Tuesday 19th September

Tuesday, 19 September 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Police are investigating an attack on an elderly man in Ilton. Sixty-five local jobs have been created with the opening of a new McDonalds near Ilminster. A recruitment campaign has been launched for gritter drivers, to keep Somerset’s roads safe this winter...and more.

Police are investigating an attack on an elderly man in Ilton. It happened in Ilton Play Park off Copse Lane on Wednesday, August 23rd but has only now been made public. The man, in his seventies, was treated in hospital after falling onto play equipment when he was pushed to the ground by a youth said to be aged seventeen, white, six foot tall, of slim build with short dark hair, and wearing a black T-shirt. Anyone who witnessed the attack or who can help the police with information is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

A man from Somerset - whose mother took her own life when he was just fifteen - says more conversations about mental health need to be had to prevent young people from considering suicide. Guy Locke is preparing to run the southwest coastal path next month in memory of his mother and to raise money for the suicide prevention charity Papyrus.

Sixty-five local jobs have been created with the opening this week of a new McDonalds near Ilminster. The restaurant and drive-through on the Southfields Enterprise Park off the A303 starts serving customers on Thursday at 11 a.m.

People in Somerset are being urged to check their electoral registration details or risk losing their chance to vote. Letters are being sent to all households as part of the annual canvass by Somerset Council to keep the register up-to-date and identify those at risk of losing their voice at elections.

A recruitment campaign’s been launched for gritter drivers to keep Somerset’s roads safe this winter. Drivers will be offered temporary contracts to cover the winter maintenance season, starting in November. Applicants should have a valid winter maintenance qualification or experience.

Yeovil disabled athlete, Jules Allen, has won both bronze and silver in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby at the Invictus Games. Jules says this will be his last Invictus and is looking for a new role to stay involved with the event.

More from News

Thursday 1st May

There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
Wednesday 30th April

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
Tuesday 29th April

New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Monday 28th April

Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.