Monday 25th March

Monday, 25 March 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Twenty-five new electric buses will soon start running on Somerset’s roads thanks to a £14.7 million Government investment in public transport. A record number of houses were sold in Chard last year making it one of the most popular towns in Somerset to live in. Yeovil's Marlie Packer won her 100th cap with the England Women’s Rugby team playing Italy in a Six Nations game yesterday...and more.

Twenty-five new electric buses are to be introduced on Somerset’s roads thanks to a £14.7 million investment in public transport by the government. The double-decker and single-decker buses are being paid for by a grant from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission scheme. The electric buses will replace some of Buses of Somerset’s diesel fleet, and will each save up to 60 tonnes of tailpipe emissions every year.

The number of community food pantries operating in Somerset has risen to ten. Community food pantries give out food to those in the greatest need that has been donated by supermarkets that would otherwise be thrown away.

It seems Chard is a place where more and more people want to live. Figures from the property website Rightmove show that house sales in Chard last year more than doubled. Rightmove says that compared to 2022 the number of property sales in Chard rose by 123 per cent last year.

Yeovil-based solicitors Battens came away winners at the 2024 Somerset Business Awards, held in Weston-super-mare, at the weekend. Battens, who have offices in Princes Street in Yeovil, was presented with the ‘Investing in Somerset Award’ sponsored by Hinkley Point C.

Mill on the Brue at Bruton is asking for permission to install ninety-four solar panels at the outdoor activity centre. A planning application to Somerset Council says the panels will be sited near to the entrance, not far away from an existing bridleway.

Somerset is on a list of places to report UFO sightings. In their annual report, the research group UFO Identified says fifteen unexplained objects or lights were spotted in the skies over Somerset between January 2021 and December 2023. It brings to 193, the total number of UFO sightings across the South West in the last four years.

Yeovil's Marlie Packer won her 100th cap playing for the England Women’s Rugby team in a Six Nations game against Italy yesterday. The 34-year-old flanker and England Captain, who attended Bucker’s Mead Academy in Yeovil, made her debut for the Red Roses in 2008 and is only the seventh English women’s rugby player to win 100 caps playing for her country.

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.