Local News Tuesday 6th June

Tuesday, 6 June 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Attorney General’s office says the jail sentence given to a Yeovil man who crashed a stolen car into three pedestrians in Mosterton will not be increased. The fire service is asking people not to light bonfires and barbecues in the countryside to avoid the risk of wildfires. Plans have been submitted to convert a disused church in Langport into a house...and more.

The Attorney General’s office says the jail term given to a Yeovil man who crashed a stolen car into three pedestrians in Mosterton, killing one of them and seriously injuring the two others, will not be increased. Shane Bovey was jailed for fourteen years at Bournemouth Crown Court in May after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

Devon and Somerset Fire Service is asking people not to light bonfires and barbecues in the countryside in the warm weather to avoid the risk of fire. It follows parts of the county being put at the second highest level of wildfires breaking out on the Fire Severity Index.

Tourism businesses in Somerset say they're feeling cautiously optimistic ahead of the summer season. It follows a successful May half-term with outdoor attractions benefiting from the good weather. But the CEO of Visit Somerset, John Turner says despite the upturn, some tourism businesses continue to struggle.

Advice sessions are being held in West Camel, Podimore and North Cadbury for people whose homes and businesses were affected by last month’s major flood event. The drop-in events, which have been organised by Somerset Council and the Environment Agency, are being held at the Davis Hall in West Camel tomorrow, Wednesday, 7th June, The Podimore Inn at Podimore on Thursday, June 8th, and at North Cadbury Village Hill next Monday, June 12th.

A ‘plant swap’ is being held in Yeovil tomorrow. Take along a plant from your own garden and exchange it for another plant. Organised by Yeovil In Bloom with two thousand plants to give away, it’s taking place in the grounds of St John’s Church in Yeovil.

Plans have been submitted to convert a disused church in Langport into a house. The application is to connect the former United Reform Church building on Bow Street to the property next door, to create one large house. The building was closed as a church in May 2021.

More from News

Monday 16th June

The new owner of Yeovil Town says he’s in talks with Somerset Council about buying back Huish Park. Water levels at some of Somerset’s reservoirs are below what they should be for this time of year. A Chard woman has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours... and more.
Friday 13th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Chard, which left one person with life-threatening injuries. Texas Rocks in Middle Street, Yeovil, has closed temporarily following a significant fire. A Yeovil dental hygienist has been named as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain competition...and more.
Thursday 12th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor’s Spending Review for not delivering real change for Yeovil and South Somerset. The CEO of Leonardo UK states that they’re working towards closing the gender pay gap within the company. Yeovil Town is relocating its first-team training camp to Bristol... and more.
Wednesday 11th June

People in Somerset are being asked for their views on the state of the county’s roads and footpaths. A trial is being conducted at Yeovil Hospital to investigate whether administering shorter courses of antibiotics to patients can effectively treat sepsis. Somerset Council says it has no plans to reopen a block of public toilets in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 10th June

A mother from Chard says schools need to do more to identify students with dyslexia. A fire in a van that caught alight at Stoke-sub-Hamdon is being treated as accidental. A former Yeovil-based police officer, who made it appear he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing...and more
Monday 9th June

Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more
Friday 6th June

Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville have stopped monitoring the local traffic because of online and verbal abuse. Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised more than one thousand pounds for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys...and more.
Thursday 5th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.