Thursday 24th April

Thursday, 24 April 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. It happened on Larkhill Road, close to the turn-off to the Sports Centre, at around 3 pm on Tuesday, earlier this week. The driver of the car remained at the scene following the collision, while the child was given medical treatment before being taken to hospital. If you witnessed the accident or have dashcam footage, you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

A woman has appeared in court charged with concealing the birth of a baby girl, whose body was found at a waste disposal site in Yeovil. Appearing at Yeovil Magistrates Court, Devon Helyar, aged 30, of no fixed address, did not enter a plea to the offence, and was sent for trial at Taunton Crown Court.

This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a shopping centre, described as an eyesore, into a retirement complex. The appeal hearing follows Somerset Council’s rejection of a planning application to convert the Crispin Shopping Centre in Street. Churchill Retirement Living want to demolish the shopping centre and build a retirement complex on the site, consisting of 45 apartments and 11 retirement cottages.

Police have renewed their appeal for witnesses and other information to an incident in which a woman alleges she was sexually assaulted by a man in Yeovil. It happened at about 9.30 pm on Sunday, April 13th, at Milford Dip, off Milford Road. The woman claims that she was dragged off a path by the man, who then assaulted her. Police arrested a man in the area a short time later and then released him on conditional bail. They want to trace the driver of a small green car seen on Melrose Road, who may have witnessed what happened. If you were in the Goldcroft, Milford Road and Melrose Road areas of Yeovil between 9 pm and 10 pm on Sunday, April 13th, and saw a small green car or a man acting suspiciously, you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

Work has been completed refurbishing the sluice gate at Dunball on the Somerset Levels. The improvements, which cost ten million pounds, aim to reduce the flood risk and provide greater protection for freshwater animals.

A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland to mark her 90th birthday. Mary Nicholson is taking on the challenge in aid of The Beacon Cancer Centre, where her brother receives treatment.

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