Wednesday 11th March

Wednesday, 11 March 2026 05:00

By Steve Haigh

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more

Plans have been submitted to convert two houses in Yeovil into homes of multiple occupation. Hayhurst Estates Ltd wants to turn numbers 27 and 29 Lyde Road into two six-bedroom properties for unrelated adults. Both would include a ground-floor shared kitchen, diner, and lounge space, with each HMO accommodating six people.

A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. Colin Thorne, aged 32, of Kiddles, in Yeovil, was due to appear at Taunton Crown Court on Monday, but due to ill health did not appear. A provisional trial date of August 10th has been set for Mr Thorne, who’s charged with the attempted murder of a woman in the West Hendford area of Yeovil, to next appear in court.

An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for more than 40-years has won a top industry award. Michael Overd led the structural design of the new AW 149 medium-lift helicopter being built in Yeovil for the RAF and has been presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Vertical Flight Society. Michael, who hails from Langport, says he was inspired to take up a career in engineering by his father, who previously worked as a rotary wing structural test specialist at the Yeovil Leonardo factory.

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with stalking. Taunton Crown Court was told that James Burnett, aged 49, of Higher Bullen, in Barwick, had caused serious alarm after putting a tracker in his victim’s car. Burnett, who changed his plea to guilty, was given a two-year suspended jail sentence and a two-year supervision order.

An auction of restored classic cars will be held at Haynes Motor Museum later this month. Included in the list of vehicles being sold are an E-type Jaguar bought in 1976 and driven for only two years, and an Austin Mini Cooper. Pre-sale viewing takes place at 9 am on the day of the auction on March 25th.

More from News

Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more
Tuesday 3rd March

A woman from Ilminster has been jointly charged with another woman after a man’s body was found inside a car in Cornwall. Somerset businesses, involved in the supply chain for Leonardo, have welcomed the news that the Leonardo factory in Yeovil is to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-two homes in Milborne Port... and more
Monday 2nd March

The Leonardo factory in Yeovil has won a multi-million pound contract to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. A doctor, who previously worked at Yeovil Hospital, has appeared in court charged with illegally accessing NHS computers. A new Construction Innovation Centre has opened at Yeovil College... and more
Friday 27th February

The CEO of Leonardo has suggested the UK government could make an announcement immindently about ordering new medium lift helicopters to be built in Yeovil. A family run hardware business in Yeovil has gone into administration. The Lord Lieutenant of Somerset has been named the new patron of Somerset Chamber of Commerce... and more