Thursday 18th April

    A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft flying over Yeovil. Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill. Nearly four hundred people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council...and more.

    A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft. Appearing at Taunton Crown Court, Andrew Wilson was sentenced to four months imprisonment. At an earlier hearing, Wilson had admitted two counts of directing a laser beam at an aircraft, an offence under the Laser Misuse Act 2018. On the first occasion, he targeted a helicopter flying over Yeovil. The second incident involved an Airbus A320 passenger plane flying over Yeovil on its descent to Bristol Airport, with 200 people on board. The court was that Wilson had not only jeopardised the eyesight of several pilots but had recklessly endangered the lives of hundreds of innocent people. Story courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News.

    Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill, just outside Yeovil. It happened on Tuesday, April 16th at around 9 pm. Two men from Yeovil have since been arrested on suspicion of burglary offences.

    Nearly 400 people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council. The Council plans to cut around one thousand jobs in this financial year, up to a quarter of the workforce, in an attempt to save £40m. 372 members of staff had applied for voluntary redundancy when the deadline to apply expired at the end of March.

    Conservationists in Somerset have welcomed the news that a bill to ban the use of peat in gardening products has passed through the first stages in Parliament unopposed. The county has the largest peatlands in the South West and contributes a huge amount to the total UK output. 

    Staff from South Western Ambulance have been in London lobbying MPs as part of a campaign for fairer pay. On a visit to Parliament, Emergency Care Assistants, who work with paramedics as part of emergency ambulance crews, were asking for support for their campaign for higher pay, to better reflect their levels of training, and the important work they do.

    Former Somerset and England cricketer, Marcus Trescothick has been presented his OBE for services to mental health. Marcus currently works as a mental health ambassador with the Professional Cricketers' Association. In 2006, he had to leave an England overseas tour due to his struggles with depression and anxiety.

    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

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Low-level cloud

      High: 13°C | Low: 12°C

    • Chard

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      High: 14°C | Low: 12°C

    • Crewkerne

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      High: 14°C | Low: 12°C

    • Somerton

      Medium-level cloud

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    • Wincanton

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      High: 13°C | Low: 12°C

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