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

Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more