Local News Friday 28th July

    A local man has been given a four-month suspended prison sentence and a one-year driving ban after being found guilty of causing death by careless driving. The go-ahead has been given to convert a former pub in Chard into a guesthouse. The South West is one of the most competitive regions in England for renting a home...and more.

    A Merriott man, found guilty of causing death by careless driving, has been given a four-month suspended prison sentence and a one-year driving ban. Christopher Banke was appearing for sentencing at Bournemouth Crown Court after earlier being found guilty of causing the death of motorcyclist, Adrian Saunders, on the A3066 at Beaminster in October 2021. Banke, who had pleaded not guilty to the careless driving charge, was ordered to pay court costs of three-and-a-half thousand pounds. 

    People are being encouraged to book their holiday accommodation and tourist attractions in Somerset using a new app called the Somerset Reward Card. It's to avoid commissions being paid to online travel agents and offers rewards to those who use it. 

    The go-ahead has been given to convert a former pub in Chard into a guesthouse. The Golden Fleece on Perry Street closed in 2020 due to poor sales. Somerset Council’s approved the change of use subject to the character of the building being retained.

    The RSPCA says there were three-hundred-and-sixty reports of cat cruelty in Somerset last year. Nationally, the number is almost eighteen thousand.

    The South West is one of the most competitive regions in England for the housing rental market, according to the property website Rightmove. Its figures suggest average requests for viewings per rental property stands at twenty-seven in our area. 

    Details have been announced of this year’s Ham Hill Dog Show. The event was cancelled last year due to the death of the Queen and takes place on Sunday, August 13th. All monies raised will go to the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard and the Friends of Ham Hill.

    More from News

    • Friday 17th May

      A new website has been launched to support people in Somerset with mental health issues. One of Yeovil’s oldest pubs has been sold. Artwork on the theme of aviation produced by students at Yeovil College has gone on display at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil.A pupil at Tatworth Primary School near Chard has won a prize in a national competition for writing a book review...and more

    • Thursday 16th May

      Work laying a gas main on the A37 Dorchester Road near the Quicksilver Mail roundabout in Yeovil is to continue for a further two months. Somerset Council says the public toilets in Yeovil bus station will close at the end of the month but the waiting room will stay open temporarily. Former Yeovil Town Captain, Josh Staunton, has set up in business as a professional gardener...and more.

    • Wednesday 15th May

      Somerset Council seeking to save £40 million by cutting one thousand jobs says 201 employees have so far applied to leave the authority based on voluntary redundancy. East Somerset Railway near Shepton Mallet has been used for filming the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel Rivals. An old-style red phone box in Castle Cary is being turned into Somerset's smallest museum...and more

    • Tuesday 14th May

      Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a household water supply. Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Chard Post Office is closed today for the handover of the business to new owners...and more.

    • Monday 13th May

      Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services, including those at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound upgrade of the building falls through. A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds was screened at the prestigious British Independent Film Festival...and more.

    • Friday 10th May

      The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs an immediate injection of £100,000 to keep going. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has returned to Yeovil Rugby Club where she began her rugby career 20 years ago. Twenty-five Town criers from across the South will be in Ilminster tomorrow competing in the annual Ilminster Town Criers' Competition...and more.

    • Thursday 9th May

      Train services through Somerset are again being disrupted today due to continued strike action by the train driver’s union ALSEF. A campaign has been launched in Somerset aimed at stopping people overdosing on opioids. A Somerset business is raising a smile with its name.‘Top Of The Clops’, a tack shop near Taunton has won a place in the top ten of the UK’s funniest business names...and more.

    • Wednesday 8th May

      A woman driver has been told she faces a prison term for causing the deaths of two people in a crash on the A303. The AA says there are more potholes than ever on Somerset’s motorway network, leading to an increase in damage to vehicles. The new cancer treatment unit at Yeovil Hospital should be open before the end of the year...and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Light rain

      High: 19°C | Low: 11°C

    • Chard

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 18°C | Low: 10°C

    • Crewkerne

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 19°C | Low: 10°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain

      High: 20°C | Low: 10°C

    • Wincanton

      Light rain

      High: 19°C | Low: 10°C

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