Tuesday 3rd June

Monday, 2 June 2025 20:01

By Steve Haigh

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.

More from News

Tuesday 18th August

People across Somerset are banned from today from using hosepipes to water gardens, clean windows or cars, or fill swimming and paddling pools. More cases of the potentially deadly livestock disease Bluetongue have been confirmed in Somerset. Work is underway to improve disabled access at Holyrood Academy in Chard... and more
Monday 17th August

Wessex Water, who supplies almost all homes and businesses in Somerset, has introduced a hosepipe ban effective from midnight tonight. A sinkhole on Station Road in Castle Cary has been repaired, two years after it was first discovered. A Wildcat helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton has taken part in the annual passing-out parade at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth... and more
Friday 14th August

Police are investigating an incident in which obscene words were scratched onto the World War One memorial at Ham Hill. Yeovil MP Adam Dance has repeated his call for the upgrade of the town’s police station to include a custody suite. A Somerset carnival club is building a specially adapted float to allow a wheelchair user and her assistance dog to take part in this year’s carnival circuit...and more
Thursday 13th August

An Ilminster family is celebrating after winning one million pounds on the National Lottery. Police have released a picture of a man they want to speak to in connection with suspected frauds in Somerset. Somerset Council has opened a tendering process to find a main contractor for the £15 million upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon theatre... and more
Wednesday 12th August

Experts say with good visibility forecast for this evening, people across Somerset should have some of the best views of the solar eclipse anywhere in the UK. A Somerset councillor is calling for the Stop Line cycle route between Chard and Ilminster to be better supported. It's 40-years ago this week since a Lynx helicopter built in Yeovil set a new World Helicopter Speed Record... and more
Tuesday 11th August

Wessex Water says a hosepipe ban is possible if customers fail to cut their water usage. A record number of illegal dog fights were reported in Somerset last year. Yeovil Town's Mason Obeng has won the traditional sack of potatoes, given to the player who scores Yeovil's first goal of the new season, as a lucky omen... and more
Monday 10th August

A local councillor claims anti-social behaviour is putting people off coming into Yeovil town centre. South-West Water has announced a hosepipe ban in the Chard area. Great Western Railway has apologised after a wheelchair user from Chard became stuck at one of its stations... and more
Friday 7th August

Chard's biggest employer, Numatic International, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, has announced job cuts. A new Neighbourhood Plan for Hatch Beauchamp has officially been adopted. Two historic artefacts taken from Glastonbury Abbey more than 70 years ago have been returned...and more