Wednesday 7th May

Wednesday, 7 May 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Interim Chairman of Yeovil Town, Stuart Robins, says the club is close to finding a new owner. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is examining an incident in which a volunteer was struck by a wagon at the Gartell Light Railway centre near Templecombe. An Ilminster man has been charged with fox hunting. Councillor Tony Lock has been sworn in as the new Mayor of Yeovil...and more

The Interim Chairman of Yeovil Town, Stuart Robins, says the club is close to finding a new owner. He stepped into the Chairman’s role last month following Martin Hellier’s resignation and decision to sell his majority shareholding. Stuart Robins says negotiations with a third party to buy Yeovil Town are progressing well but gave no further details.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is examining an incident in which a volunteer was struck by a wagon at the Gartell Light Railway centre near Templecombe. The volunteer was hit as he was attempting to get off the wagon near the Common Lane level crossing. The heritage railway was closed to the public at the time of the accident.

Racing pigeons from Somerset, released in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, have arrived back in the County. Pigeons played a vital role in World War Two, delivering messages when radio communications were disrupted. Over 1,000 pigeons from all parts of the West of England, including 50 destined for Somerset, flew back over the English Channel at the weekend, completing the crossing in around five hours.

Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident in Langport in which a man received serious head injuries when he was hit by a car. Emergency services were called to Parrett Close in Langport at 3 pm on Monday after a car collided with a pedestrian and two stationary vehicles. Avon and Somerset Police would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage. If you can help, you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

An Ilminster man has been charged with fox hunting. It follows reports of a fox being pursued by a hunt group and killed in the area of Drimpton, near Beaminster. The man has been charged with hunting a wild mammal with dogs under Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004 and is due to appear at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 28th.

Entries are still open for this year’s Bristol, Bath, and Somerset Tourism Awards. It’s a chance for tourism and hospitality businesses to show off their success and honour their teams. Entries close on Sunday, May 18th, with businesses allowed to enter as many categories as they are eligible for. To enter, go to somersettourismawards.org.uk

Councillor Tony Lock has been sworn in as the new Mayor of Yeovil. Councillor Lock's chosen charities for his year in office are Yeovil Hospital Charity and Yeovil Freewheelers, also known as Yeovil Blood Bikes. Yeovil's new Deputy Mayor is Councillor Wes Read.

More from News

Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more