Local News Thursday 14th October

Thursday, 14 October 2021 06:00

It’s been announced that Chard's new public swimming pool will open on Monday, November 8th. Businesses in Martock are being advised by police to properly secure their vehicles when parking them outside overnight. The organisation seeking to convert a former care home on Hendford Hill in Yeovil into a homeless shelter has hit back over claims the facility will create anti-social behavior in the area. National Highways have published their latest designs for dualling the A358 between Ilminster and Taunton...and more.

It’s been announced that Chard's new public swimming pool will open on Monday, November 8th. The five-lane pool, part of Chard’s new leisure centre, also includes a beginners' pool, soft play area, gym and café. Costing 16-million pounds to build, the leisure centre is part of the Chard Regeneration project, with funding provided by the government and South Somerset District Council.

Businesses in Martock are being advised by police to properly secure their vehicles when parking them outside overnight. It follows a spate of thefts in which the fuel tanks of vehicles left overnight at Martock Business Park have been syphoned.

The organisation seeking to convert a former care home on Hendford Hill in Yeovil into a homeless shelter have hit back over claims the facility will create anti-social behaviour in the area. A Hendford Hill residents group is trying to block plans for a change of use on the former Acacia House residential home. Bournemouth Churches Housing Association, who are behind the scheme, say it will shut its Newton Road shelter in Yeovil town centre and transfer clients to Hendford Hill if the change of use is approved. They say the shelter will be more secure, have a higher standard of accommodation than the unit in Newton Road and have more internal and external communal spaces, set back from the roadside. South Somerset District Council is due to make a decision on the change of use application before the end of the year.

National Highways have published their latest designs for dualling the A358 between Ilminster and Taunton. People are invited to go online to comment on the plans before National Highways submit a formal application to the government next year.

Churches in Somerset have been in demand for providing campers with a place to sleep – the so-called craze of ‘Champing’. The Churches Conservation Trust says ‘Champing’ has grown in popularity due to restrictions on travelling abroad and people looking for a different kind of holidays experience in this country.

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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
Thursday 24th April

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Wednesday 23rd April

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.
Tuesday 22nd April

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.
Thursday 17th April

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.
Wednesday 16th April

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
Tuesday 15th April

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
Monday 14th April

A new banking hub has opened in Crewkerne. South Western Ambulance is asking people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency over the Easter weekend. £1.8 million is being spent improving walking and cycling routes around a major new housing development at Up Mudford in Yeovil...and more