Monday 11th March

Monday, 11 March 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A man and a woman are due in court today charged with the murder of a baby boy at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council is to stop providing free sandbags to homeowners at times of major flooding. Students at Holyrood Academy in Chard have been invited to perform one of their shows at the Bristol Old Vic...and more

A man and a woman are due to appear at Bristol Crown Court in connection with the death of a baby boy during an incident at Yeovil Hospital. Brendon Staddon who was just two weeks old died in Yeovil Hospital last week. Daniel Gunter and Sophie Staddon both of no fixed address have been charged with his murder and of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Communities affected by flooding will no longer be given free sandbags by Somerset Council. The move is part of a raft of cost-cutting measures at Somerset Council, with homeowners being told that it’s their responsibility to protect their properties in the event of a flood.

It’s believed that a blaze in an empty property in Crewkerne was started deliberately. The three-storey derelict house on Abbey Street went up in flames last Wednesday. A short time earlier, Police received a call from a member of the public saying that a group of youths had broken into the property. Anyone who can help Police with enquiries is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

Keeping Somerset's streets and public toilets clean could become the responsibility of town and parish councils as Somerset Council seeks to cut costs. The Council currently has contracts with IDVerde for street cleaning and grounds maintenance, which were inherited from the four district councils upon their abolition in April 2023. Rather than extending the agreements, Somerset Council plans to bring the services in-house as the contracts expire, saving between £200,000 and £300,000 a year. But the council believes it could save even more if the services are devolved to town and parish councils - something which could lead to further rises in local council tax bills.

A Somerset-based photographer is exhibiting her photos of the 'devastating' flooding of the Levels ten years on. Matilda Temperley's photos are on display until 19th May at the Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury. Alongside the exhibition, a programme of events and activities is taking take place supported by Somerset Rivers Authority.

A group of students at Holyrood Academy in Chard have been invited to perform one of their shows in Bristol later this month. The Year 10 to 13 students will stage their production of Kiss, Marry, Push off a cliff, at the Bristol Old Vic on Tuesday, March 19th.

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.