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.

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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