Local News Tuesday 19th July

Tuesday, 19 July 2022 06:00

An amber weather alert for extreme temperatures is in place across Somerset again today. A Yeovil man has been jailed for 12 years after pleading guilty to multiple offences. Plans have been submitted to build one-hundred-and-twenty new homes on the outskirts of Keinton Mandeville. Up to seventeen so-called local community networks could be established across Somerset as part of the new Somerset unitary council. An empty church building in Yeovil is to be converted into flats...and more.

An amber weather alert for extreme temperatures is in place across Somerset again today. Road gritters are being used to treat roads with reports of tarmac surfaces melting in the record temperatures. Speed restrictions are in place again across the rail network. Some services have been cancelled as temperatures rise above what train lines are designed to cope with. The RSPCA is reminding dog owners not to take their pets out for walks in the heat.

A Yeovil man has been jailed for 12 years after pleading guilty to multiple offences including sexual offences against children. 63-year-old Michael Sellings, of Horsey Lane pleaded guilty to 12 offences, which took place between November 2016 and June 2021.

Plans have been submitted to build one-hundred-and-twenty new homes on the outskirts of Keinton Mandeville. Land for the development has been earmarked south of the B315 between Keinton Mandeville and Somerton. The sites comprise three fields, ending near the village hall and the Lakeview housing development.

Up to seventeen so-called local community networks could be established across Somerset as part of the new Somerset unitary council. It’s believed the LCN’s will include representatives of parish and town councils, police and fire service, community groups, and perhaps members of the public. A pilot LCN for South East Somerset is currently running.

An empty church building in Yeovil is to be converted into flats. The former Elim Church on Larkhill Road will be turned into four living spaces after South Somerset District Council granted planning permission and a change of use on the building.

Repair or reuse old items instead of replacing them. That's the message from Somerset Waste Partnership as it hosts a series of events across Somerset as part of Reuse Week. It says people should try to think about reusing items before putting them in recycling bins.

More from News

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