Local News Monday 8th November

Monday, 8 November 2021 06:00

Chard’s new Leisure Centre opens to the public today. Yeovil Town will be ball number seven in the draw tonight for the second round of the FA Cup. A mechanic from Yeovil has appeared in court charged with issuing false MOT certificates. From today, you can book a Covid-19 booster jab a month before you are eligible. People have until the 22nd of November to have a say on a public consultation into the dualling of the A358...and more.

Chard’s new Leisure Centre opens to the public today. The centre in Fore Street run by Freedom Leisure in partnership with South Somerset District Council has a five-lane swimming pool, learner pool, gymnasium, soft play area and café and has been built as part of the Chard Regeneration Project at a cost of sixteen-and-a-half-million pounds.

Yeovil Town will be ball number seven in the draw tonight for the second round of the FA Cup. The draw will be made live on ITV following coverage of the first-round tie between Dagenham & Redbridge and Salford City. Games in the second round are to be played between Friday 3rd December and Monday the 6th of December.

A mechanic from Yeovil has appeared in court charged with issuing false MOT certificates. Taunton Crown Court was told that Thomas Drayton of Cedar Grove issued the certificates without ever testing the vehicles. He was given a 10-months suspended jail sentence after admitting 55 fraud offences committed over three months beginning at the start of the lockdown in March last year.

Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford have announced that the current acting Chief Constable Sarah Crew is his preferred candidate to take on the role permanently. Mr. Shelford will make the recommendation when the Police and Crime Panel next meet on the 25th of November.

From today, you can book a Covid-19 booster jab a month before you are eligible. At present, anyone eligible who had their second dose of a vaccine six months ago can book their top-up only when those six months are up

People have until the 22nd of November to have a say on a public consultation into the dualling of the A358 between the Southfields roundabout at Ilminster and the M5 in Taunton.

The Bristol Cider Shop company is relocating to South Somerset. It follows a decision by South Somerset District Council to grant the business a licence to trade from a unit at Townsend Farm near Ilminster.

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Tuesday 16th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal two-vehicle crash on the A358 near Ilminster. A man from Norton-sub-Hamdon has appeared in court charged with drink driving. An original Mr Blobby costume from the former Blobbyland theme park at Cricket St Thomas has been put up for sale... and more
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.