Plans to build a new police station in Yeovil have been scrapped. Somerset Council has apologised for sending out thousands of pension credit letters to the wrong addresses. The green light has been given to build a huge solar farm at South Perrott. Cider makers in Somerset are staging events this week to mark British Cider Week...and more.
Plans to build a new police station in Yeovil have been scrapped after more than five years of waiting. The existing station on Horsey Lane was due to be demolished and replaced with a new two-storey building, but Avon and Somerset Police say the scheme has been cancelled due to escalating costs. A decision to refurbish the existing building instead is expected to be announced shortly.
Somerset had the highest number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the South West last year, according to Diabetes UK. The charity says that thirty-seven thousand people in Somerset were told they had the condition in 2022.
Somerset Council has apologised for sending out thousands of pension credit letters to the wrong households. The Council says a glitch in its computer system led to eleven thousand letters being sent to the wrong addresses. A revised and corrected letter has been prepared and is now being sent to eligible residents.
The green light has been given to plans to build a huge solar farm that partly crosses into Dorset from South Somerset. The scheme had already approved a fifty-four-hectare site near South Perrott and now Dorset Council has also given its approval. The solar farm will be built close to Pipplepen Farm on School Hill in South Perrott. Developers, Elgin Energy claim it will generate enough power for around 10,000 homes.
It’s been confirmed that Dillington House near Ilminster is to close as a venue at the end of September. The decision to permanently shut the building was made by Somerset County Council last October after the Council ran up huge losses running it as a venue. Bookings between now and the end of September will go ahead as normal.
Cider makers in Somerset are staging events this week to mark British Cider Week. UK cider is said to account for thirty-nine per cent of all worldwide sales of cider.
Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.
The father of a one-month-old baby boy in Chard is to stand trial for the murder of his son. New figures show that just under 1300 crimes were reported to the Police in Yeovil during the final quarter of last year. A night in a prison cell is offered at Shepton Mallet Jail to those who want to be alone this Easter...and more.
Big changes are being made to where taxi ranks in Yeovil are located. Farmers are being told to keep an extra lookout for people acting suspiciously following the latest livestock theft near the Devon and Somerset border. Channel 4’s Location Location Location is coming to Somerset, with anyone looking to buy a property locally invited to apply to be in the show...and more
A 36-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Yeovil. Yeovil Labour Club has had its drinks licence revoked. NHS Somerset has been taking its physiotherapy team around the county to cut waiting times for patients. A men-only cooking course has been launched in Sherborne with all ingredients and equipment provided free of charge...and more