Local News Tuesday 16th February

Thursday, 18 February 2021 17:32

Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal crash. Citizens Advice in Somerset is calling on the government to better regulate broadband companies. A Sherborne man has been charged with an alleged offence related to the Hunting Act and Yeovil College is celebrating the work of 50 of its apprentices as part of National Apprenticeship Week.

Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal crash between a car and a lorry on the A303 Ilminster by-pass at the weekend. The collision happened close to the South Petherton roundabout at around 5:30 pm on Sunday. The driver of the car, a 24-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. Anyone who can help is asked to call 101.

Citizens Advice in Somerset is calling on the government to better regulate broadband companies, in a bid to make it more affordable and more accessible to people in rural areas. The charity is arguing that it is an essential utility that people need for not just home schooling and shopping but also to claim benefits and apply for jobs.

A woman whose body was found in a lake at Yeovil Country Park has been named as Jean Osborne, aged 78, of Rivers Road, Yeovil. An inquest has been opened and adjourned into her death. The inquest was told that the cause of death remains unclear but they are no suspicious circumstances and general enquiries by the police are on going. The inquest is scheduled to resume in May.

More than 1,000 homes are standing empty in South Somerset, according to latest figures. 133 of the properties have been empty for between two and five years and 62 empty for more than five years. South Somerset District Council is taking the opportunity of ‘Empty Homes Week’ to raise awareness of the support it provides to owners to bring empty properties back into use.

A Sherborne man has been charged with an alleged offence related to the Hunting Act following an investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police. Mark Hankinson is due to appear before Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on March 4th charged with intentionally encouraging or assisting others to commit an offence under the Hunting Act 2004. (Story courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News).

Yeovil College is celebrating the work of 50 of its apprentices as part of National Apprenticeship Week. Each student has been given a National Apprenticeship Week Award including 39 health and social care apprentices who’ve been working on the front line during the pandemic at Yeovil Hospital.

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