Local News Thursday 16th September

    Taunton Crown Court

    Former Leader of South Somerset District Council, Rick Pallister, has been giving evidence at his trial at Taunton Crown Court. Children aged 12-to-15 in Somerset are to be offered a coronavirus vaccine starting from next week. ASDA has submitted a planning application to redevelop part of their Yeovil store. Two men have appeared in court in connection with the supply of class A drugs in Yeovil...and more.

    Former Leader of South Somerset District Council, Rick Pallister, has been giving evidence at his trial at Taunton Crown Court. Mr. Pallister, who denies 36 charges of alleged historic indecent assault and indecency with a child told the court he believed all contact with the alleged victims was "entirely consensual". He said he had no memory of some of the incidents described by the complainants taking place, and said several more did not take place "as described". He also flatly denied making any inappropriate contact with any of the complainants while they were under the age of 16. The case continues. (Story courtesy of Somerset Live).

    Children aged 12-to-15 in Somerset are to be offered a coronavirus vaccine starting from next week. They will need the consent of their parents to receive the jab, which will be given at school. Pupils will also be able to receive a flu vaccine, in the form of a nasal spray, at the same time.

    ASDA has submitted a planning application to redevelop part of their Yeovil store. The supermarket chain wants to add a new click and collect pod and drive-thru facility to the site on Preston Road. ASDA maintains the proposed changes would "have minimal impact on the visual effect of the building and on the scale of the site”. A decision on the application will now be made by South Somerset District Council.

    Two men have appeared in court in connection with the supply of class A drugs in Yeovil. Lemel Plomer-Roberts from South Norwood in London and Shane Ricketts from Croydon are charged with conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin. They were remanded in custody until their next court hearing at Taunton Crown Court on October 11th. 

    Events are taking place in Chard this week to celebrate the town’s proud history. ‘Heritage Week Chard’ includes an event about the town during the Second World War and the history of Chard Reservoir. 

    More from News

    • Thursday 28th March

      The waiting room and public toilets at Yeovil bus station that have fallen victim to Somerset Council spending cuts, will shut for good this weekend. A banking hub will not be provided in Ilminster when the town's last bank closes later this year. A rugby player who punched an opponent during a game in Sherborne has been ordered to pay his victim £4,000 in compensation...and more.

    • Wednesday 27th March

      Twenty-mile-an-hour speed zones are being introduced in fifteen areas across Somerset, including on roads in Chard and Ilchester. Plans to build fifty new houses at Broadway near Ilminster have been scrapped. Two people have appeared at Yeovil Magistrates Court charged with multiple drug offences...and more.

    • Tuesday 26th March

      More than two hundred and fifty new homes are to be built on the northern edge of Yeovil following a successful appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. The Shindig Music Festival, held on the Dillington Estate near Ilminster, has announced that this year's event will be their last. A hip replacement procedure at Yeovil Hospital, that can be done without patients needing an overnight hospital stay, has won a top award...and more.

    • Monday 25th March

      Twenty-five new electric buses will soon start running on Somerset’s roads thanks to a £14.7 million Government investment in public transport. A record number of houses were sold in Chard last year making it one of the most popular towns in Somerset to live in. Yeovil's Marlie Packer won her 100th cap with the England Women’s Rugby team playing Italy in a Six Nations game yesterday...and more.

    • Friday 22nd March

      A by-election for a seat on Yeovil Town Council has been won by the Yeovil Independents. Owners of empty properties in Somerset will be paying double in council tax from April. A Somerset man is celebrating after finding England’s largest ever nugget of gold, said to be worth £30,000, using a metal detector...and more.

    • Thursday 21st March

      A four-year-long, one-million-pound regeneration project in Chard, to improve the look of the town centre is nearing completion. Bus users have criticised a decision to cut a bus route between Wells and Yeovil. Yeovil is one of only three towns in Somerset to win a place in the finals of the national Britain in Bloom competition...and more

    • Wednesday 20th March

      Eighty-one motorists were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel during a two-week crackdown carried out by Avon and Somerset Police. People in Crewkerne are being asked to report incidents of fly tipping to the Town Council. A nurse at Yeovil Hospital will be raising money for the Roald Dahl Marvellous Children’s Charity when she competes in this year’s London Marathon...and more.

    • Tuesday 19th March

      Visit Somerset says the number of people visiting Somerset's tourist attraction is on the increase, despite a downturn in visitor numbers at UK tourist attractions. A new doctors’ surgery could soon open in Bruton as part of a new housing scheme. A campaign’s been launched in Bradford Abbas for the village to be given back a post box... and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Light rain

      High: 10°C | Low: 6°C

    • Chard

      Light rain

      High: 9°C | Low: 5°C

    • Crewkerne

      Light rain

      High: 9°C | Low: 5°C

    • Somerton

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 10°C | Low: 6°C

    • Wincanton

      Light rain

      High: 10°C | Low: 6°C

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