Thursday 13th March

Thursday, 13 March 2025 05:00

By Steve Haigh

A new campaign has been launched to persuade people in Somerset to stop smoking. Four people have been arrested in Chard in connection with the supply of Class A drugs. A dog from Yeovil has won the title of ‘best in breed’ at Crufts...and more.

NHS Somerset has launched a new campaign to persuade people in Somerset to stop smoking. Data shows that around 60,000 people smoke in Somerset. The Smokefree initiative targets those in high-risk groups, where smoking rates are higher or where cigarettes pose a health concern.

Four people have been arrested in Chard in connection with the supply of Class A drugs. South Somerset Neighbourhood Policing Team seized items relating to drug supply during a raid on a property in the town. Avon and Somerset Police say their enquiries remain ongoing.

Police are seeking witnesses to a two-vehicle collision in Chard. The crash, involving a grey BMW 520D and a grey VW Golf, happened in Church Street at around 5.30 pm on Monday, March 10th. A woman in the Golf was treated for her injuries at the scene. Police say their enquiries are ongoing and ask that anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage to please call the non-emergency number 101.

A Yeovil woman has appeared in court charged with using threatening and abusive language towards a family member. Pleading guilty to the charge at Yeovil magistrates court, Dorothy Isaacs, aged 76 of Orchard Close in Yeovil Marsh was fined £120 with £40 costs.

Blackdown Acapella made up of over 30 women singers who live in the Blackdowns, are to compete in the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers Convention. The event, being held in Harrogate in October, will allow the group to win national recognition for its work.

A dog from Yeovil has won the title of ‘best in breed’ at Crufts. Manu, a Finnish Lapphund, was singled out by the judging panel for having a ‘delightful head and expression’. His owner, Edward Forsey, has described Manu as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime dog’.

More from News

Wednesday 5th August

Avon and Somerset's Police and Crime Commissioner is backing the wider use of police drones in towns like Yeovil to help tackle crime. Visitor numbers at Somerset's tourist attractions are down by around sixty per cent so far this year. A gardening expert says it'll take much more than the occasional shower to revive Somerset's parched lawns, parks and open spaces...and more
Tuesday 4th August

A Somerset doctor is calling for better community eye care. People in Glastonbury and Street are benefiting from a new bus service to Castle Cary railway station. A sailor from South Petherton is celebrating after sailing around the world... and more
Monday 3rd August

A yellow Heat Health Alert is in force across Somerset today. The swimming and leisure centre in Street remains closed following last Thursday's flooding in the plant room. Plans for a new primary school in Chard have been delayed until at least 2030... and more
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