Monday 16th February

Monday, 16 February 2026 05:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has warned that the Westlands entertainment venue in Yeovil would be at risk should Leonardo not be awarded a government contract to build new medium life helicopters. A Chard woman has been given a suspended jail sentence for carrying a knife in a public place. A petition has been launched to slowdown motorists using Coker Way and Wyatt Way in Chard... and more

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has warned that the Westlands entertainment venue in Yeovil would be at risk should Leonardo not be awarded a government contract to build new medium life helicopters. Leonardo, who own the freehold of the Westlands building has said it will shut the Yeovil factory site if the helicopter order is not confirmed by March 31st. Somerset Council, who operate Westlands in partnership with Yeovil Town Council on a lease arrangement, say there are too many unknowns around the medium lift helicopter order to determine what might or might not happen to the entertainment venue should the order not be confirmed.

A Chard woman has been given a suspended jail sentence for carrying a knife in a public place. Taunton Crown Court was told that Vanessa Marques, of Auckland Way, in Chard was found in possession of a 20 cm blade after visiting a woman at her home. Marques was handed a three-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and told to wear a GPS trail monitoring unit.

A distribution warehouse in Yeovil, previously occupied by Silverline Tools, has been put up for sale. The freehold building occupies a 5.6 acre site at Boundary Way, on the Lufton Trading Estate, and is on the market with a guide price of £5 million. The sale follows Group Silverline Ltd and Toolstream Ltd entering administration in December.

Castle Street at its junction with North Street in Stoke-sub-Hamdon is shut to traffic today and for the next 6-days for repairs to a mains gas pipe. Contractors, Wales and West Utilities, say access to Castle Street from North Street, and to North Street from Castle Street will be blocked until next Sunday.

A petition has been launched to slowdown motorists using Coker Way and Wyatt Way in Chard. Local resident, Susie Clark, wants a 20 miles per hour limit and speed humps introduced. Somerset Council says when it receives the petition it will look at the possibility of introducing a reduced speed limit and traffic calming measures in Coker Way and Wyatt Way.

The Apple Tree Restaurant at Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil has been awarded Gold in the Café and Tearoom category of the Taste of the West Hospitality and Retail Awards. Staff at the Apple Tree Restaurant were praised for their knowledge of the menu and suppliers, and attentive service in a busy environment.

More from News

Thursday 16th April

Wessex Water has been told to pay £300,000 after a sewer spilled into the River Yeo killing dozens of fish. The Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton has been given a grant of half a million pounds. Today marks the official opening of the new visitor centre at Ham Hill... and more
Wednesday 15th April

Yeovil College has been upgraded to a Defence Technical Excellence College. Somerset Council is taking legal action against a housing developer that owes £35,000 in contributions towards local services in Broadway. An Ilminster couple have covered the first 400 miles of their epic walk around the coastline of mainland Britain... and more
Tuesday 14th April

Avon and Somerset Police has launched a new five-year plan to tackle anti-social behaviour. Additional GP appointments will soon be available at three local surgeries, following a £1 million investment to upgrade NHS facilities in Somerset. A Stoke-sub-Hamdon couple whose daughter died of cancer have raised £128,000 in her memory... and more
Monday 13th April

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for better support for survivors of domestic abuse living in rural communities. The RSPB in Somerset is urging people to stop feeding birds to prevent the spread of disease. Yeovil Town Football Club says an issue that had threatened it with removal from the register at Companies House has been resolved... and more
Friday 10th April

Maternity services at Yeovil Hospital will reopen on Tuesday April 21st. A Somerset woman, who relies on a wheelchair for mobility, has criticised changes to the Motor Motability scheme. Somerset Freemasons have presented a cheque for forty-three thousand pounds to Young Somerset, a charity that supports young people in the county... and more
Thursday 9th April

Yeovil Town Football Club has received a warning that it could be struck off the register at Companies House. Somerset Council has been given £22 million to provide assistance to people facing cost of living pressures. Members of 1st Ilminster Scout Group have spent a night sleeping outdoors to experience the challenges faced by homeless military veterans... and more
Wednesday 8th April

A Yeovil school teacher has been banned from teaching for sharing inappropriate details about her private life with pupils. A Stoke-sub-Hamdon woman has been given a 17-month driving ban. A Yeovil woman who survived bone cancer is raising is running the London Marathon... and more
Tuesday 7th April

Somerset Council has set aside three hundred and seventy thousand pounds to keep open five leisure centres in the Mendip area. Watercombe Lane in Yeovil is set to close for thirty-one days for gas mains replacement works. It’s been announced that Martock will stage a Pride event in June...and more