A two-mile section of the A303 through South Somerset will close for three days from tomorrow. Police are warning motorists in Crewkerne they could be fined for stopping in ‘yellow box junctions’ when turning. Ilminster's Repair Shop is due to re-open tomorrow after closing temporarily due to volunteers becoming overwhelmed with items in for repair. Events held at the Octagon Theatre and the Westlands Entertainment Venue in Yeovil for Ukraine have raised more than eight-and-a-half thousand pounds...and more.
A two-mile section of the A303 through South Somerset will close for three days from tomorrow (Friday 13-05). It’s to allow for a temporary bridge to be installed over the carriageway at Steart Hill near the Sparkford roundabout. The bridge is for the use of construction vehicles dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Podimore. The road will shut at 10 pm tomorrow evening and motorists will be diverted along the A359 and A37. The road is due to re-open at 5 am on Monday morning.
Police are warning motorists in Crewkerne they could be fined for stopping in ‘yellow box junctions’ when turning. It follows reports that drivers regularly stop in the ‘yellow box’ in South Street, which the police say is a breach of the Highway Code.
Ilminster's Repair Shop is due to re-open tomorrow after closing temporarily due to volunteers becoming overwhelmed with items in for repair. Since opening in February, The Repair Shop in Silver Street says it’s been inundated with requests from the public to help.
Events held at the Octagon Theatre and the Westlands Entertainment Venue in Yeovil for Ukraine have raised more than eight-and-a-half thousand pounds. ‘Concert for Ukraine’ was held at the Octagon on Friday 1st April and Rock for Ukraine at Westlands on Friday 22nd April with proceeds going to School in a Bag’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal and the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Drones are being used to help clamp down on illegal fishing in Somerset. Fisheries officers have been working with Police and the Environment Agency to spot those using illegal nets, or fishing out of season. Anyone fishing illegally could face a fine of up to £2,500.
The Cotley Inn at Wambrook near Chard has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Visit England Awards for Excellence 2022. The pub's owners, Maddie and Ben, now have to wait until the national awards ceremony in Birmingham on June 8th to find out if they’ve won gold, silver or bronze.
A boat used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett at Langport has sunk after being vandalised. A union representing firefighters in Somerset says former retained staff are missing out on pension payments. Thirty-nine new affordable homes are to be built in Merriot...and more
A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son at Yeovil Hospital. From Monday, no trains will be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice. Experts say the dry weather has created ideal conditions for wasps to multiply in significant numbers across Somerset. A rare railway carriage from the 1880s, believed to have been built in Somerset, is being given a new lease of life...and more.
Tourism leaders in Somerset are hoping to reverse last year’s downturn in visitor numbers now that the six-week-long school summer holiday is underway. A Chard woman who was driving a van without insurance that crashed has been given a 16-month driving ban. A Somerset hedgehog rescue centre says a lack of rain and hard ground conditions are making it difficult for hedgehogs to survive this summer...and more.
Somerset Council is planning to open twelve new Special Educational Needs units in mainstream schools. Yeovil Hospital is participating in a trial that could revolutionise the treatment of sepsis within the NHS. A 55-acre site in Chard, with plans approved to build 295 homes and a new football ground, has been put up for sale...and more
Somerset Community Foundation has launched a "Together for West Somerset Appeal" to help families affected by last Thursday's school coach crash on Exmoor. People in Somerset are being encouraged to improve their recycling of food waste. Free family cooking sessions are being held in Chard. A new children’s soft play area is soon to open in Yeovil...and more
A GoFundMe page set up to support families of last week’s Exmoor bus crash, in which a 10-year-old boy died, has raised over forty thousand pounds. A local councillor is calling for the introduction of speed cameras on the A30, from Yeovil to Sherborne. A group from a school in Ilchester have hiked 26 miles across the Jurassic Coast to fundraise in memory of a school colleague...and more
EDF has completed another milestone in constructing the new 'Hinkley C' nuclear power plant near Bridgwater. The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire opens today with helicopters built in Yeovil on display. A road leading to Chard reservoir, shut two months ago for strengthening work to a dam wall, has re-opened...and more
Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he has serious concerns about plans that could see the closure of inpatient beds at Crewkerne Community Hospital. Ilminster residents are being asked to vote in a referendum on adopting a new neighbourhood plan for the town. An event in which people take part in a race against horses is returning to Somerset later this year...and more