Local News Tuesday 16th August

Tuesday, 16 August 2022 06:00

A yellow warning is in place for thunderstorms across Somerset today and tomorrow. Plans have been submitted to radically alter a former restaurant building in Yeovil town centre. The conservation group, the People's Trust for Endangered Species, is asking people in Somerset to help carry out a wildlife survey. A former garage on the A30 between Yeovil and Sherborne has been put up for sale with development potential...and more.

A yellow warning is in place for thunderstorms across Somerset today and tomorrow. The Met Office says while some places will stay dry, others will experience heavy downpours, with torrential rain causing disruption. Meanwhile, Devon and Somerset Fire Service say they’ve been fully stretched dealing with grass fires brought on by the extremely dry conditions. They say the past few days have been some of their busiest ever.

Plans have been submitted to radically alter a former restaurant building in Yeovil town centre. The property at 66 Middle Street, opposite the old bandstand area, has stood empty for three years, but could now have two new upper floors added for making into flats. Two other floors in the building would also be converted to flats under an application to South Somerset District Council. Eleven flats in total would be created with the ground floor retained for serving food and drink.

The conservation group, the People's Trust for Endangered Species, is asking people in Somerset to help carry out a wildlife survey to reflect the habits of wild animals during this year’s very hot summer. They’re looking to gather data on how animals have been coping with the extremely high temperatures.

A former garage on the A30 between Yeovil and Sherborne has been put up for sale with development potential.

The 1.3-acre site, which was formerly the Forward Garage, is advertised with a guide price of £650,000.

A partially sighted pensioner from Somerset is planning to complete a 900-mile road trip to raise money for the charity, Somerset Sight. Graham Salter is due to set off next month in his vintage Austin 7, travelling from Lands End to John O'Groats. Graham says every penny he raises will go towards helping Somerset Sight with their good work.

More from News

Monday 16th June

The new owner of Yeovil Town says he’s in talks with Somerset Council about buying back Huish Park. Water levels at some of Somerset’s reservoirs are below what they should be for this time of year. A Chard woman has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours... and more.
Friday 13th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Chard, which left one person with life-threatening injuries. Texas Rocks in Middle Street, Yeovil, has closed temporarily following a significant fire. A Yeovil dental hygienist has been named as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain competition...and more.
Thursday 12th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor’s Spending Review for not delivering real change for Yeovil and South Somerset. The CEO of Leonardo UK states that they’re working towards closing the gender pay gap within the company. Yeovil Town is relocating its first-team training camp to Bristol... and more.
Wednesday 11th June

People in Somerset are being asked for their views on the state of the county’s roads and footpaths. A trial is being conducted at Yeovil Hospital to investigate whether administering shorter courses of antibiotics to patients can effectively treat sepsis. Somerset Council says it has no plans to reopen a block of public toilets in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 10th June

A mother from Chard says schools need to do more to identify students with dyslexia. A fire in a van that caught alight at Stoke-sub-Hamdon is being treated as accidental. A former Yeovil-based police officer, who made it appear he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing...and more
Monday 9th June

Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more
Friday 6th June

Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville have stopped monitoring the local traffic because of online and verbal abuse. Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised more than one thousand pounds for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys...and more.
Thursday 5th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.