A prolific shoplifter has been banned from entering a number of stores in Yeovil. Motorway users faced a second weekday of problems on the M5 yesterday. The organisers of the Somerset Comedy Festival have had to cancel more shows...and more
A prolific shoplifter has been banned from entering a number of stores in Yeovil after being issued with a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order. Liam Allen, 35, of no fixed address, was given a one-year prison sentence at Taunton Crown Court after pleading guilty to 10 counts of theft between December 2023 and March 2024. The court also granted the order which prohibits him from entering Tesco Express, Tesco Extra, Boots, WH Smith, Superdrug and the Co-Op in the town.
Motorway users faced a second weekday of problems on the M5 yesterday. The road was closed around 10 am in both directions between junctions 23 and 24 after a serious incident, a short distance from Friday’s lorry crash. Although the motorway reopened shortly after midday, the delays remained for some time. Somerset Council is warning of disruption to waste collections for the rest of the week as a result. The crews use the M5 to access the depot where vehicles are emptied.
The organisers of the Somerset Comedy Festival have had to cancel more shows, following poor ticket sales. We told you last week that sets from big names like Sean Walsh and Simon Brodkin had been cancelled. But it has been announced that a further twelve performances have been axed. The organisers are urging the public to support the remaining shows if they possibly can.
And the cleanup operation is underway at Worthy Farm after festival goers left the Glastonbury site yesterday morning. An army of volunteers are now collecting huge amounts of rubbish strewn across the 800-acre site. Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that conversations are already underway with acts for the 2025 event, with 2026 set to be a so-called ‘fallow year’.
There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
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.
Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.
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