Police say they have traced a man, believed to be a witness to an incident in Chard in which a teenager alleges she was sexually assaulted. A campaign has started aimed at cutting the number of motorcyclists, cyclists and e-scooter users killed and seriously injured on Somerset's roads. Yeovil Town Council has taken over the management of Yeovil's public parks after Somerset Council announced it could no longer afford to maintain them...and more.
Police say they’ve traced a man, believed to be a witness to an incident in Chard in which a teenager alleges she was sexually assaulted. It follows the release of a photo of the man on the Avon and Somerset Police website and an appeal broadcast on Radio Ninesprings. A man arrested on the day of the alleged offence has been released on conditional police bail while investigations continue.
A campaign has started in Somerset aimed at cutting the number of motorcyclists, cyclists and e-scooter users killed and seriously injured on local roads. There have been 28 fatal collisions involving two-wheel-powered vehicles since January 2023 in the Avon and Somerset force area. Police say they'll be carrying out extra patrols on high-risk routes, warning people of the dangers.
A new road junction linking a housing development in Crewkerne with the town’s railway station won’t be built until a third of the new homes on the site have been occupied. The development at Wool Gardens will eventually comprise 635 homes, a 66-bed care home and commercial space between the A30 Yeovil Road and the A356 Station Road. People already living at Wool Gardens currently have to use Blacknell Lane to access Station Road to reach the town centre and railway station. Developers Taylor Wimpey promised that a signal-controlled junction on Station Road, joining up with the southern end of the new link road, would be in place when 55 homes on the Wool Gardens site had been occupied. But the developer has now reached an agreement with Somerset Council to delay building the junction until 200 homes are occupied.
Yeovil Town Council has taken over the running of Yeovil’s public parks and play areas. Somerset Council had been responsible for the management of green spaces in Yeovil but devolved them to the Town Council after declaring a financial emergency.
A project is underway that aims to help endangered eels move around the Somerset Levels. Barriers can stop the creatures from reaching their natural habitat. Now, 12 passes that act as ladders have been introduced in the North Moor and King's Sedgemoor areas.
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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