Monday 9th June

Monday, 9 June 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more

Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. The school, which opened in September last year and was funded by the Department for Education, is facing costly building issues and lower-than-anticipated pupil numbers.

Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. Mark Roberts, aged 39, of Juniper Close in Yeovil, and David Garland, aged 40, of no fixed address, were each found guilty of both murder and conspiracy to murder Michael Wheeler at Bristol Crown Court. Three other men were cleared of charges against them. The court heard that Michael Wheeler was friends with the men. Still, their relationship soured when they confused him with another Michael Wheeler, who was jailed in 2003 after admitting to grooming and sexually abusing two 13-year-old girls.

Somerset's main water provider, Wessex Water, is one of six water companies banned by the regulator OFWAT from giving bonuses to executives. The ban imposed on Wessex Water follows the company's conviction over two sewage spills last year.

A Chard man has been disqualified from driving for 18 months and given a 12-month suspended prison sentence. Dean Lawrence from Millfield in Chard was convicted of speeding, driving without insurance and being over the drug drive limit while at the wheel of a car in Chard last October.

People from across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they spot. The Big Count, organised by the Somerset Wildlife Trust, gathers information for the Somerset State of Nature Report. We're being asked to record wildlife we see in gardens, parks, and community green spaces for this year's Big Count, which runs from June 16th to June 25th.

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