Local News Friday 24th March

Friday, 24 March 2023 06:00

A man who robbed a teenager of his wallet in Yeovil has been jailed. Police have stepped up their enforcement action to stop people parking on the main road outside Castle Cary railway station. Work is underway to replace damaged public seating in Ilminster. Muchelney Pottery near Langport is marking King Charles's coronation with a commemorative mug...and more.

A man who robbed a teenager of his wallet in Yeovil has been jailed. Lee Rowley, aged twenty-two, approached the seventeen-year-old from behind, forcing him to the ground before making off with his wallet in the incident in Higher Kingston in Yeovil in November last year. Appearing at Taunton Crown Court, Rowley, who pleaded guilty to the offence, was jailed for three years.

Police have stepped up their enforcement action to stop people parking on the main road outside Castle Cary railway station. In just one day, fifty-seven parking tickets were issued to owners with vehicles parked at the roadside, causing an obstruction. Police say they will continue to issue parking tickets until people stop parking on the main road. Rail users are calling on GWR to provide more parking spaces at Castle Cary station.
New figures from the RNLI show their crews in the south west saved forty-two lives last year and launched more than fourteen-hundred times. The charity is now asking the public to help with its latest fundraising campaign – the Mayday Mile. The fundraiser will see people taking on the challenge of walking a mile a day during the month of May.

Work is underway to replace damaged public seating in Ilminster. Around a dozen new wooden bench seats are being installed around the town and at Herne Hill, with funding provided through the Market Town Initiative run by South Somerset District Council.

The search is on to find a new chairperson to head up the board of trustees at Ilminster Arts Centre. The unpaid role involves acting as an ambassador for the charity and ensuring the board of trustees delivers success for the arts centre.

Muchelney Pottery near Langport is marking King Charles's coronation with a commemorative mug. The limited edition stoneware mugs are stamped with the Muchelney trademark. Only one-hundred-and-twenty-five of the mugs are being produced.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more