Monday 23rd June

Monday, 23 June 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Artist's impression of amenity building within new services on the A303 at Cartgate near Yeovil

Plans have been submitted to build a motorway-style service station at Cartgate on the A303. Police are asking for the public’s help in tracing those responsible for two house break-ins in Yeovil. A Community Champion at Tesco in Chard has been rewarded for her work supporting the local community...and more.

Plans have been submitted to build a motorway-style service station at Cartgate on the A303 on the outskirts of Yeovil. Welcome Break Services Ltd wants to use land to the west of the existing Cartgate services area to build food outlets, including a McDonald's, a Starbucks, and a KFC. A public seating area, toilets and parking for 145 vehicles would also be provided. Somerset Council is expected to decide on the plans before the end of the year.

Police are asking for the public’s help in connection with two house burglaries in Yeovil. Car keys were taken when homes on Summerleaze Park and Ilchester Road were broken into last Friday. A grey Audi was stolen from one house. Police are asking anyone with relevant doorbell footage to please call the non-emergency number 101.

A man has pleaded not guilty to murdering his one-month-old son in Chard. Tony Bartlett, aged 38, from Axminster, denied killing Atticus Bartlett in Chard in July 2022, when he appeared at Bristol Crown Court. A provisional date was set for June 2026 for Mr Bartlett to stand trial.

Three-way traffic lights will be operating at various locations in Ilminster from today. It’s to allow National Grid to put up poles ready for cabling work to begin. The places where the lights will operate are by the Shrubbery Hotel on Station Road, The Butts and Winterhay Lane.

Nicky Male, a Community Champion at Tesco in Chard, has been rewarded for supporting the local community with an invitation to a Buckingham Palace garden party. Nicky, who has worked at Tesco in Chard for 23 years, and her husband David, spent an afternoon at Buckingham Palace in the company of the King and Queen, describing the experience as being ‘unforgettable’.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more