Local News Monday 22nd August

Monday, 22 August 2022 06:00

Bus services around Yeovil and across Somerset are set to benefit after the government confirmed that £130 million is to be invested in the bus network across the country. Uncertainty surrounds the future of Cineworld on the Yeo Leisure Park, off Station Road in Yeovil. Repairs to the A30 at Sherborne have entered the third week after further damage was found to a gas pipe. Police are investigating a fatal crash that happened on the A303 near Wincanton...and more.

Bus services around Yeovil and across Somerset are set to benefit after the government confirmed that £130 million is to be invested in the bus network across the country. The funding represents a six-month extension of the bus recovery grant and should secure services at their current level until March next year.

Uncertainty surrounds the future of Cineworld on the Yeo Leisure Park, off Station Road in Yeovil. This is after reports that owners of the Cineworld Group, are preparing to file for bankruptcy. The company is understood to have hired consultants to advise on the bankruptcy process. In a statement, Cineworld said low admission levels at their cinemas have had a negative impact on the group’s liquidity position.

Repairs to the A30 at Sherborne have entered the third week after further damage was found to a gas pipe. The road has been closed between Marston Road and Bristol Road since Thursday, August 11, following an accident in which a combine harvester collided with a gas main. The A30 is not expected to re-open to traffic as normal until Wednesday this week at the earliest.

Police are investigating a fatal crash that happened on the A303 near Wincanton. A car and a van collided on the road last Thursday evening. The driver of the car, a woman in her 20’s, died at the scene. The driver of the van was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

A Fleet Air Arm war veteran has been treated to a special flyover of the plane that he used to pilot. Ralph Jameson, who’s 98, relived memories as the Navy Wings Seafire was flown over his residential care home in Leigh near Sherborne as a thank you for his long service. Mr Jameson flew Barracudas and Fireflies with the British Pacific Fleet during the Second World War and continued to fly with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve after the war. The flyover was staged by Navy Wings, who are based at RNAS Yeovilton.

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