Local News Thursday 23rd March

Thursday, 23 March 2023 06:00

Plans have been submitted to redevelop the site of Yeovil College. A Somerset man has been jailed for three years for importing drugs into the UK. Yeovil-based Screwfix has bought a business out of administration saving 400 jobs. An empty building in Chard, earmarked for demolition, won’t now be knocked down. A Somerset man has been chosen to feature in a new fundraising campaign for guide dogs...and more.

Plans have been submitted to redevelop the site of Yeovil College. If approved, a number of the older buildings, including the main Kingston building, would be demolished and replaced by three new buildings. The plans also include a one-way internal through-road linking the A37 Ilchester Road and Mudford Road.

A Somerset man has been jailed for three years for importing drugs into the UK. Robert Lane was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court after pleading guilty to offences relating to cocaine and cannabis. He was caught when Border Foe officials intercepted a parcel addressed to his home in Somerset containing an estimated five-thousand pounds worth of cannabis.

Yeovil-based Screwfix has bought a business out of administration saving 400 jobs. Connect Distribution Services in Birmingham which retails homewares and accessories was facing closure. The buyout, worth three million pounds, will see Screwfix, which is part of the same retail group as B&Q, operating Connect Distribution Services as a going concern, acquiring its e-commerce platforms, stock, intellectual property and product data.

A Somerset man has been chosen to feature in a new fundraising campaign for guide dogs. Appearing on social media, In the campaign on social media, Alex Gosney is seen asking the public to donate generously so that more guide dogs can be trained.

An empty building in Chard, earmarked for demolition, won’t now be knocked down. The former ACI building off Silver Street next to the new Chard Leisure complex has been given a reprieve pending further enquiries into how it might be given a new purpose.

Roads across Yeovil will be closed on Sunday for the Yeovil Half Marathon. The roads affected include Addlewell Lane, South Street, Park Street, Brunswick Street, Hendford, Silver Street, Middle Street and Market Street. Sherborne Road up to Pen Mill Hotel will also be closed. The race starts in South Street outside the library and makes its way to Montecute House before the runners return to the finish line in the Quedam Shopping Centre.

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