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

Monday 17th November

Workers belonging to the Unite union at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil are threatening further strike action. Dunelm says its Yeovil store in the Quedam will reopen on Tuesday, December 16th. A nurse working at Yeovil Hospital has won a place in the final of Miss England...and more.
Friday 14th November

Yeovil Hospital has introduced a new system for handling patients at its A&E department aimed at cutting waiting times. It’s claimed that an Iron Age settlement preserved under Somerset's wetlands for 2,000 years is facing erosion due to climate change. Montacute Road in Tintinhull will be closed for five days next week for repairs to a gas main.
Thursday 13th November

Workers at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil are taking part in a second day of strike action in their dispute over pay. Lloyds Bank has closed its branch in Chard permanently. A week-long programme of tree planting will be held at Ham Hill later this month to mark National Tree Week...and more
Wednesday 12th November

Workers belonging to the Unite union at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil begin a two-day strike today. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, has been speaking in a parliamentary debate on improving dyslexia support in schools. South Western Ambulance Service is inviting applications for positions on its governing council...and more
Tuesday 11th November

Somerset residents are being urged to get a flu jab as cases of flu continue to rise. Seven horse saddles have been stolen in a break-in at a riding school in Queen Camel. Donations of children’s toys are needed for this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal...and more
Monday 10th November

It’s claimed Somerset Council has lost nearly £5 million selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. A car has been set on fire in a suspected arson attack in Shepton Mallet. A Crewkerne man says night-time noise from the town's Waitrose store is causing him and his family "sleep disturbance" ... and more.
Friday 7th November

A man from Yeovil has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of three counts of rape. Smoking rates in Somerset remain higher than in many other parts of the UK. Students at three schools in Yeovil have created a new shoe design for Clarks.
Thursday 6th November

The Supreme Court has ruled that building thousands of homes in Somerset has been "unlawfully held up". The Head of Holyrood Academy in Chard has described the building of a new primary school in the town as an ‘incredible opportunity’. A pub near Chard has been named one of the best in Britain by The Good Food Guide...and more