Local News Friday 26th November

Friday, 26 November 2021 06:00

A driver has been jailed for taking police on a 100 mph car chase through South Somerset. Independent retailers in Somerset are calling on shoppers to remember them on Black Friday today and support "Indie Friday" instead. A Chard man has appeared in court charged with assault and being the owner of a dangerous dog that was out of control. A man who handed a purse into Chard police station is being asked to contact the police. Yeovil’s open-air market in Middle Street tomorrow has been cancelled...and more

A driver has been jailed for taking police on a 100 mph car chase through South Somerset. Taunton Crown Court was told that Lee McGinty drove so fast that police saw his BMW leap two feet off the ground in Ilminster before escaping. Ten days later he led police on another high-speed pursuit driving along Reckleford in Yeovil at 90 mph then through Chilthorne Dormer before reaching a top speed of 100mph on the A37 at Ilchester where he crashed his car and was arrested. McGinty of Puddletown in Dorset was jailed for 3-years and disqualified from driving for three years.

Independent retailers in Somerset are calling on shoppers to remember them on Black Friday today and support "Indie Friday" instead. They say they can't afford to match the same discounts and promotions offered by most online businesses but still need people to buy from local shops.

A former employee at Westland Helicopters in Yeovil, now Leonardo, is trying to locate former colleagues he worked with in the 1970s after being diagnosed with the lung disease, mesothelioma, an incurable cancer that can be caused by exposure to asbestos. Ian Ebdon believes he might have contracted the disease while working at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil 40-years ago. Leonardo says they’re unable to comment as Mr. Ebdon has lodged a claim against the company.

A Chard man has appeared in court charged with assault and being the owner of a dangerous dog that was out of control. Wayne Brewer of Montague Way in Chard pleaded guilty to both offences at Taunton Magistrates Court and was fined £120 with £85 costs.

A man who handed a purse into Chard police station is being asked to contact the police. The black purse was dropped through the letterbox at Chard's Police Station at about 9 am on Friday, November 12th. Police want to talk to the man to find out where he found the purse. You can view a photo of the man on the Avon and Somerset Police website. If you can help, you’re asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

Yeovil’s open-air market in Middle Street tomorrow has been cancelled. Organisers say following a yellow weather issued by the Met Office, the market won’t be held for safety reasons.

More from News

Wednesday 17 April

Three local primary schools have been named on a list of England's top five hundred primary schools. A new co-working space for businesswomen has opened in Wincanton. Urgent repairs are being carried out to Ilminster's new public clock after it started showing the wrong time...and more
Tuesday 16th April

A new operator has been found to run a Chard care home that has been at risk of closure. A licence has been granted to run a new music festival in West Dorset. People have until midnight tonight to register for a vote in the election for a Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset...and more.
Monday 15th April

Four people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal supply of prescription-only drugs in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court in connection with two burglaries in Langport. A well-known farm and restaurant business in South Petherton has been put up for sale. New figures have shown a further decline in the number of House Sparrows in Somerset...and more.
Friday 12th April

Yeovil Town will play National League football next season after beating Truro 2-0 last night to win promotion and the National League South title. Somerset Council says the cost of keeping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre closed has risen to £140,000 a year. A holiday website has reported a 31 percent upturn in visitor numbers to Somerset...and more.
Thursday 11th April

Yeovil Town get another chance tonight to clinch promotion when they play away against Truro. Citizens Advice in Somerset says people are continuing to struggle with the cost of living. Some of England’s loudest voices will be heard in Yeovil later this month when the town's annual town crier competition takes place...and more,
Wednesday 10th April

A former sub-postmaster from Wincanton says she's having to work a 70-hour week to pay off debts she incurred due to the Post Office IT scandal. Two people have been fined for illegal fishing in Yeovil. Images of wildlife taken by a photographer in Somerton have been chosen to feature on a new set of charity cards...and more.
Tuesday 9th April

Lloyds Bank is being asked to reconsider closing its branch in Ilminster, leaving the town without a bank. A stretch of the A303 will close later this month as part of dualling the road between Sparkford and Podimore. A dragon parade is to be held in Chard later this month to mark St George’s Day...and more.
Monday 8 April

Plans have been approved to upgrade Chard Police Station at a cost of £900,000. Plans to build four new homes in Wincanton have been turned down due to a lack of parking spaces. A Yeovil woman has raised more than eighteen hundred pounds for the mental health charity Mind, ahead of running this year's London Marathon...and more.