old Mill Group in Yeovil.

Somerset’s Lord Lieutenant, Mohammed Saddiq, has been appointed a Patron of Somerset Day. Somerset Day, held on the second Saturday of May, is an annual celebration of all that’s best about Somerset.

Free packs of wildflower seeds are being given away in South Somerset. The Great Parish Wildflower Seed Giveaway is run by South Somerset District Council to promote biodiversity. You can apply for free packs of wildflower seeds on the South Somerset District Council website.

More from News

Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
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