Wednesday 13th March

Wednesday, 13 March 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The UK's biggest electric car battery factory being built near Bridgwater needs £150 million of investment in related projects, according to Somerset Council. A Somerset mother whose daughter died after being hit by a speeding car is backing a new road safety campaign. An event is being held this weekend to celebrate the centenary of Chard-born Margaret Bondfield being appointed the first female minister in a British government...and more

The UK's biggest electric car battery factory being built near Bridgwater needs £150 million of investment in related projects, according to Somerset Council. The owners of Jaguar Land Rover are building the £4 billion plant on the former Royal Ordnance Factory site at Puriton. Somerset Council says it needs the money to pay for things like skills training and cycle paths to get to the site.

A Somerset mother whose daughter died after being hit by a speeding car is backing a new road safety campaign after last year saw the highest number of deaths on Somerset’s roads in ten years. According to figures from Avon and Somerset Police, thirty people died in road crashes here in 2023 that's a 43% increase from 2022. Excessive speeding, not wearing a seatbelt or drink or drug driving are all highlighted as key factors in serious or fatal collisions.

Great Western Railway says parking will be temporarily reduced at Castle Cary train station for seventeen days starting next Friday. Access to the new car park off Station Road will be shut and some parking bays in the main car park closed off. GWR says it allows for various improvement projects to be completed.

Work upgrading gas pipes starts next week in Somerton. Wales and West Utilities are warning of major disruption in West Street from Wednesday onwards. Barring any engineering difficulties, the work is due to be finished sometime in April.

The Prince of Wales pub at Ham Hill near Yeovil is to feature in a new TV show called Perfect Pub Walks to be shown on More-Four. The programme, introduced by Strictly Come Dancing winner, Bill Bailey, was filmed last summer and includes an interview with Prince of Wales owner, Mike Holroyd, talking about the pub’s history and that of Ham Hill.

Chard Museum is holding an event to celebrate the centenary of Margaret Bondfield being appointed the first female government minister. Margaret Bondfield was born in Chard in 1873 and attended the High Street School in the town. She left Chard aged 14, and went on to be elected a Labour MP and then appointed as the first female government minister in 1924. Chard Museum will celebrate the life of Margaret Bondfield with an event outside Chard Guildhall this coming Saturday.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

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
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