Local News Monday 24th January

Monday, 24 January 2022 06:00

Police have seized two BB guns from pupils at a school in the Wincanton area. A driving instructor in Somerset has expressed concerns about the changes to the Highway Code that come in force at the end of the month. St. Gilda's Catholic Primary School in Yeovil has joined four other catholic primary schools in Somerset to form a new multi-academy trust. Work starts today on resurfacing Coombe Street Lane in Yeovil...and more.

Police have seized two BB guns from pupils at a school in the Wincanton area. Police say BB guns are dangerous because they look like real guns. Anyone found with a BB gun will be treated as possessing a real firearm, until proven otherwise. The name BB refers to the ball-bearing shot fired from a BB gun that is the size of a single lead shot in a shotgun shell.

A driving instructor in Somerset has expressed concerns about the changes to the Highway Code that come in force at the end of the month. The Department for Transport says the changes are aimed at increasing road safety, Rachel Coward who runs Freedom School of Motoring claims not enough has been done to publicise the new rules.

St. Gilda's Catholic Primary School in Yeovil has joined four other catholic primary schools in Somerset to form a new multi-academy trust. St Gilda’s will no longer be run by Somerset County Council with the school building and management of the school transferring to the Dunstan Catholic Educational Trust on March 1st.

Works start today on resurfacing Coombe Street Lane in Yeovil. Somerset County Council says the road will be closed, except for resident access, for the next four weeks. Meanwhile, work resurfacing Langport Road at Langport has been completed ahead of schedule. The A372 reopened as normal at the weekend following three weeks of disruption.

HMRC is allowing people and businesses an extra one month to submit their tax returns. They say the end of January remains the deadline for sending in self-assessment forms and company accounts, but that late filing penalties won’t apply until after March 1st.

A Somerset pub that won the CAMRA Heart of Wessex Pub of Year award in 2017 has been put up for sale. The Bird in Hand at Henstridge, which has been in the same ownership for 40 years, has been advertised with an asking price of £480,000.

More from News

Monday 15th June

People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more