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

Tuesday 17th March

The government is being asked to help fund Somerset's carnivals. Bridgwater Town Council wants more trains to stop at the town’s railway station. A fund raising pie throwing event is taking place for Red Nose Day in Chard... and more
Monday 16th March

Drivers are being told that it could take several more weeks yet before Hendford Hill in Yeovil reopens to traffic. A new bus service between Glastonbury and Castle Cary railway station is to start on a trial basis. Children in Chard are being given free reading books as part of a scheme founded by Dolly Parton... and more
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