Local News Thursday 31st August

Thursday, 31 August 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Engineers have concluded that the weather rather than work laying a new pavement in the High Street in Yeovil has caused the War Memorial to lean. The UK's first artificial sports pitch made entirely from corn was laid at Preston School in Yeovil. Yeovil Town Council is appealing for help finding a time capsule...and more.

Structural engineers have concluded that the weather rather than work laying a new pavement in the High Street in Yeovil has caused the War Memorial to lean. Concerns were raised about the structure's safety shortly after work began in The Borough laying new pavement slabs. In a report, engineers say hydration within the stonework is the most likely reason why the upper section has developed a slight lean.

The UK's first artificial sports pitch made entirely out of corn has been laid at Preston School in Yeovil. It has cost nearly seven hundred thousand pounds and comes ahead of an expected ban in Europe on traditional 3G pitches that use microplastics.

A Somerset housing developer has welcomed plans to ease water pollution restrictions for new developments. Up to one hundred thousand new homes could be built by 2030 if EU rules around house building near waterways are loosened. Environmental groups have described the move as "disgraceful" but housing developer, Chris Winter, says the current regulations need to be changed.

The Somerset Building Preservation Trust has outlined plans to restore the old courthouse building in Chard. The Trust bought the lease to Number Nine Fore Street in May this year and through a programme of tailored repairs will give the building a new communal purpose.

Yeovil Town Council is trying to trace a time capsule believed to be buried under the Millennium Clock in Yeovil town centre. The capsule, containing items of Yeovil history, is thought to have been deposited in the clock's foundations when it was erected in 1999. The Town Council would like to hear from anyone who can shed light on the capsule's existence or anyone with photographs of the ceremony held to mark the capsule’s burial.

A date has been announced to open a new McDonald’s near Ilminster. The restaurant and drive-thru at the Southfields Enterprise Park off the A303 will open from Thursday, September 20th and has created sixty-five new jobs.

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Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more