Monday 29th April

Monday, 29 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset’s busiest speed camera in 2023 has been revealed as the camera on the westbound carriageway of the A303 between the Podimore Roundabout and the Hazelgrove Roundabout. Bus campaigners are calling on Somerset Council to keep the public toilets open at Yeovil bus station. The funeral has taken place in Yeovil of D-Day veteran, Bill Tolley, who has died at the age of 97...and more.

Somerset’s busiest speed camera in 2023 has been revealed as the camera on the westbound carriageway of the A303 between the Podimore Roundabout and the Hazelgrove Roundabout, near Yeovil. It recorded 12,005 speeding offences last year. The limit on this stretch of the A303 is 30mph. The highest speed recorded was 85mph. A speed camera on the A303 between Podimore Roundabout and Hazelgrove Roundabout travelling eastward recorded 4,227 offences. The highest speed recorded last year on all cameras in the Avon and Somerset Police area was 159 mph.

Bus campaigners are calling on Somerset Council to keep the public toilets at Yeovil bus station open. The toilets are due to close at the end of May with neither Somerset Council nor Yeovil Town Council claiming they don’t have the £70,000 needed to keep them open. The Somerset Bus Users Group wants the decision reversed, citing the experience of disabled passengers and concerns about the future of the Yeovil bus station site.

Four men have been arrested in connection with an alleged assault in Yeovil. It happened in Middle Street on Sunday, April 13th at around 1.15 am. A man suffered bruising and the loss of a tooth in the attack.

People in Somerset whose homes were flooded in January by Storm Henk may be eligible for government grants of up to £5000 to help prevent it happening again. The money is to help pay towards installing measures to reduce damage from flooding in future. Grant applications should be made through Somerset Council before the end of May.

Work has started building a new diagnostic centre at Yeovil Hospital. The 3-storey building on Higher Kingston is targeted to handle 70,000 diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments every year. During the construction, sections of footpath along Higher Kingston and the A30 Reckleford are cordoned off, with pedestrians using other routes into the hospital grounds.

The funeral has taken place in Yeovil of a D-Day veteran who has died at the age of 97. Bill Tolley served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. His funeral service was held at St John’s Church last Friday.

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