Monday 27th January

Monday, 27 January 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck, found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton at the weekend, may have been stolen. An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has raised over £1 million in less than 18 months...and more

A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. It's also set up two rest centres in Ilminster and Chard. 12 flood warnings are in place across the county and a number of schools have been closed.

Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton may have been stolen. Emergency services were called to the Rivers Yeo in Weir Lane after a vehicle was spotted floating in the water on Saturday. Police divers searched for the driver but no one was found. Police say enquiries are continuing and ask anyone with information to call the non-emergency number 101 (Photo courtesy of Michael Clark).

A man who threatened to kill a support worker at the mental health unit where he lived in Yeovil has been sentenced to a community order. Matthew Hunniset, aged 23, of Bladen Valley, Briantspuddle, pleaded guilty to assaulting Hannah Martin and using or threatening unlawful violence towards her. After receiving a pre-sentence report from the Probation Service, magistrates in Yeovil told Hunniset they had come close to sending him to prison. Instead, they sentenced him to a 12-month community order with 30 rehabilitation activity days and a 120-day tagged alcohol treatment order. He was also ordered to pay the victim £250 compensation.

The owners of Chard Bookshop on Pig Lane in Chard are closing the business for good at the end of the week. In thanking the local community for their support over the past six years, co-owner Stevie Kesham blamed rising operating costs, over which they have no control, for the decision to close the business.

An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has reached the halfway point, raising just over £1 million in less than 18 months. Appeal organisers, the Friends of Wells Cathedral, say they’re hoping to start the refurbishment next year.

One of our local pubs has reopened after being closed for refurbishments. The Lord Nelson on Rectory Lane in Norton-Sub- Hamdon, has reopened with a brand-new bar after being shut since the start of the New Year.

Free face-to-face dementia clinics are returning to Yeovil this week. The sessions, hosted by Dementia UK's Admiral Nurses, offer practical and emotional support to people affected by dementia. They will take place over three days starting tomorrow at the Yeovil branch of Nationwide, in Middle Street.

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Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
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Tuesday 28th July

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Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

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