Local News Monday 12th June

Monday, 12 June 2023 07:00

By Steve Haigh

A record number of motorists were convicted of speeding offences in the Avon and Somerset Police area last year. An Ilchester man has been jailed for ten years after being found guilty of eleven counts of indecent assault. Police are seeking dashcam footage and witnesses to a single-vehicle collision on the A30 at Snowdon Hill near Chard last Thursday...and more.

A record number of motorists were convicted of speeding offences in the Avon and Somerset Police area last year. Figures from the Ministry of Justice show that 10,566 motorists caught by Avon and Somerset Police were convicted for speeding offences in 2022 – up 61% from 6,578 convictions the year before and the highest since comparable records began in 2014.

An Ilchester man has been jailed for ten years after being found guilty of eleven counts of indecent assault. Karl Pitcher, aged fifty-four of Great Orchard in Ilchester, was also given a sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offenders register for life when he appeared at Taunton Crown Court. The court was told that Pitcher had carried out his offending in the nineteen nineties on children aged between two and fourteen years.

Police are seeking dashcam footage and witnesses to a single-vehicle collision on the A30 at Snowdon Hill near Chard last Thursday at around 10.20 am. The driver of a black Ford Fiesta involved in the incident remains in a critical condition in hospital. If you can help, please call the non-emergency number 101.

Plans have been submitted to convert a disused church in Langport into a house. The proposal would see the former United Reformed Church building on Bow Street connected to the next-door property to create one large house. The building was constructed in 1828 as a congregational chapel and re-fronted in 1874. It ceased being a church in May 202

A traditional farmhouse cider-maker is encouraging more people to produce heritage Somerset cider. Matt Gillett runs 'Tricky Cider' in Low Ham, near Langport says there's room in the market for more locally produced cider.

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Friday 31st October

There's anger in Chard about a road diversion in place alongside two sets of roadworks through the town. A motorcyclist has been injured in an accident in Bruton. £100,000 has been donated towards re-opening Shepton Mallet’s Amulet theatre... and more
Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .