Wednesday 6th March

Wednesday, 6 March 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Forty new homes will be built in South Petherton despite strong local objections. Four people have been charged as part of an investigation into a drugs line between Somerset and Manchester. A Yeovil primary school has won a national nature award for the second year running...and more.

The go ahead has been given to build forty new homes in South Petherton despite strong local objections. The development off Silver Lane will include fourteen ‘affordable’ homes. Local people claimed the site was not suitable for building and would create a dangerous junction at Hospital Lane. The application was approved by members of Somerset Council’s South Planning Committee by just one vote.

Four people have been charged as part of an investigation into a drugs line between Somerset and Manchester in a joint operation between Avon and Somerset and Greater Manchester police. Appearing at Taunton Magistrates’ Court, the three adults and teenager were charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. A full hearing against all four will be heard at Taunton Crown Court on Friday, March 29th.

The Acting Dean of Wells Cathedral has been justifying their decision to start charging visitors an entry fee to the cathedral. The Venerable Anne Gell was speaking about the fourteen-pound charge being introduced in April. She says the money is essential to help maintain the building which costs around four thousand pounds every day to run.

The production company behind the TV show Junior Bake Off says it's looking for applicants from Somerset for the next series. Love Productions, which is also behind the main Great British Bake Off, says it would like to hear from boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 12 who have a love of baking. Applications can be filled out online and the deadline is Sunday 17th March.

A Yeovil primary school has won a national nature award for the second year running. Tintinhull Primary is one of twenty-five schools in England to be given the ‘Let’s Go Zero Award’ by the Ovo Foundation. It includes a £200 prize, which will be invested into transforming a section of the school grounds into a wildflower meadow.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more