Wednesday 30th April

Wednesday, 30 April 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Avon and Somerset Police announced in 2018 that the building in Horsey Lane would be replaced with a brand new station at a cost of £6.2 million, but construction never began. The force says refurbishing the current station will begin this summer, with the building expected to return to full operational use by the autumn of 2026.

Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. Two of the men were also arrested in connection with the theft of a motor vehicle. All three remain in custody pending further inquiries.

Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes in Yeovil. They’ll be built close to the Bunford Park commercial estate between Bunford Lane and the Lysander Road roundabout. Twenty-eight of the homes will be affordable. As part of the planning consent, developers, the Abbey Manor Group, will provide £392,000 towards additional early years places in Yeovil, £104,000 for improving NHS services, £247,000 for play equipment, £117,000 for new sports pitches, and £42,000 for local youth facilities.

A Chard man has appeared in court charged with a drink driving offence. John Nichols of Frog Lane in Combe St Nicholas pleaded guilty to the charge at Yeovil Magistrates Court. He was given a 19-month driving ban and fined £184 with £85 costs.

A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025. 19-year-old Freddie Gingell, the nephew of Milborne Port-based trainer Joe Tizzard, was singled out as an emerging top talent.

A group of clog dancers from Yeovil will put on a display tomorrow to mark the start of summer. Members of Treacle Easter Clog will perform a dance routine at Ham Hill Country Park at sunrise at 6 a.m.

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Thursday 22nd May

Residents of Chard are being asked to be more proactive and call the local police when they spot acts of crime and anti-social behaviour. Somerset Council says its gritting teams went out 1700 times last winter, covering more than 117,000 miles and spreading 6,000 tonnes of salt to keep local roads open. Leonardo Helicopters says it will be conducting test flights over Yeovil tonight up until 10.30 pm...and more
Wednesday 21st May

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says closing the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital is a disaster for the town. A Somerset transport company that supplies supermarkets says it’s being held to ransom by cyber hackers. NHS Somerset says 70% of people in the highest risk groups have yet to get their Covid-19 spring booster jab...and more
Tuesday 19th May

A Yeovil man says his life has improved since having a new weight loss treatment. A pub near Chard is blaming increased running costs imposed by the government for the business closing. A Somerset woman has been left with facial injuries after coming off her horse when it was spooked by a driver overtaking at speed...and more
Monday 19th May

Four thousand people have signed a petition calling for Yeovil’s maternity unit to be re-opened as soon as possible. UNISON is calling on Somerset Council to clarify how it will operate services now that hundreds of staff have been made redundant. The Bishop of Bath and Wells says he’s concerned about amendments to the assisted dying bill...and more.
Friday 16th May

A Wincanton woman, who is due to give birth with her first child at Yeovil Hospital, says she’s been left in shock after being told the maternity unit in the town is to close. A South Petherton man has appeared in court charged with riding a motorbike while under the influence of drugs. One of Ilminster’s oldest residents has died aged 104...and more
Thursday 15th May

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has been asked to intervene in the decision to close the maternity ward at Yeovil Hospital. A man who lives in Winsham near Chard has been given a suspended prison sentence for breaching his sex offender notification requirements. Plans have been submitted to convert Dolphin House in Yeovil into 18 residential units...and more
Wednesday 14th May

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