Local News Thursday 5th January

    A delay has been announced to the plans to dual the A358 between Ilminster and Taunton. South Somerset District Council has given the go-ahead for thirty low-cost homes to be built in South Petherton. A five-year plan is being drawn up for the future of the arts scene in Somerset. The New Year has got off to a good start for Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil with the company winning a multi-million-pound order with Canada to upgrade search and rescue helicopters...and more.

    A delay has been announced to the plans to dual the A358 between Ilminster and Taunton. National Highways says it’s to allow more time to assess the environmental impact of widening the road. National Highways had been due to apply for a Development Consent Order on the project before Christmas but now says this won’t happen until later in the year.

    South Somerset District Council has given the go-ahead for thirty low-cost homes to be built in South Petherton. The development of one-bed flats and two and three-bed houses will be sited on land at Flax Court. SSDC is also being asked to give planning consent to build 40 homes on Silver Street and 18 homes on Lampreys Lane in South Petherton.

    A five-year plan is being drawn up for the future of the arts scene in Somerset. Local councils are working on the project, aimed at better promotion of the arts as well as creating new job opportunities in the arts. 

    The New Year has got off to a good start for Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil with the company winning a multi-million-pound order with Canada to upgrade search and rescue helicopters. The contract, worth £608 million pounds, will see the systems of sixteen Canadian AW101 Cormorants up-graded, extending the life expectancy of the aircraft by further 20 years.

    Plans have been submitted to convert the rear part of Chard's former HSBC bank building into a residential dwelling. HSBC closed its Chard branch three years ago and, currently, the building stands unoccupied.

    Crewkerne Town Council says it may have to permanently close the public toilets in Falkland Square in the town following repeated acts of anti-social behavior. Police are asking anyone who witnesses the toilets being misused to inform the Town Council or call the police non-emergency number 101.

    More from News

    • Thursday 30th October

      Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more

    • Wednesday 29th October

      Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.

    • Tuesday 28th October

      Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more

    • Monday 27th October

      The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more

    • Friday 24th October

      New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more

    • Thursday 23rd October

      Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more

    • Wednesday 22nd October

      A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .

    • Tuesday 21st October

      Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Low-level cloud

      High: 13°C | Low: 12°C

    • Chard

      Heavy Rain

      High: 14°C | Low: 12°C

    • Crewkerne

      Heavy Rain

      High: 14°C | Low: 12°C

    • Somerton

      Medium-level cloud

      High: 14°C | Low: 12°C

    • Wincanton

      Low-level cloud

      High: 13°C | Low: 12°C

    Recently Played