Local News Monday 6th December

Monday, 6 December 2021 06:00

Yeovil Carnival could be revived next year. South Somerset District Council is planning to buy a property in Yeovil to drive forward its regeneration of the town centre. A teenager who took police on a high-speed chase around country lanes in Crewkerne has been given was a suspended prison sentence. Owners of cats in South Somerset that are aged 20-weeks and over will need to have them microchipped. Businesses in South Somerset are being encouraged to sign up for a new initiative to tackle food waste...and more.

Yeovil Carnival could be revived next year. Carnival in Yeovil folded in 2005 due to a lack of volunteers and plans to reinstate it in 2019 also failed due to roads works in the town centre. Now, a new committee has been formed and they are holding a public meeting to gather support on January 26th at the 94 Club in Middle Street, Yeovil.

South Somerset District Council is planning to buy a property in Yeovil to drive forward its regeneration of the town centre. Work on improving Westminster Street and Wine Street as part of the Yeovil Refresh project is already underway. A major upgrade of The Triangle in Lower Middle Street is due to start late next year. The Council hasn’t said which property they plan to buy but say owning it will mean the start date on one of the improvement schemes in Yeovil town centre can be brought forward.

A teenager who took police on a high-speed chase around country lanes in Crewkerne has been given was a suspended prison sentence. Taunton Crown Court was told that 19-year-old Theodore Galpin put his foot down when police tried to speak to him about not having a driving licence. He overtook a van on a blind bend, narrowly missed a walker and his dog and almost hit a cyclist. When he was eventually stopped, police found there were three other people in the car. Galpin who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving was also banned from driving for 30-months.

Owners of cats in South Somerset that are aged 20-weeks and over will need to have them microchipped and their contact details stored in a database under a new scheme announced by the government. Owners who don’t comply could face a fine of £500 pounds.

A former pub in Castle Cary could be converted into a convenience store. A planning application has been submitted for a ‘change of use’ on the former Horse Pond Inn into a Co-op shop. The plans also include the addition of three new homes on the site. South Somerset District Council is due to consider the application early in the New Year.

Businesses in South Somerset are being encouraged to sign up for a new initiative to tackle food waste. The tourism organisation ‘Visit West’ has partnered with ‘Too Good - To Go’ a company that helps cafes, restaurants and hotels sell food at a discounted rate that would otherwise be thrown away.

Chard business owners are being invited to apply for grants to improve the appearance of their shop fronts. A consultation launching later this week will lay out how different parts of the town should appear and how shop fronts could be enhanced. The scheme’s being run by South Somerset District Council through the Chard High Street Heritage Action Fund.

Yeovil Town will be number 45 in the draw for the third round of the FA Cup tonight. You can see the draw being made on ITV4 at 7 pm.

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