Thursday 11th January

Thursday, 11 January 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

There was a ten per cent increase in drivers arrested for drinking or taking drugs in the Avon and Somerset Police area over the Christmas period. Plans have been approved to build a further fifty-nine new homes in Somerton. Police are asking for help identifying a man filmed on CCTV smashing the windows of a barber shop in Crewkerne... and more.

There was a ten per cent increase in drivers arrested for drinking or taking drugs in the Avon and Somerset Police area over the Christmas period. Three hundred and twenty-four drivers were arrested as part of Operation Tonic in December, with drink driving accounting for sixty-eight per cent of offences. Around two thousand drivers in total were stopped.

Plans have been approved to build a further fifty-nine new homes to be built in Somerton. The houses will be built between Bancombe Road and Bradley Hill Lane, as part of the Somerton Mead development. Somerset Council says it’ll be the end of the year now before a decision is made on the final phase of the Somerton Mead site, which includes a pedestrian link to the King Ina Church of England Academy.

An overnight road closure is planned on the A303 later this month. National Highways says it will shut the eastbound carriageway between Podimore and the Steart Hill Junction to begin work building a new westbound dual carriageway. The closure will take place from 9 pm Friday, January 19th to 6 am Saturday, January 20th. Access will remain for local residents, with diversions in place for all other road users.

Police are asking people to report bike thefts more quickly. They say they need to be told immediately if a theft happens to stand any chance of recovering the stolen bike. The plea follows figures showing that 200 bikes are stolen nationally every day with only one in ten returned to its lawful owner.

A new group, giving women who have been widowed a chance to meet up, has had its first meeting in Somerton. Called ‘The Merry Widows’, the group focus on building a new life after the loss of a loved one. The sessions are held at the White Hart in Somerton, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Police are asking for help identifying a man seen smashing the windows of a barber shop in Crewkerne. The man was filmed on CCTV breaking the windows of Hawa Barbers in Market Street in the early hours of Friday 29 September. An image of him can be viewed on the Avon and Somerset Police website.

More from News

Friday 31st July

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
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
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

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more