Local News Monday 27th March

Monday, 27 March 2023 07:00

By Steve Haigh

Cars are being vandalised for being parked on the busy A371 outside Castle Carey railway station. Recycling centres will be open for longer from next month. A motorist in Crewkerne has thanked a pedestrian for alerting her to flames coming out from beneath her car before it exploded. A fifty-two mile Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge is being held to raise money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

Cars are being vandalised for being parked on the busy A371 outside Castle Carey railway station. Passengers say the station’s car park is too small, leaving them with no option but to park on the road outside the station.

A motorist in Crewkerne has thanked a pedestrian for alerting her to flames coming out from beneath her car. Liz Earl was driving in Henhayes Lane and was able to get out of the car within seconds of it exploding in a ball of flames. Liz says she owes her life to the passer-by who left the scene without giving her the chance to say a big thank you. It’s believed the blaze was caused by an engine fault or a petrol leak. The car – a Fiat 500 - was completely burnt out.

Today is the last day for people in Castle Cary and Ansford to take part in a survey that will be used to help compile a new Community Plan for two parishes. The survey gives residents the chance to suggest services and facilities they would like to have provided over the next ten years. The survey can be found on the websites of both Castle Cary and Ansford parish councils.

Recycling centres change their opening times next month. Beginning from the first of April, the two recycling centres in our area in Yeovil and Chard will stay open for an extra hour. The two centres will open as usual at 9 am and stay open until 6 pm rather than 5 pm at present. Weekend opening hours at the two sites remain the same, 9 am to 4 pm.

There's just under a month to go to sign up for a fifty-two mile Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge to raise money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. The annual event starts in Watchet and ends at West Bay in Dorset on 23rd April.

IT consultants Mark ONE of Yeovil took the runners up prize in the Family Business of the Year category at the Somerset Business Awards held at the weekend. Sparkford based, Sycamore Process Engineering, won the Large Business of the Year award with Bradford’s in Yeovil and Concept Products of Somerton sharing the runners up prize in the Environmental Achievement category.

More from News

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
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more